CG1 Blue

I heard the Black club on Samui is now open and selling alcohol, plus a few bars? The only thing at the moment that gives me any optimism is the speed at which the Thais can open / re-open / build a bar. Meaning that when (if) this government come to their senses and end the anti-tourism measures, the nightlife can be revived pretty quickly.

It seems to have escaped your notice that only a miniscule number of people who test positive will get any symptoms at all, let alone need any treatment. If I cut my knee should I be hospitalised for a couple of weeks in case I get Tetanus? It's insane blocking up hospitals with asymptomatic 'patients'!

You mean enjoying their lives? Yep, we're doing that in the UK. I'm off to the pub shortly actually to have a few beers. Eventually the rest of the world will realise the virus isn't going away and we just have to live with it. I'll go back to Thailand when they get to that point. I hope that's sooner rather than later, but not holding my breath. (P.S. I realise Thailand needs to catch up on vaccinations first)

Miller Kinge - is that a Spoonerism?

I'll be in Tenerife at the end of this month, and was in Spain last month and agree it's all pretty much business as usual. Living with the virus is the new norm across most of Europe. I can't wait to get back to Thailand, but I'll be spending my money elsewhere until all the ridiculous rules have been relaxed.

I'm fully vaccinated and I'm not too concerned what other people choose to do or not do. Life's too short to find other things to get riled up about

Indeed! And yes, Covid insurance might cover the cost of forced quarantine. But if you (or someone on your flight) test positive upon arrival and you get banged up for 2 weeks, that's the holiday ruined. Imagine waiting 1-2 years to have a big holiday and then having to spend it in quarantine. Tourists won't take that risk whether or not the cost is covered by insurance.

I don't think they need to worry about thousands of holidaymakers turning up. Booking a holiday to Thailand is just too risky at the moment. If you test positive on arrival you'll spend most of your holiday quarantined. Plus the always looming anti-alcohol sentiment from those in power now. Most holiday makers want the choice to have a drink with a meal or go to a bar for some bevvies. Who knows what alcohol rules will be in place by the time you arrive in Thailand. I remember several occasions when I was out enjoying the bars of Chaweng and suddenly all the music stopped and lights went down because the police from the mainland were doing curfew spot checks. Night out ruined. It could be 10 times worse in the current climate. So I don't think hotel capacity is going to be an issue for them.

Do you really think the fun stuff is gone forever? God I hope not! It might be more like a reset. Once the ridiculous alcohol bans and curfews are over, the nightlife is initially centered around Bkk, Patts and Patong and then slowly spreads back to Samui etc. A bit like going back 25 years and starting from there.

All this aggro after spending 11 hours on board a plane. And if your result comes back positive you'll get quarantined for a couple more weeks. But if you test negative you're free to do what you want! Well, apart from drinking alcohol with your meal or going to any bars or clubs, or staying out beyond 11pm. Sounds like a dream holiday ????

And if your arrival PCR test is positive you'll be banged up for 2 weeks. Hope you've allowed for that

Thailand's reopening plan may coincide with other nations from a timing perspective, but from a complexity / unpredictability / and obsession with alcohol bans perspective Thailand is on another planet. Such a shame

Sorry but that's not true. Fully vaccinated tourists from the UK can fly to Spain / the Canary Islands (for example) and don't need to take a test until they return home. There are plenty of countries people can take a holiday to without the risk of being banged up for 14 days because of a positive test on arrival. And without the risk of alcohol bans!

Much easier to do that in a tiny city state like Singapore with it's tiny (easily controlled) population. A big challenge to do it across a more vast country like Thailand. But you're probably right in saying that's the government's intention.

"His brother met Khun Nee about eight years ago when she worked in a bar in Soi Green mango on Koh Samui." So she worked at a bar in Soi Green Mango around 2001. Scary to think I may well have met her myself. RIP to your friend

Who said it was new? I've only seen people saying the invasion is imminent.

Sorry, but I didn't hear it here first. A senior CCP minister made a statement a couple of weeks ago saying the 'reunification' of China/Taiwan will happen soon and will be completed much quicker than most people anticipate. And I don't think there's much the US or anybody will be able to do about it - sadly

Well that's good news. It's a start anyway! Hope you enjoyed the view ???? I guess it's a chicken and egg situation. The local businesses need tourists in order to open, and the tourists need businesses open to go there on holiday. Tough situation

How are things looking on Samui? I assume everything (apart from Central Festival) is still closed in Chaweng? Any sign of tourists returning?

I'm starting to wonder if you're being deliberately vague to keep the topic going ???? So bad neighbour planted yaba in the garden of good neighbour, to get good neighbour arrested?

How about they don't ban alcohol at all? There is no scientific evidence that an alcohol ban improves the Covid stats. Why take away one of life's few pleasures in these already depressing times?

Exactly this. I have a few friends who used to spend a load money holidaying in Thailand. With nightlife effectively banned and the government obsessing over alcohol, they're not going to be clicking the 'Book Now' button for a long time yet. It's worth jumping through some hoops for a proper holiday, but not for what's on offer in LOS at the moment.

This is a terribly sad story. What makes it even worse is that this man's family seem to have exhausted all their life savings and probably gone into serious debt to keep him going and get him home. I'm sure he wouldn't have wanted to ruin their lives. Surely at this stage it would be cheaper for the daughter to move to Thailand and get a carer in to help her look after him for however long he has left. Out of interest, what would happen to him if the hospital don't get paid any more money now? I assume they can't literally carry him out and leave him on the street.

That depends. We do have some incredible and hard working people in the UK NHS, but the system is rife with bad decisions and (often fatal) errors. I have personally lost two people close to me who could have survived if mistakes weren't made in NHS hospitals. Throughout the pandemic it has been noticeable that once in hospital you were more likely to survive in other European hospitals than in UK hospitals. This is the closest I could find to evidence this after a quick search. The UK vying for 12th place with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality

Didn't you know, the virus is scientifically proven to spread more rapidly if people are enjoying themselves...