dluek

I think you also might need a Thai person to "sign" for you upon arrival at the airport back in CM. At least that was the case last month. Essentially they take responsibility for you and guarantee you'll do the home-quarantine, as far as I understand. 

Lot of useful info in this thread so far. Obviously it's fluid at the moment but coastal provinces that I've heard are still possibly requiring self quarantine for (at least) people coming from Bangkok and Chonburi are Ranong, Phang Nga, Krabi, Trang, Satun, Songkhla, Chumphon and Trat. As others have mentioned, border checkpoints may or may not be a factor but if you do slip through then there's a good chance the local health officials will come check up on you later. It's best to get a doctor's form saying you show no symptoms of any illness (not necessarily a full covid test) before traveling. 

It's a different story for most neighboring provinces (excluding Phuket); for ex. a friend in Krabi said he wasn't bothered when heading down to Trang. And none of the provinces around Bangkok are stopping people from getting in, for ex. Prachuap, Ayutthaya and Kanchanaburi. 

People coming from Phuket also obviously considered "high risk" but after the initial exodus they aren't letting many people off the island until June 1 anyway from what I've gathered. I'm planning to stay put until next month. Govt. has already hinted that unrestricted interprovincial travel will start next month, although final calls are made by provincial governors so could still be a mixed bag.

4 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I'd bet around 5% THC.

You rub opium oil into the skins to make it stronger.

Yeah some used opium but bubble hash was a lot more common. Obviously there's no way to test it now but the experts I've interviewed think the flower itself was much higher than 5% THC. That is quite weak on the level of modern brick schwag from Mexico. Thai stick was way better than that. 

US is definitely on Thailand's list of high-risk countries. Sounds like you plan to come as a tourist (correct me if wrong) and I'll be surprised if Thailand starts allowing tourists in as early as July. September-November is a lot more realistic for tourists in my opinion -- that's what several government officials have predicted. July-August seems more likely for expats with work permits only. But really, no one knows yet. And yes, if you are allowed in, state-provided quarantine will most likely be required.

4 hours ago, uhuh said:

The first to know are the airlines,  they get notified weeks before the general public. 

Honest airlines will not sell tickets if they know they are not going to fly. 

As of now,  AFAIK  airlines are not selling tickets for July departing from Europe (we tried). US may be different, but I doubt it.

^Completely false. The government is making these decisions based on how the virus is spreading in the country so they're not deciding weeks in advance. Many people had their flights cancelled last minute when Thailand started the international flight ban because airlines didn't know it was coming. Airlines WILL sell tickets even if they're not sure if they'll be able to fly. 

As others have mentioned, Ko Samui is the best bet right now. Last I checked, people going to Ko Tao and Ko Phangan still had to do 14-day self quarantine with regular checks from the officials. 

Otherwise there still aren't many options for getting to the islands, although that might change by next month. As of now, Ko Chang, Ko Samet, Ko Lan, Phuket, the Ranong islands (Ko Phayam etc.), Ko Phi Phi, Ko Lanta, the Trang islands (Ko Mook etc.) and Ko Lipe, among many others, are are still locked up for tourism. Only residents or those who have official permission allowed. And many of these provinces are still requiring 14-day quarantine for anyone crossing the provincial borders, let alone the islands. Again, though, next month could be a different story. Hope so because I could use a day at the beach too.

Concentrating on the road saves lives but so many of the accident videos that you see in Thailand show a reckless, out of control driver running cars that are obeying traffic rules right off the road. They often have no chance, concentration or not. That's what happened yesterday with the Buriram crash. Totally reckless pick-up crosses median and slams right into an oncoming SUV. There's nothing the driver of the SUV could have done to get out of the way. 

If people know it's going to be a full month's ban, what's left of booze in stores will sell out real quick. As I understand it, distributors have not been able to deliver booze to grocery stores and I doubt they will be able to before (or during) Fri and Sat. The shelves on my local Max Valu are already nearly empty from the last panic buy. 

Parks are closed until May 1. But yeah, when they reopen, the Chatuchak / Suan Rot Fai parks are great. It's actually three fairly large parks separated by nothing but a couple of narrow roads that you can easily hop across. If you consider the three as one big park (which they basically are), I believe it's the largest contiguous green space in Bangkok. 

Well 42 are migrants who were already in quarantine at the border. Not discounting them, but it sounds like the cluster they represent is being well contained. Apart from them, today's number is 11. Which is pretty darn good. 

Ban on alcohol, no.

Ban on gatherings with very harsh penalties for offenders, yes.

7 hours ago, keithet said:

Are Thailand's Governors elected or put in position? 

A few days ago I remember reading about Phuket's governor going to be repositioned to another province. Which seems unfair to the people in the other province because their governer will be all pissy. 

