samtam

You should be fine. My timeline is looking a bit dodgy, if I want to avoid 21 days quarantine, followed by 14 here. Judging by the comments in the SCMP there are a lot of people very miffed off, particularly those from UK and USA. Compared to those 2 countries, Thailand's numbers are very low.

Mine too. I was planning to go after my second jab in October to clock in for my PR status before mid January. But like you, I think Hong Kong will not make the revision to group B, unless there is a dramatic improvement in case numbers. The silly classification is based on cases, not on deaths, recoveries etc. As well as Thailand, the US and several other countries has also joined the "high risk" category. I'm not sure how they will react if China's case numbers spike, once the Delta variant gets a grip there.

As from 20 August Thailand now joins Group A (High Risk) requiring 21 days quarantine for travelers returning to Hong Kong. I imagine this will come as a volte face for those who just arrived in Phuket on the direct flight from Hong Kong, and will kill off that potential source of tourists. https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202108/16/P2021081600483.htm?fbclid=IwAR3vkjGIPtnBB5mh8ihUfBpCaltexpMrwymMDwgwdCCtdf6wUi3rrHxzXVM

Thanks. I read that, but I'm not clear why it has to be a UK manufactured (or injected in UK) serum for AZ; it says "suppy and use in UK", but, as far as I know, there is no narrative about those applied elsewhere. MHRA has approved AZ, so one can assume AZ is AZ whether it's manufactured in Thailand, or South Korea, or anywhere else they manufacture. The only serum which appears to definitively not be approved is that manufactured by India's Serum Institute, which is called Covishield.

Yes, I've heard that...."Yes, for supply and use in the UK"... but is there a source for that? The British Embassy needs to clarify, as I think we can establish that AZ manufactured in Thailand, or anywhere else other than UK, is the same, with the same quality control. If it's not, then the whole vaccination system is pointless for quarantine travel exemptions.

I can't seem to find a list of UK vaccine programmes approved by the MHRA. It seems very strange to me that MHRA has not approved an AstraZeneca vaccine that is not manufactured in UK. Surely the AZ in UK is the same as the AZ anywhere else?

Yes

Agree. There are very few "imported" cases now from overseas arrivals, but I think the ASQ facility is a nice little earner for those in the scheme, (and I don't necessarily mean the hotels).

I certainly don't want Australian beef in my serum.

AstraZeneca wouldn't put its name on it, if it wasn't. They have a serious (expensive) reputation to protect.

I completely renovated my apartment primarily because the (built-in) airconditioning system that I installed when I bought the place 15 years previously was failing on a regular basis, with disastrous leakages from the ceiling etc. I think the original system might have been Daikin, but by the time the aircon tech had finished, (doing 3x per year cleaning and increasingly regular repairs), each unit was a busterdised variation of the original. Soo, all of that was replaced with 5 Mitisubishi wall-mounted units. They have been regularly cleaned every 6 months by the guy who installed, who is accredited by Mitsubishi, and they work extremely well. The only fear I have is that the next cleaning is in September, and I am concerned about having the team in the flat for the 3 hours it takes for them to clean, (currently avoiding workmen of any description). The best news is that the electricity bill has reduced by 3 or 4 times.

And for Chinese (residents in China), there's the small inconvenience of 21 days quarantine upon return to the PRC.

The son may disagree.

Indeed, Thailand isn't closed. It is just "not locked down" in a "lockdown", which people choose to observe, or not. For anyone who lives here in comfort, it's tolerable, as one knows how to have goods (food) delivered, (or one can take the risk of shopping at a supermarket). If one lives in a condo that permits its outdoor facilities to be utilised, then this also helps with daily life, and keeping fit. Alternatively, one can pound the pavements for an hour or so a day, to build up to those 10k steps; you're wearing a mask, so the vehicular exhaust pollution is mitigated. At all times wearing a mask is mandatory outside, or inside a public space, but in confined spaces, such as taxis, or public transport, it's best to double mask. Many people have been tested and found to be positive, (more have not been tested), but if you're fully vaccinated, and you're unlucky enough to get covid, your chances of serious infection are less likely, and your symptoms are probably manageable at home, in self-isolation. Just make sure your residence has proper protocols for looking after you, (with food and water deliveries, and safe waste disposal). What's not to like? Come on in, the water's lovely!

