Petey11

Because they have a very low testing rate pro-rata population and isolation laws do nothing to encourage people to test or report ATK tests but they like to test every person entering the country. TIT.

Could it be that COVID is starting to take its toll in those outlying northern provinces which have lower vaccination rates in the elderly?

Thanks to Bkk for sharing these graphs daily but I have got to say they show the most unusual pattern of Omicron cases I think the world has seen. TIT.

COVID is rampant in Thailand. Can you honestly say all the "restaurants" are following the COVID regulations, social distancing, masks, limiting numbers. What the officials spew out is just to look good on the world stage. From what I gather it's nearly business as usual in most "restaurants" apart from closing times and I know that is not been adhered to in a lot of establishments. Every day that passes with the restrictions, testing and paperwork for incoming "tourists" is business lost to other countries with the risk people find a better country to holiday.

At least they changed it to "visitors" from "tourists". Visitors include people transiting, people travelling for business, people returning to visit family.

You forget the Thai social status of not admitting fault. He has to find an alternative to the s**t show going on and incoming foreigners are the ideal target rather than the government's inept handling of vaccination of the elderly and vulnerable.

And hence the terms "dinosaur's" and "feudal" come to mind when describing the political class in Thai.

Odds on they are running at 200k infections a day now. If they had a national surveillance program like the UK has with the ONS and college hospitals it would show a more accurate picture. UK reporting 30-40k a day, estimate from ONS surveillance is 4 million have covid at any one time at the moment in UK. As for following Covid restrictions, just take a look at the bars in Pattaya, social distancing my a**e.

In the original story he is proposing to change the arrival test to ATK for visitors but in MHO they need to stop the arrival testing if they want to boost tourist numbers.

Think that's why UK vaccination roll out was successful, every shot I've had taken no more than 25 minutes from entry to exit. Get organized and make it easy for people to do and more may be inclined to get it.

Can't have imports competing with the big health man's home grown now, can we.

not all vaccines prevent spread or infection but they reduce the seriousness of the effects of a disease. I had the measles vaccine, still caught measles as a child but was very mild case, without the vaccine could we'll have killed me or left me with serious complications.

In general I think was a meeting to say to the world, "Look we are so good at enforcing safety rules, come for holiday, everything good", when in reality the "action against local police turning a blind eye will never happen". From what I've heard it's like business as usual in Patt's.

Why not just have law like UK, don't consent to or provide a breath or or blood test a minimum 1year ban.

Think it's pretty certain not the war suddenly caused inflation, it's just added to the pace of rise. In the UK we've been seeing inflation steadily increase since before Christmas. Kept telling the girlfriend that you haven't seen the inflation yet in Thailand as you seem to be at least 3-4 months behind, give it another couple of months and I'm sure Thai consumers will really start to notice it. It's going to hit the every country IMO.

Must be lucky because never had that happen. Stopped numerous times in Chiang Mai, once no documents so fined, other times IDP, helmet, bike legal and was told thank you , on your way. Only times I've been fined in Patraya area was parking illegally, no helmet and , to my shame DUI.

I said same to the girlfriend, Thailand is becoming laughing stock. They have all these restrictions and rules pushed to the outside world but on reality most are been ignored. She went out to with her friends recently to a club. Went to take photo and was told by security cannot because it was so crowded and they worry if it's posted and tagged the authority will see they are not following COVID safe. Absolute joke. BIB know what's going on but turn a blind tea money eye.

So they going to stop quarantine and isolation, open everthing up, get rid of all controls. Cant be endemic if you still have restrictions. Think Flu, TB, chicken pox, measles etc, all endemic, just monitored by Public Health authorities.

Can see each province on this page, just select from the right hand tab. https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=province

Test on arrival of any kind is the stumbling block to getting tourism up. Will they ever listen?

They just cant realise that testing on arrival is probably one of the things putting people off travelling. If they are leaning towards this I bet they will still have quarantine/isolation even when they declare Covid endemic.

Spot on, just as other variants affected people differently, some with delta asymptomatic, others died from it. It's a lottery virus and IMO vaccination is the best chance you have to reduce the worst outcome if catching it. Figures from over the world relating to deaths of vaccinated and unvaccinated show this.

Does the "get out of jail free" card exist or are there multiple cards with different "payments" on them.

Any figures as stated are down to testing, and as in the OP, Thailand's are very low per Capita. Be interesting to see UK's figures come April when ATKs are no longer free unless you're in a vulnerable group. I know a fair number of people in Thailand who have tested positive and never been officially counted either by PCR or probable ATKs. Even the UK has an official undercount if you go by the ONS figures. Severe cases and deaths are the best guide now, both of which have crept up in Thailand over the past weeks. Time for Thai to get their vulnerable triple jabbed I think.

Whist the arrival test and 5 day test are in place I would be reluctant to travel to Thailand due to, as you stated, enforced quarantine in a hospitel, They have done it the wrong way around and seems clear the money talks from the potential quarantine. Would not be surprised if there are some influential figures making noises somewhere.