rabang

I dislike Christmas largely because it is the worst time of year for me in terms of the northern winter, cold and so dark. I have spent a Christmas once in the southern hemisphere and a couple of times in Thailand as well and although it didn't feel very Christmaslike I still preferred the warm weather.

It is good to know masks are are not de facto mandatory despite locals wearing them religiously, even if the faceless people create an unpleasant vibe.

This could be a decisive factor for me as well, especially with the flights being so expensive. I have been hoping that the masking would end and it simply doesn't feel like it is worth going to a faceless nation when one is used to a normality for several months already.

Probably at least 3 years before the Chinese can travel in significant numbers. China has just postponed some international sports championships that were planned for next year and moved them to 2025 instead. Zero covid policy will remain probably at least until the end of next year.

I wouldn't pay too much attention to that. Germany has been among the strictest countries in Europe with their covid rules and masking going pretty much against the recent general pan-European trend of relaxing the norms. Maybe it is that authoritarian mindset. I know their health minister (?) has been a hardliner with covid.

What I meant is that no need to make it mandatory anymore, especially if people are so eager to use them voluntarily anyway. Let's see what year will it be that the Thais stop using masks on a large scale, 2023, 2024 or 2034?

Singapore has also removed their mandatory indoor masking, with a couple of exceptions, so there is another model for Thailand to follow.

Yes I had. For me the only way to know the difference was the result of a home test kit.

Proves my point, didn't help them much.

Yes

Covid at this time should be treated the same way as flu, which it basically is. The initial overreaction was just massive with each country following China's example despite all the previous pandemic plans instructing otherwise. Consequences will be long lasting and might take decades to reveal.

It certainly doesn't make it appealing as a travel destination, especially with the soaring prices and expensive flights with fewer options than pre-2020. I am sitting on a fence here with the northern winter approaching about whether I should consider Thailand as I don't like the idea of going from normality to a faceless zombie place that I thought had been left in the past already.

I just had it for a second time and it was less than a mild cold, gone after 2 or 3 days. But people posting all those death rates from 2020 can not have any agenda, sure they can't.

I only pay attention to the restrictions of each country so I don't end up travelling to a place with some silly requirements.

Considering his age I hope you don't regret your decision in case there won't be another chance later.

What do you mean by travel safely? That you wear a piece of paper over your nose and mouth? You must not know more than just a few people then. I just did some international travel last weekend and at least 99% of all people behaved like me, ie. they did not wear a face mask. All the people in this forum still promoting vigorously the use of face masks seem to be those who are living in Thailand and who probably haven't even been anywhere else since 2020. Those of you should, or rather you must go to your country of origin or some other western country to see another reality. Maybe when returning to that faceless zombie land you might realise that grass is actually greener on the other side.

What you call ignorance, then the opposite of that, which is still prevailing in Thailand, I call overreaction to just one pathogen. No amount of restrictions is going to stop the epidemic. Good luck for you wearing a mask for the next 10 years in the name of public health waiting for covid to go away. And yes, life in Thailand all masked up sounds too bad to me. Hope you get to visit somewhere else to have a taste of real normality.

Is it 2021 again? Thailand seems doomed into a permanent covid craze while most of the rest of the world outside of Asia just moves along. In most of Europe masks were gone months ago. According to some in this forum I guess we are supposed to be stupid for not maintaining a healthy fear addiction for one single virus.

You're probably right and I might be overthinking it. My concern is that many private businesses and such could still require masking and it is easier to give mandates if it is de facto norm anyway despite the law. Of course western tourists most likely won't generally be wearing a mask if the law doesn't require.

Should be a good berry year. I just picked easily a litre of blueberries in a nearby forest in less than 30 minutes myself and I am no pro.

A major problem with the masks is that they often end up in rivers, bottom of the ocean and elsewhere in the nature so your statement is actually counterfactual.

As long as I read things like this from on the ground I will just avoid Thailand. Masking has gone here ages ago and I am not willing to go back in time to some zombie society. I guess we're talking years before the masking goes away in Thailand and the like.

It seems based on pics and videos I have seen that at least Bali is a better place in terms of mask wearing and a place to consider come next winter if this mask obsession still continues in Thailand.

People were laid off during the early covid times 2 years ago and people can not be recruited fast enough. There are no masses of employees being sick simultaneously.

Thanks for showing, not going back to Thailand anytime soon. I almost feel physically ill when looking at these scenes.