TallGuyJohninBKK

January 2023 from the WHO: WHO updates COVID-19 guidelines on masks, treatments and patient care ... Masks continue to be a key tool against COVID-19 "WHO continues to recommend the use of masks by the public in specific situations, and this update recommends their use irrespective of the local epidemiological situation, given the current spread of the COVID-19 globally. Masks are recommended following a recent exposure to COVID-19, when someone has or suspects they have COVID-19, when someone is at high-risk of severe COVID-19, and for anyone in a crowded, enclosed, or poorly ventilated space. Previously, WHO recommendations were based on the epidemiological situation." Note their current advisory -- "for anyone in a crowded, enclosed, or poorly ventilated space." https://www.who.int/news/item/13-01-2023-who-updates-covid-19-guidelines-on-masks--treatments-and-patient-care

Science and the real world says you're wrong.... See the latest Thai COVID hospitalizations data and the US COVID deaths, hospitalizations and new cases data posted earlier in this thread. This thread, after all, is supposed to be about the rising numbers of COVID hospitalizations in Thailand.... not a debate on face masks.

International flight airline jets have HEPA air filtration systems for cabin air. BTS trains do not. Also, while I'd certainly still wear a mask on a long, confined space airline flight.... the burden of doing so is certainly greater than wearing one for 5 or 10 minutes on a brief BTS trip.

"Dr Ben Patterson, from the St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in London and lead author. "That doesn't mean masks are worthless against Omicron," he said, "but their real-world benefit in isolation appears to be, at best, modest in a healthcare setting". The authors acknowledged limitations of the study, including that it was an observational study so can't prove causation, staff adherence to the mask-wearing policy was not assessed, and that the researchers were unable to determine staff infection rates."

"Masks have played a key role in keeping us all safe throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. ... Many studies show that masks work, and they work best when everyone wears a high-quality one to protect each other. Masks are magnificent." --Dr Lucky Tran is a scientist and public health communicator who works at Columbia University.... He holds a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Cambridge https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/feb/27/dont-believe-those-who-claim-science-proves-masks-dont-work The following link is a CDC recap on the many studies that have been done showing the protective effects of face mask wearing: "At least ten studies have confirmed the benefit of universal masking in community level analyses: in a unified hospital system,47 a German city,48 two U.S. states,49, 50 a panel of 15 U.S. states and Washington, D.C.,51, 52 as well as both Canada53 and the U.S.54-56 nationally. Each analysis demonstrated that, following directives from organizational and political leadership for universal masking, new infections fell significantly. Two of these studies51, 52 and an additional analysis of data from 200 countries that included the U.S.56 also demonstrated reductions in mortality." https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/masking-science-sars-cov2.html

Face masks reduce the risk of spreading and contracting COVID... The better the mask, the greater the reduction in risk. Wearing a mask helps protects others around you from you, should you be infected, and helps reduce your risk of becoming infected. Use Masks to Slow the Spread of COVID-19 "Wear a Mask to Protect Yourself and Others Masking is a critical public health tool and it is important to remember that any mask is better than no mask. Wear the most protective mask you can that fits well and that you will wear consistently." https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/masks.html

As you note, most passengers on BTS these days are following the BTS and MoPH's guidance to wear face masks when traveling on the system... I'd agree, probably 90% as you said are still wearing masks... And the few that aren't typically appear to be western tourists, by and large. Protect yourself and protect those around you... mask up when in close indoor quarters with others, which is exactly what being on a crowded BTS train is.

You have no clue what you're talking about, and simply are wrong: Regarding Thailand, from the above news report from yesterday: "The department issued the warning after the Covid infection rate surged by 250% during the week to April 15 from the previous week. Department director-general Tharet Krutnairawiwong said 435 patients were admitted to hospital for treatment of Covid-19 between April 9 and 15, about 62 cases per day. Of the number, 30 had lung inflammation and 19 were put on ventilators, up 58% and 36% respectively, from the previous week." And meanwhile in the U.S., COVID cases and deaths have been dropping, but the COVID deaths are still averaging about 190 PER DAY, according to the CDC. Reported Cases As of April 12, 2023, the current 7-day average of weekly new cases (14,491) decreased 17.3% compared with the previous 7-day average (17,519). [Daily] New Hospital Admissions The current 7-day daily average for April 4–11, 2023, was 1,870. [Daily] Deaths The current 7-day average of new deaths (190) decreased 25.4% compared with the previous 7-day average (254). https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html

I'd encourage the governor to go outside, and breathe deeply for extended periods of time, and see what happens with his "natural phenomenon..." https://aqicn.org/station/thailand/phuket/ศูนย์พัฒนาทักษะและการเรียนรู้-cic-ภูเก็ต-ต.วิชิต-อ.เมือง-จ.ภูเก็ต/

It also made a hell of a lot of people very sick and dead.... and vastly more would have been even sicker or died were it not for the medical professionals who treated them and the vaccines developed for COVID. "Globally, as of 10:11am CEST, 12 April 2023, there have been 762,791,152 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 6,897,025 deaths, reported to WHO." https://covid19.who.int/ "WHO estimates that between 80 000 and 180 000 health and care workers could have died from COVID-19 in the period between January 2020 to May 2021, converging to a medium scenario of 115 500 deaths1." https://www.who.int/news/item/20-10-2021-health-and-care-worker-deaths-during-covid-19

I've been "locked down" at home for the past 4-5 days, and it had absolutely nothing to do with COVID.... ???? But for a virus/disease that some people wrongly claim poses no health risk, it's sure putting hundreds of people in Thailand into hospitals... And, for sure, no one really wants to spend their Song Kran holidays hospitalized, if they don't really need to be there.