You're supposed to forget about what was said. The person saying it did so as the last words left his mouth.

If the serology test proves you have sufficient antibodies and it cuts your quarantine time down from 14 to 7 days, I think it's actually preferable to 14 days ASQ, or 14 days in the sandbox. If you don't want to have the test, you can do the 14 day quarantine, and you can still enter the country. If you don't want to have a vaccination before entering Hong Kong, you can do so by having a 21 day quarantine.

Food is ordered through my personal shopper, and delivered; I cook it. I swim 1400m every other day in our pool, which is available on a one unit per hour booking system.

They need to be administering 900k per day to reach their target, which until recently they said was achievable. But so is flying to the moon.

Which particular aspect of the requirements? I have Permanent Residency. Once I get my second jab I will only have to quarantine for 7 days, providing I pass the serology test upon arrival. (....Unless of course Thailand slips into a very high risk country, which is entirely possible at this rate.) I agree that the majority of Thais need to work to live and eat. Sadly in our condo, where we have recently implemented a mandatory weekly antigen test for all of our 30 staff, (security, cleaners and technicians), the 3 who have tested positive have left to quarantine....in their home provinces, because obviously quarantining "at home" for poor people in Bangkok or other big cities is not viable; doing so at their family's home is possibly more feasible. The hierarchical system on which this country ticks along, is beginning to crumble. Some days it seems like the desertification of the Winter Palace in 1917....well, as I imagine it felt, obviously.

The problem is that lockdown in Thailand means congregation of too many people in a small space. The good doctor is recognising that Thailand is a desperately poor country in which "lockdown" enforces close proximity. It has therefore achieved the opposite effect. The likes of myself and others, who can (and have) seriously locked down for 2 months, (viz not been out of my condo into the great metropolis of Bangkok), is not an option available to the majority of the Thai population, in Bangkok, or elsewhere. For the MoPH not to have recognised the reality of life of ordinary Thais speaks volumes. The economy has been substantially destroyed, and, along with a slow, (but improving vaccination rollout?) is the main reason Thailand's recovery will be slow and painful. The case numbers (if they are true) are relatively low, and the encouraging (if true) statistic, is that recoveries from infected persons are higher than new cases. Death numbers are also low. None of this is a cause for celebration, but a reality check, and a more pragmatic approach are certainly needed.

Started watching Homecoming: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7008682/ last night. Was inclined to ditch it, but there was something compelling the more I watched, so I think I saw 6 episodes. I have always been a fan of The Good Fight, (and it's predecessor The Good Wife), but the new season (5) is truly going off the rails, with its silly diversion into fantasy (the "9 3/4 Court"). Pity, because the new kid on the block Charmaine Bingwa (who plays Carmen Moyo), is a welcome addition. I know it's quirky, but it is skating on a thin layer of that, and "I don't care any more". Also one of my favourites in the past, especially in the run up to and post election of 2020, was Real Time with Bill Maher, but this spends far too much time discussing "woke" and "cancel culture"; I think I must be getting too old, but if that is what interests liberals in America, I'm in the "I don't care any more" category too.

Regarding 3) - the variation is so wide for each country. If you know where you are going, then Google "entry requirements" for that country. Also, the requirements change, depending on the virus situation in the country from which you travel from/to. 4) https://www.changtrixget.com/travel/vaccine-passport-thailand/

I used ExpressVPN when I was in China and could access Google to use Google Maps.

Can with a VPN, the last time I tried.

I don't suppose anyone knows whether this certificate (shown) with a QR code is going to be sufficient for international travel? Vaccine Passports do not appear to be a requirement, as far as I know. There seems to be a variation on what is acceptable, depending on country and this will no doubt be another cause of angst when travelling. As far as trying to obtain a Vaccine Passport here, it would of course be preferable to do so ahead of travel, not at the airport, on the date of travel, thus removing one of the many hoops one has to go through.