Mike E

It must have been the alchohol that infected them at the party!   Hmmm  Very small parties where at least 1 person had to already have covid to infect the others.  Meaning somewhere around 10% of the people at these small parties had covid.  Extrapolate that out and we have the potential that 10% of the people in Bangkok have covid.  Maybe some random mass testing IS in order to see how bad it really is!

12 hours ago, VBF said:

But this thread is about travellers, not people currently in Thailand.

 

I'm in UK, longing to go to Thailand again - i have one problem with the vaccine - I can't get it today and need to wait my turn!

The more a country vaccinates its people, and the more evidence (hopefully) emerges to show vaccinations assist in at least  reducing transmission, the sooner countries will start to relax their restrictions.

Personally, i would love a Covid vaccine stamp to be added to all my other vaccines in my yellow book, alongside Yellow Fever, Polio, Smallpox, Tetanus etc etc

If that helped me to travel, what's not to like?

Maybe you missed it, but my post was in response to a post by sammieuk1,  who I quoted and according to his profile, lives in Thailand.

Isn't that kinda like closing the barn door after all the horses got out?

2 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Enjoy your Vacation and holiday, as obviously tourism is nearly non-existent, and if you can afford it, then splurge to your hearts content. Thinking of taking a ride down to Hua Hin myself from here in BKK, to enjoy empty locations.

Well, if you're going down on the first and want company, I'm available!  LOL  ????

I've booked a taxi and the company said they just delivered a passanger to Hua Hin with no issues and no checks so shouldn't be a problem.  I'm planning on taking Kitesurfing lessons and not that interested in the bars but glad the restaurants are open.  Nearly deserted means that it won't be crowded out in the water so hopefully I won't be running into anyone as I learn to Kitesurf!  ????

Thanks for all the help!

If your numbers of how many people are entering are accurate, it makes a little more sense.  I haven't seen any reports of how many so it's hard to tell.  I only could tell based on my flight in which was maybe 20% full.  If that.

More than 1000 obviously?  Why Obviously?  I don't think the number of ASQ hotels is necessarily a good indicator of how many people are actually IN them.  But maybe.  I haven't seen any numbers that tell how many people are actually traveling to Thailand right now.   If someone has symtoms, (many Thais come home once they feel sick), they are not allowed to fly.  I think the infection risk on flights actually IS fairly negligible.  Everyone is tested before flight, everyone has to wear a mask, flights are generally not very full so quite a bit of social distancing, airlines have instituted pretty strict cleaning and air circulation standards.

I don't know if they give a certificate or anything at this point.  I'll let you know when I complete.  

Also, is all of Bangkok in the red zone?  I thought it was only the south districts near the fish market.  And I didn't think Hua Hin was in the red zone at all.

I'm regularly suprised at the number of people who test positive while in quarantine.  First off, how many people are actually in ASQ?  Secondly, all those people in ASQ were tested negative within 72 hours of leaving the country they were in.  Thirdly, people in ASQ get tested twice, not daily, so even if there are say 1000 people in ASQ at any given time, only maybe 150 get tested on a daily basis.   When you get 12 people testing positive in ASQ on nearly a daily basis, that would be like 10% of everyone in ASQ being positive.  (I may be completely wrong on those numbers as I have no idea how many people are in ASQ).

The numbers just don't seem to make sense to me.  People in ASQ should be some of the least effected people I would think. 

After completing my quarentine, I'm hoping to head to Hua Hin on Feb 1.   I've rented a condo and I'm planning on renting a taxi for the trip once I check out of the ASQ and not spend any more time in Bangkok.  I've seen mention of needing some sort of travel permission.  Do I need to get permission from some agency to travel to Hua Hin?  Are there any official rules that I need to follow to travel there?  Thanks!

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I'm currently in Thailand for I'm hoping about 3 months.  This will be my first extended stay here while considering moving here permanantly.  While here, is my best option for access to cash to just take money out of an ATM with my debit card?  I've got access to WorldRemit, Western Union, or Bank transfers.  Any reason to open a bank account for a 3 month stay?  I'll probably be paying for rental stays with cc if I rent through airbnd.

