JerseytoBKK

Very interesting interview with CEO of FedEx. They have 700 employees in Wuhan. He thinks it will be a V shaped recovery. 

https://video.foxnews.com/v/6142694474001/

3 hours ago, ThaiBunny said:

And fit.  The halt and the lame don't go on cruises

How many cruises have you been on? All these ships have elevators and are handicapped friendly. Lots of people use walkers and seeing someone in a wheelchair is not uncommon.

Almost everyone does buffet breakfast and most also do buffet lunch. Trays and large displays of food just sitting there waiting for anyone one of a thousand people to cough. Casinos, theaters and pools where people are elbow to elbow. 

The cruise environment is a much easier place to catch a virus. Why do you think rhinoviruses are such an issue on cruise ships?

Just looked at the age distribution and over 1,231 were over 70. High risk group.

9 minutes ago, ThaiBunny said:

The underlying assumption is that the passengers and crew of a luxury cruise ship are typical of the population at large, and that their medical treatment is also typical of what would happen to large-scale numbers of cases

Actually they were much older than typical population. There was a story that showed that there were many people over 80, more over 70 and even more over 60. I was surprised about the average age being that old. 

22 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

it is a huge mistake to compare covid19 to the "normal" flu.

 

please stop doing it. 

 

The virus's correct name is SARS-CoV-2.

 

"Covid-19 is not the flu. It’s worse.

It’s deadlier, more contagious, and more likely to severely disrupt our health care system."

 

https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/3/13/21176735/covid-19-coronavirus-worse-than-flu-comparison

 

The best case study to date is what happened on the Diamond Princess. 3,618 passengers and crew interacted freely for at least a week and were then put into quarantine for 2 weeks. Everyone was tested, some more than once.

3,618 total tested

705 confirmed CoVID

392 were asymptomatic, which means only 316 showed any signs such as sore throat, fever, cough

7 (maybe 8  ) died

Out of 3,618 that were exposed over a prolonged period, 7 died.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_coronavirus_pandemic_on_cruise_ships#Diamond_Princess

There are now multiple videos of people from the Princess and videos of other people who had the virus and almost all are saying that people are overreacting. This is just one of many examples: https://www.foxnews.com/media/couple-recovers-from-covid-19-after-cruise-we-encourage-our-fellow-americans-not-to-panic

Only 7,500 baht? I'm seen lots of people on this site claiming the hospitals are charging 10,000 baht so Immigration is 25% cheaper? That's a surprise.

Best place to get semi-official news: 

https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/international-travel-document-news/1580226297.htm

It gets updated daily so might not always have the very latest developments.

For Cambodia:

CAMBODIA – published 14.03.2020

Effective from 17.03.2020:

All passengers who in the past 14 days have been to, or are originating from France, Germany, Italy, Spain or USA are not allowed to enter or transit Cambodia. This restriction applies for 30 days.

This does not apply to nationals of Cambodia or residents of Cambodia.

This global travel list is updated daily so last minute things might not show up. The IATA is the International Air Transport Association, a trade association of the world's airlines.

https://www.iatatravel-travel-document-news/1580226297m.htlcentre.com/international

Anyone traveling to or from Thailand to another country should check this list and also look at any countries of connecting cities. For quarantines, some countries are not including transiting an airport and other countries are including it.

This is current Thailand info as of March 14:

THAILAND - published 13.03.2020
1. Passengers arriving from China (People's Rep.), Hong Kong (SAR China), Iran, Italy, Korea (Rep.) or Macao (SAR China) must have a Health Certificate as well as Lab Test COVID-19 to prove they are free from Coronavirus (COVID-19). They must be under doctor's observation 14 days before issuing date. The Health Certificate and Lab Test COVID-19 must be valid for not more than 2 days prior to departure.

- This does not apply to airline crew.

2. Passengers arriving from China (People's Rep.), Hong Kong (SAR China), Iran, Italy, Korea (Rep.) or Macao (SAR China) must have a medical insurance with coverage of 100,000 USD.

- This does not apply to nationals of Thailand.

- This does not apply to airline crew.

3. Passengers and crew members must present a completed T.8 health questionnaire to Health Control Office upon arrival.

4. Crew members not based in Thailand arriving from China (People's Rep.), Hong Kong (SAR China), Iran, Italy, Korea (Rep.) or Macao (SAR China) will be quarantined at the hotel until next departure schedule.

5. Crew members based in Thailand arriving from China (People's Rep.), Hong Kong (SAR China), Iran, Italy, Korea (Rep.) or Macao (SAR China) will be quarantined at home until next departure schedule.

- This does not apply when they only transited through China (People's Rep.), Hong Kong (SAR China), Iran, Italy, Korea (Rep.) or Macao (SAR China).

