koratkarlos

Just like Joe Ferrari. Amazing.

Flip flop again. Like beached fish. There were several posts yesterday describing how Omicron will get into Thailand. There is a surge in India which will inevitably get into Myanmar, then into Thailand. And I don't see the knee jerk reaction to stop this flow at the border. It is most likely already here. So the only thing to do is to increase vaccination rates for those who want the vaccine. Further restrictions of entry will only continue damaging our lives and economies. But blame the farangs like always. You know all farangs have COVID and now all farangs have Omicron. I truly wish I could ignore all of this government noise but my curiosity keeps me on this ever changing railway.

I hope this is not the future of the world where entry will be based on vaccination and testing status. This is just another form of discrimination. I believe that people should do what they want as long as they do not harm others. It is probably too late to use restrictive entry to stop this virus, maybe it will slow it down, but not enough at the present time to incur the broad economic damage caused by isolation. The best bet is to get vaccinated. And I have met many people who do not want the vaccine. Which is their right. But then they should volunteer not to social gather. It needs to be up to the individual. This mandate will not really make much difference. Maybe the entertainers will get tested. I doubt too many other people will bother to get tested to go to a New Year's Eve event. They either will go anyway or just stay home. These broad unenforced rules do very little to help us as a society. It is through education and respect for each other that the world will move forward.

Yep. I can just see everyone stopping their party at 1 AM and saluting God Anutin. Why does he even bother to say these things? It will not happen. No way. Please Mr. Anutin, focus on your job and continue to get the vaccine to everyone who wants it here in Thailand.

I am going against you guys today. These goals are not bad goals. I do think putting in one package makes sense. But the online world is getting better here. The internet is quite good all over Thailand. I finally can do a 90 day report online. I was able to get my QR scan code for vaccination online. So in my opinion things here are improving regarding computer. What would be most constructive is for the Thai computer people to work with this forum to boil down the essential information needed for travel and put it in one package. Sorry guys, I am hopeful today.

I think people will ignore these restrictions for the New Year. If they reinstate quarantine people will not visit Thailand. I see no rationale for these decisions and do not believe the reported COVID daily numbers. My wife has the right attitude - ignore this noise, forget it and go about your daily life. There really is no other option.

Yesterday I drove the car from Korat to Chiang Mai. Lots of traffic. I know it is a big weekend here in Thailand but it does seem that domestic tourism is picking up a bit. Of course the new variant will have an impact on tourism as many countries are locked down. And now it is reported that Omicron is here. In my opinion there still is too much paperwork and uncertainity to travel to Thailand unless you are seeing family or doing business.

He thinks only about what may be happening in Thailand. But it is clear other people will not travel until omicron is better understood. Oh - they also are blocking travel in many countries now. And Europe is having a stubborn outbreak. Maybe he should reconsider his position. It is becoming quite clear to me why things do not seam to change here in Thailand.

Thanks Jeffr2. I just learned that an antigen test is acceptable also. I think you get this in 15 minutes. I just have to find out where.

It appears that the US is changing the PCR test time to 1 day from 3 days before boarding for traveling to the USA. It is also my understanding that citizens do not need vaccination certificates but other foreign nationals do. I am a US citizen, vaccinated and have 2 questions for the forum. 1) Can you get a same day or 3 hour PCR test turn around at Suvarnabhumi Airport or somewhere close by? 2) What happens if you test positive? Do you lose your plane ticket? Do you need to buy a plane ticket that can be changed if you do test positive. It appears that this could get quite expensive if handled improperly. Any advice is appreciated as I am planning a trip home early next year. Thank you in advance.

I hope this happens. But with the smoke bellowing trucks on the road, the anticipation of the next burning season and plastic everywhere I have my doubts that much will change. But I truly hope that I am wrong about this.

It is not just English. And the Thai people are smart in a different way than farang. But I feel the schools are not so strict. And communication is not direct. Like tonight, I observed a local Thai election - 500 voters. And they still will not say who really won. So in my opinion it is best for the Thai people to learn both English and Chinese. And then they really could bring something to the table.

Maybe if we all had enough vaccine of our choosing he wouldn't need to worry so much.

For me the real question is will cases/hospitalizations increase as society really opens up and if not and the cases stay low why would this be. Many other countries with higher vaccination numbers are spiking. Will Thailand spike again?

This may be in the end the biggest issue of all. I have seen the SHA+ manicured, sterlized, overpriced and boring advertising pleading to the wealthy tourists. Not for me. I miss the spontaneous, fun, unpredictable, real, affordable Thai experience which is being buried by over regulation, false claims and sanitized empty promises. Once the word gets back to Farangland I am not so sure any tourists will come.

I am farang and yes I wear a mask, even when bicycling in the countryside. I certainly do not need this mask in remote areas but I wear the mask. Why? Because of the dirty looks I get when as a farang I do not have a mask on. It is easier to just wear one. You know, all farangs have COVID. That is what the locals asked me a few days ago at the market. Do you have COVID? Perhaps there is a lack of education and understanding.

You have a good point here Mr. BillyBobzTeeth. They say the vaccines are reducing deaths and hospitalizations. But it truly does appear that with the Delta strain, virus transmission is still prevalent even when vaccinated. So in the end I believe we will all get COVID. Hopefully by then the vaccines and medicines will make the symptons less severe and we all can go on our merry way. Thanks for this information. I find it quite useful.

For the people on this forum who follow and understand the COVID spread better than I, could you please explain the downward trend in cases as the country, schools, borders and society as a whole are opening up. I understand that the vaccination numbers are up, and this should reduce hospitalizations, but I think vaccination does not greatly affect the Delta transmission. Other countries are seeing increased cases. What here is truly happening?

You know maybe they should ban eating too. Because if you sit around stuffing your face and become obese, this really is a COVID risk. At some point in time I hope governments provide the tools we need to avoid or not suffer from this virus (vaccines, medicines, clean transportation, safe schools etc.) and let us decide how to live and to survive in this environment. Spreading fake information and not telling the truth is quite harmful.

Yet he will let 400,000 people in across the land borders soon. I guess I just don't understand.

It is pretty clear now that economic factors dominate recent decisions as the safety of the people who live here is put in jeopardy. I also wonder if they have the facilities and planning to test, vaccinate and quarantine these people. So my guess, as others have stated is that the testing/vaccination/quarantine routine will phase out and migrants will walk into the country. Already there is evidence in Chiang Mai that the migrant workers are bringing COVID into the markets, which then are causing the spread of the virus. Oh my.

You know Mr. Thailand Ryan, you are completely correct. Life here is spontaneous. There is no planning. And as a farang I struggle with this every day. In some ways I like the spontaneity, but other days the lack of a plan drives me insane. As I live here I must adapt. But it is not so easy.

Well you would think that two weeks prior he would know he needed a compliant jab. Then he could attend perhaps an important meeting. But I guess not. Perhaps two weeks forward is a bit complex. And this is the problem of the entire vaccination plan. Spontaneous. Haphazard. And not even remotely based on reality. The good news is the meeting is far better off without him. You know all the farangs are min mak!

While these guys are patting themselves on the back - high five my man - the people I know in my neighborhood still are not vaccinated. They are waiting for Moderna. Where is it? They are afraid to mix the vaccines as they know this has not been tested. And when we do go to get the mixed vaccines I observe clear, unorganized, undersupplied, chaotic superspreader events for sure. This is in Chiang Mai right now where there are record cases and they can not even clean my car due to the cleaners getting COVID quarantine. So I really do appreciate their efforts and I am encouraged by the good vaccination numbers - but this truly could be better and certainly better organized with more transparent communication.

Thank you. This is just the advice I needed.