They are appointed bureaucrats shuffled around from province to province. Most of them have little to no connection with the provinces they're assigned to govern. It's a travesty that Thai people cannot elect the governors making consequential decisions for their provinces.

Normally the only exception is Bangkok, which for some reason is allowed to elect its governor. But the current Bangkok governor was appointed after the last coup so he was not elected either. Bangkok is supposed to hold an election for governor later this year. 

Thai government can't even build a tourism or national parks website above 1990s level. Why would the be able to use artificial intelligence? For something of this magnitude they best get back to what they're good at: faxing and pushing papers around by hand. 

3-6 months: All restrictions lifted in Thailand and life gets pretty much back to normal within the country (discounting the lack of international tourists), unless new outbreaks in Covid appear.

6-18 months: Some international travel restrictions lifted. This will depend on how different countries deal with Covid. For ex., if Singapore and Thailand (or Germany and Thailand, etc.) both agree that each country has suppressed Covid enough, then they might allow unrestricted travel to and from one another. However, I think it's going to take countries like the US up to 18 months (or until mass vaccination) for many countries to trust that people coming from there are safe. So restrictions like needing a Covid-free certificate and needing to do quarantine upon arrival will be necessary for people coming from US to Thailand for that long, imo.

2-5 years: I expect this to be the duration of time during which international travel starts going back to normal. But I don't expect international tourism to reach pre-Covid levels for a solid 5 years. Have to take economic impacts into account. After 6-18 months of off-and-on economic shutdown, how many people are going to be able to take trips? 

Herd immunity vs. endless restrictions - this is the wrong question.

It's about testing. Mass testing is the key to ending this whole nightmare in 3-6 months. Thai scientists have developed a 15-minute covid test. I really hope the authorities are doing everything possible to mass produce and then mass administer these tests all over Thailand. That is the key.

Here's my take:

Vaccine might not end up being the way out. Think of flu shots; you need them every year and even then it's not a 100% fail safe like some vaccines. 

I think mass testing will ultimately be the way out of this. The world needs to develop billions of tests that can be administered quickly and reliably, and then each country needs to go around to every home and test EVERYONE. Then all who tests positive are placed in actual quarantine facilities (not at home) for a month. Six months of this and the virus would be so suppressed that it will pretty much disappear on its own. 

I think Thailand will expand testing to South Korea levels within the next 3 months. So here's a timeline:

3-6 months: Thailand and some other countries can return to some type of normalcy. People will still wear masks and there will still be travel restrictions from countries that don't have it under control. But state of emergency will be lifted and at least things will start to feel somewhat normal again. 

2-3 years: The virus is no longer a serious threat in most countries either due to mass suppression via testing and quarantine and/or or a mass-administered vaccine. 

5-10 years: The global economy starts to look like something like what it was pre-pandemic. Economic destruction will be the longest lasting and potentially the most damaging effect of the pandemic. We could be in for a global depression / global economic collapse. Eventually the world will rebound, but it will not happen quickly and the global economy will not look the same when it does. 

Pattaya has instituted a lockdown (no one in or out unless with official authorisation) so, if you leave, you won't be able to get back in until restrictions are lifted. 

Did my 90-day at the One Stop Center today. Same as you describe except it was immediate. No idea why they asked me to write down my phone number because as soon as I showed the front desk ladies that my form was filled out, she came out from behind the desk and directed me straight to the usual 90-day report desk. I was in and out in five minutes. I arrived at 2:30pm which I've found to be the best time to do it under normal circumstances as well.

4 hours ago, Kalasin Jo said:

There are no travel restrictions within Thailand at the moment. Although the advice is don't. Bus, train, car, plane. I think the mode is up to you ....go now anyway. Things might change. Fortunately in Thailand any governmental decision requires much thought about the consequences first which takes time! As the PM reminds us daily. Meanwhile at local and provincial level it's a free for all.

No travel restrictions eh?

Phuket is closed to all travel from land or sea (air will close in 10 days).

Phang Nga and Ranong are requiring "covid-free" health certificate from any foreigner or else no entry allowed. 

Mae Hong Son is closing to foreigners altogether, from what I understand.

Several islands including Ko Lipe, Ko Lan and Ko Si Chang are closed to all except residents. 

Surely there will be more of these kinds of restrictions on the way. 

Yes, three confirmed but probably four so far. Two in the US and one in in Spain have been tested and diagnosed. Two have had mild symptoms but mom's 70-year-old friend from Connecticut is in the ICU. Also have a friend in Bali who feels almost certain that she had it but has not been tested. She struggled through it for about 10 days at home rather going to hospital and is doing better now.