6. Based on the travel advisory restriction issued by United Arab Emirates Government, nationals of United Arab Emirates are not allowed to travel to Thailand.
7. Nationals of Bulgaria, Bhutan, China (People's Rep.), Cyprus, Ethiopia, Fiji, Georgia, India, Kazakhstan, Malta, Mexico, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu and passengers with a Chinese Taipei (on the cover: Republic of China Taiwan) passport can no longer obtain a visa on arrival.

8. Nationals of Italy are no longer visa exempt.

1 hour ago, tjo o tjim said:

Boy, this is going to make travel complicated. To the US from Bangkok about your only connection options are China, Japan, and Korea. 

I'm heading to the US (east coast) next week and am avoiding Cathay and JAL which I normally fly because I don't want to route through HKG, Seoul and Tokyo. Going through Munich on the way there with Thai connecting to Lufthansa. When I return in 4 weeks, I'll either route through London, Copenhagen or Zurich. Lots of choices to those airports and Thai flies from them to BKK. Another choice would be Austrian which flies from US-VIE-BKK.

If you're going to the West coast, then can still route through Manila or head through Europe or ME countries.  

1 hour ago, MikeN said:

I doubt you have actually heard anything vaguely reliable, but actually the CP group own 7/11. Big C are owned by the TCC Group.

Personally I hope that the Central Group (Robinsons, TOPS, Thai Watsadu, powerbuy, Supersports,etc) get it to keep a bit of competition going.

CP also owns Makro.

On 2/29/2020 at 11:01 AM, elgenon said:

Good point. Jersey peeps are smart. What is best? She is visiting Thai friends?

Are the Thai friends legally in the US? Can she list their address and phone numbers in the application? I don't think it's a good idea to BS. These are expert interviewers who are looking for the slightest reason to say no.

She can list you but then she needs to show that she isn't planning to marry once she gets to the US. She has to convincingly explain that she intends to return to Thailand. Maybe you already have your next trip booked to Thailand? Have you 2 traveled together anywhere outside Thailand?

Note that if she claims she's coming for 2 weeks but stays 3 months, visas can be revoked when she tries to re-enter for a subsequent trip.

There's also really bad advice that gets perpetually repeated about not stating you're visiting a US resident. Your girlfriend will be asked if she's traveling with anyone and/or who she is planning to visit. Put yourself in the interviewer's shoes. If a Thai woman claims she doesn't know anyone and is traveling alone to the US, you going to believe that?

On 2/24/2020 at 5:13 AM, elgenon said:

I am in America and she is in Thailand and she wants me to do most of the work, as it overwhelms her. I am willing, but don't know what I need to do and when. I would appreciate someone with recent practical experience to lay it out for me.

I know getting any visa for America is difficult so I am asking for help by someone who has done it. What to do, what not to do.

 

Thanks.

There are 2 big hurdles she has to overcome. Convincingly show that she intends to return to Thailand. Also that she doesn't intend to marry you after she gets to the US. This 2nd hurdle is what gets many people who are in a long term relationship because Immigration hates that people try to circumvent the required process to get a fiancee visa. Owning property, cars, having kids are not strong reasons to return because property, cars and kids can be cared for by relatives if the person decides to overstay and illegally work in the US. Stating that you're coming for anything more than a 2 week visit is also not a good idea.

My girlfriend has had a high paying job in Bangkok with a very large Thai multinational company for over 10 years. In the application she provided details about her job, salary and stated that she wanted to visit for 2 weeks and listed the places we were planning on going to. She had traveled for business within Asia. She had no trouble getting her 10 year visa 4 years ago and has since done 3 trips to the US.  Just 2 months ago her friend who also works at her company and makes good money also had no trouble with getting a 10 year visa. In both cases money in the bank wasn't even mentioned.

She can fill out the form in Thai online. 

3 hours ago, Thian said:

This is why there aren't any mouthmasks for sale in BKK....when will the new stock arrive general?

The local Home Pro had plenty yesterday. The cheap ones were 99 B for 10 pack and they had lots of different better quality masks also.

27 minutes ago, ThaiBunny said:

Exactly - they were already infected before they began their self-imposed isolation

What point are you trying to make? Liddelljohn started this post saying he was told he had coronavirus and almost everyone ( including  me) thought that wasn't possible since he was sent home. It turns out that the US is sending home people who have tested positive for coronavirus and telling them to self isolate. 

I am curious if if this is standard protocol in other countries. Seems like this decision has the potential to seriously backfire.

4 minutes ago, ThaiBunny said:

And were they self-isolating for the 14 (or is 21 now) days for the virus to incubate before their coronavirus was detected?

Did you not read the article? Some reported to health authorities within days of returning from Wuhan.

On 2/14/2020 at 3:25 PM, Sheryl said:

I too am amazed that you would not be put in isolation if really positive for Corona. 

 

Especially from a govetnment (military) hospital

More amazing stuff here: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/27/health/coronavirus-in-the-us-what-we-know-trnd/index.html

While the article is 6 days old, it lists 7 people that are confirmed coronovirus cases that are self isolating at home in the US.