5 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

Flat Earthers hurt no one.  Anti-Vaxxers do.  Which is tied to conspiracy theorists.  Like Pizza gate which cost the life of one person.

“Like Pizzagate which cost the life of one person”.  See?  One more conspiracy theory that some people still believe. 

Should Liars and Deniers be blocked?

OR In Other Words

all those in favor of the Minisrty of Truth, raise your hands!

Except that you don't want to cut it too short.  For instance, I had my ASQ booked and I posted my ASQ confirmation letter.  Unfortunately, the ASQ put the wrong departure date on my confirmation letter so I was denied the first time.  I contacted the ASQ and they sent me a new letter.  I reposted this new letter but got denied again because I think I posted it in the wrong area of the application.  This went around and around for a week before they gave me a link to email the ASQ letter to them.  It was really nerve racking as I didn't get my final confirmation until 2 days before my flight was to leave.  I was sweating bullets there for a while as the flight and ASQ were allready paid for.   Anything can happen so give yourself some breathing room.

Well, because I originally thought I was going to get a Special Tourist Visa, I purchased 90 days of insurance.  Since the tourist exemption is for 45 days, I would assume you will need 45 days of insurance.

My approval process was frought with many hiccups, mostly self imposed.  But the first notification took 3 days.  The first time I applied, I thought i also used the sight to apply for a STV and listed that as what I was applying with and was denied because I needed to have the VISA first.  Once I realized I couldn't get a VISA from Turkey and put in Visa Exemption, (the very last option), I got my first approval within a day or two.  I only had a one way ticket and that wasn't a problem.

In contradiction to the Royal Thai Embassy link in London, I needed neither the return ticket OR the proof of adequate finances.  But if you're applying from London, you may very well need those to satisfy the London Embassy.

I did not need a return ticket coming from Turkey.  Your COE is approved in two stages.  The first stage does not require your flight ticket OR your ASQ reservation.  (And I would reccomend not making those reservations until you get your first approval.)  Once you get your first approval, you will then get a further link to add in your flight ticket and your ASQ reservation confirmation.  After entering in those two, you will get your final approval.  At this point, you just need to plan on getting your Fit To Fly Certificate and Covid test the day before your flight.

I am currently at my ASQ hotel.  I am American but was staying in Turkey and applied for my COE from Turkey.  I also went for the Visa exempt entry as it looked difficult if not impossible to be able to get a VISA while living in Turkey.  And yes, the Fit to Fly certificate was one of the problems that gave me fits.  I wish I had known about Dr Donna!

7 hours ago, BritTim said:

A word of advice: do not ask the embassy about anything that is not directly related to the services provided by the embassy itself. The embassy has no idea what happens at immigration in Thailand, even under normal circumstances. There is absolutely no reason why the regular 30-day extension of a visa exempt entry should not be available and, if not, a Covid-19 extension would probably be possible.

So, is there a certain time that you should start attempting to get the Covid-19 extension?  For instance, can I ask for it as soon as I get out of quarantine even though I've still got a month on my stay?  Or is it better to wait until I get closer to the end of my allowed stay?  And to get the extension, you just go into any Immigration office?

29 minutes ago, stubuzz said:

I think you can get it done anywhere.

 

By the way, did you have to get 30 or 45 days insurance for the COE?

Because I am hoping to stay a minimum of 90 days, I got 90 days of travel insurance.  Very reasonable cost.  Much less expensive than I was paying for insurance back in the US.

Hi guys, thanks in advance for your help.

I just arrived yesterday and am here on a simple Visa exemption or Visa on arrival I guess?  

My passport is stamped and good for 6 weeks.  So, I'm planning on heading down to Hua Hin once I'm out of quarantine and want to know the process to extend my VISA for another month or longer.  My understanding is that I can get two, one month extensions.  Should I get my first extension here in Bangkok before heading to Hua Hin or is it just as easy to get an extension, say a week before my current stay expires while down in Hua Hin?  Or am I wrong on all counts?