Perhaps it was a dispute between knife and (brass/metal) knuckle sellers on Khaosan Road..... ???? After all, that's a pretty brisk business here in Thailand.

A lot of Bangkok Thais bail out of the city and go back to their home provinces for Song Kran. While there's always a lot of tourist-related SK activity going on here, in past years, other than that, lots of residential areas of BKK traditionally get pretty quiet because many of the locals have gone traveling.

When the government here says the "COVID infection rate surged," what they're really talking about (and counting) are the rates of new COVID patient hospitalizations. Because, they don't actually track or count mere COVID cases anymore.... So, April 9 - 15 was: "435 patients were admitted to hospital for treatment of Covid-19 between April 9 and 15, about 62 cases per day." And the prior week April 2 to 8 was: 168 new COVID hospitalizations for the week, averaging 24 per day Via Google Translate: "Keep track of the weekly total of COVID-19 cases. Between 2 - 8 April 2023 Hospitalized patients (weekly) Number of 168 cases : Daily average of 24 cases/day Fatalities (Weekly) 2 case : daily average 0 case/day --------------------- Accumulated 5,048 hospitalized patients (since January 1, 2023) Accumulated 271 deaths (since January 1, 2023)" Source link:

The Department of Disease Control on Sunday warned Songkran revellers to monitor themselves for at least seven days before coming in close contact with the elderly and vulnerable people for fear of spreading the Covid virus. The department issued the warning after the Covid infection rate surged by 250% during the week to April 15 from the previous week. Department director-general Tharet Krutnairawiwong said 435 patients were admitted to hospital for treatment of Covid-19 between April 9 and 15, about 62 cases per day. Of the number, 30 had lung inflammation and 19 were put on ventilators, up 58% and 36% respectively, from the previous week." (more) https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40026704

Forgive me here... but you "feeling" the Embassy letter was "insignificant" to the process of getting your info transferred over to the new passport at Immigration does NOT translate into knowing that Immigration would have done the deed in the absence of the Embassy letter, because you in fact presented one.

I don't begrudge folks some reasonable, safe amount of fun... But earlier today, I was watching a YT video of a mixed Thai-falang couple I follow participating in a SK celebration down in Samui... Both the falang guy and his Thai wife/gf -- both of whom really ought to know better -- were going out of their way to throw bowls or pails of water into the faces of motorcyclists passing by on the road. Is Song Kran now about a total absence of common sense?

Shake Shack is now open at CW.... I saw YT video of a HUGE lineup there the other day...resembling the kind when the first Krispy Kreme outlet opened in Thailand.... Absolutely bonkers. I mean, I like a good hamburger probably more than most. But even here in Thailand, I ain't gonna stand in queue for an hour or more just to have the opportunity to order their food....

What's their price for that buffet?

Dunno what that means.... 1. I make my own at home very nicely, and 2. there certainly is a range of at least decent Mexican restaurants in BKK for eat-in or home delivery. Unfortunately, Foodland has very little to offer in terms of ingredients for Mexican food home cooking.... though they do at least have bags of dry pinto beans, to their credit.

Ploenchit Arcade: Source link:

Interesting tidbit of history... Was the old Ploenchit Foodland the very first one? Seems so, according to Wikipedia... "In the year 1972, the grocery store business is very new in Thailand the only groceries store that was available at that time is “Daily Lane”. Thus, Mr. Somsak Teraphatakul and his partners decided to first open the grocery store named “Pleonchit Supermarket” it is the first 24 hours opening of a supermarket in Asia. After 6 months, Mr. Somsak and his partner have made a decision to open the second branches of the supermarket named “Patpong Supermarket” which is located on Patpong road." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foodland_(Thailand) Via Google Translate: "Until the year 1972, Somsak decided to make a supermarket in Thailand. He and 7 other investors decided to invest 3 million baht to open the first supermarket under the name 'Ploenchit Supermarket' located in the Ploenchit Arcade with an area of approximately 400 square meters." "In the early days, Took Lae Dee had a coffee shop corner whose main purpose was for husbands to sit and wait for their wives while shopping for groceries." https://workpointtoday.com/the-story-of-foodland/

yep, that looks like the trademark kind of Foodland frontage! That definitely was before my time....there....

Farang gotta eat... and not just noodles and pad krapow from the street vendors!

The standalone markets like Foodland Soi 5 and Villa Soi 11 and 33 are all air conditioned, more or less. But the one thing that's different about them, vs the mall based supermarket locations, is the standalone places do tend to be easier and quicker to get into and out of vs. the supermarkets contained within big mall structures. At both Central Chidlom and especially CentralWorld, there's a fair amount of time-consuming walking and going up and down levels to get into and out of the supermarkets there... None of that at the standalones.... But, that advantage doesn't do any good for the standalones, especially regarding Foodland, if they don't actually stock the things I want/need to buy...