I read that somewhere around 75-80% of infected people only have mild symptoms so maybe the view is to keep hospital beds free for the serious cases. But human nature being what it is, there will be people who won't be conscientious about maintaining self isolation.  

1 hour ago, talahtnut said:

If you go through the green channel, and get

stopped, you might lose the lot.

I always go through the red channel, and declare,

quite often they are fairly lenient if you're not

too greedy.

All baggage goes through a scanner so

they know whats inside.

Thanks for this info!

What is "not too greedy"? 4 bottles, 6 bottles? Wine or hard liquor? How much do you pay for amounts over the permitted 1 liter?

17 minutes ago, DogNo1 said:

Seat configuration is something to consider.  The JAL business cabin is 2-2-2 while ANA is 1-2-1. Of course, ANA is more expensive but you get to transit Tokyo.

JAL from BKK-NRT/HND might be 2-2-2 but the flights into JFK/IAD are 1-2-1. Also DFW-NRT is 1-2-1

CX similar -some BKK-HKG are 2-2-2 and some are 1-2-1 but the flights into JFK/EWR are 1-2-1. 

EVA from BKK-VIE is 1-2-1 and Austrian from VIE-JFK also 1-2-1 and they have some of the best business class airline food but a mediocre selection of wines.

I use ITA and skyscanner and also Google flights.  Sample dates for Sep are showing $3,500 on Etihad and you can set an alert notice for price drops: https://www.google.com/flights#flt=BKK.IAD.2020-09-06*IAD.BKK.2020-09-20;c:USD;e:1;sc:b;sd:1;t:f

Some "consolidators" buy frequent flyer miles and book tickets using them.  Avoid those because if the airline gets suspicious, they will deny you boarding and you'll have a very hard time getting your money back.  

1 hour ago, Beggar said:

Are cruise ship tourists good tourists? They don't stay in hotels. The have their own food and drinks. They have their own entertainment. They often use land tours controlled by the cruise ship companies. Are they even worse than the so called zero Baht tourists? 

The cruise ship pays a port fee and taxes that are based on total people on board. Different ports charge a different amount, but around $15 - $30. So a ship with 2,000 guests and 500 crew would pay $50,000 per day if the fees were $20/person. That's why many ports compete for cruise ships.

3 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

 

What is your point here? Is the intent to insult everyone's intelligence with your use of  unsubstantiated statements from an unreliable and untrustworthy source of information.

The Global Times is a daily tabloid newspaper controlled by the Chinese Communist Party's People's Daily newspaper. This is the same group that calls the concentration camps holding Uyhgurs,  "Holiday and Leisure Camps" and  "Education   facilities".

 

Do you really believe that  a 1000 bed hospital can be built in a week? More like a  detention center dormitory. All that the Chinese have done is build a place where people will be kept.   It is impossible to  have equipped  the facility with the medical equipment and  advanced care  devices common to a basic clinic. It takes time to install ICU equipment and to calibrate equipment. The facility probably does not even have a balanced  air flow and pressure system required to control infectious disease contagion.

Are you aware the  current infectious disease control protocols require patient isolation as in individual hospital rooms? This is why every new hospital being built in the developed world emphasizes individual rooms. Don't tell us that the  Chinese facility respects that basic starting requirement. Do you know what happens when you have 50 patients sharing one toilet?

 

You reference  patient age demographics as if  your data is reliable. Well, it isn't reliable because it has not been vetted and verified by third parties, specifically WHO. Are you even aware that the Chinese are not being overly co-operative in allowing foreigners  to observe the treatment facilities or to access patients?  What we are being fed is misinformation praising the Chinese with the goal to keep people from panicking.  China has unleashed another infectious disease on the world and its government is in panic mode trying to get its genie back in the bottle.

 

"Do you really believe that  a 1000 bed hospital can be built in a week?" You're right - wasn't a week but 10 days. Guess you didn't see any of the live streaming video that was broadcast during construction? The rooms are pre-fab. 7,000+ workers. Construction 24 hours a day. I'm definitely not a fan of the Chinese gov, but you got to give them credit for their response and ability to mobilize.

Here are some pics: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/03/world/asia/coronavirus-wuhan-hospital.html and https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/pictures-wuhan-fast-built-hospital-200203080542994.html

5 hours ago, davehowden said:

"where they can enjoy fresh air"

 

Won't be in Chiang Mai then thank heavens.

"Fresh air" can't be found anywhere in Thailand. Right now there are large areas of China that have better air quality than Thailand.

on Jan 20th there were 295 cases with 6 dead. Today, 2 WEEKS LATER, there are over 17,000 cases with 362 dead. 

But there's nothing to worry about. Nothing to see here. Just move right along but be a bit careful that you don't trip over the bodies as they pile up. 

Smaller really is better especially when you get a private butler:

https://bk.asia-city.com/city-living/news/bangkok-best-vip-cinemas