Songkran and Covid-19: Water festival to go ahead, despite being terrible for spread of virus

[herwin1234]

After weeks of sensational fake doomsday is coming kind of forum news, still only one death in Thailand.

The forum farang just cant keep their pants up and dry, shivering and whining, now its "Songkrang", and of course like always Thai officials are stupid shortsighted moneygrabbing idiots. Truth is, its an EXTREME dificult situation with many dificult decisions to make. 

So like always, if its so bad here, plz go somewhere else like  Cambodia or why not Malaysia or Laos. 

I'd rather see a busload of Chinese tourists than one fat forum farang walking on the street with his slut of the week behind him. 

[Brer]

All songkran festivities need to be cancelled, the Thai government will finally come responsible.

Maybe how our non elected leader will have the courage which sometimes can be contagious like the Corona Virus to cancel Songkran his year, we live in hope.

[Nyezhov]

6 minutes ago, herwin1234 said:

I'd rather see a busload of Chinese tourists than one fat forum farang walking on the street with his slut of the week behind him. 

Because last week she was with you?

[billd766]

3 hours ago, Sheryl said:

never mind COVID, I am worried about how it will affect the drought.

 

Water pressure in my area has already slowed to a trickle, have had to stop watering the vegetable garden and everything is dying as a result. I shudder to imagine what will happen during and after Songkran.

I save the washing up water to use on the trees that we want to keep.

 

Already we get a couple of ongs worth of water delivered by the fire truck once a week. I can see that going on for another 3 months yet.

[sirineou]

The Thai people I have talked too are concerned about the Virus, and a lot of modifications in behaviour are taking place. Case and point the shortage in face masks. Obviously Thai are concerned , or they would not be buying all these masks

     But How can you cancel Songkran? Songkran is not a thing, it is a national celebration. I am sure most organisations will scale back or cancel events and some individuals will modify their behaviour and that's all that can be done.

  Let's hope what they are saying about wet humid and hot inhibiting the transmision, Because it will certainly be wet humid and hot. 

  . 

[crickets]

Thais would not be obedient if they cancelled it anyway

[DefaultName]

It isn't just the water, Thai's travel all over the country to spend Songkran with family or friends.  You couldn't imagine a better scenario to distribute any bugs going.

 

[billd766]

2 hours ago, soalbundy said:

No need to ban it, nobody will go

We will celebrate it at home in rural Khampaeng Phet the traditional way, The only gripe I have about that is that being as I am the only farang I am the one that gets the remainder of the cold and sometimes icy water,

 

I need a turbo charged zimmer frame so that I can return the compliment.

[RJRS1301]

6 hours ago, lemonjelly said:

We’re facing the most serious bio crisis in living memory and policies to control the outbreak are being heavily influenced by the department of tourism !!! 

Wonder how many Chinese will enter for the festival?

 

[Mavideol]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

PM's office minister Tewan Liptaphallop said that the government was "very concerned" for people's health at Songkran and during other events due to be held in April and May.

very concerned about people's health and well being my a*** ... much more concerned about the money/income

[Caine]

Over grown children at play festival more like. They're absolutely brain dead good luck with it I'm out of here. And on my way to civilised country. 

[Dario]

3 hours ago, Sheryl said:

never mind COVID, I am worried about how it will affect the drought.

 

Water pressure in my area has already slowed to a trickle, have had to stop watering the vegetable garden and everything is dying as a result. I shudder to imagine what will happen during and after Songkran.

Yes Sheryl, my thoughts also. I remember the last drought, in our village almost all the rice died. But Songkhran went ahead some months before. this year comes a rerun. Amazing decisions by the government. But some national junior tennis tournaments have been "postponed." They are held in open air. For me difficult to understand.

[billd766]

1 hour ago, bluesea said:

And all above Comments by Concerned People are 100% correct ,Bang Sare already has a Water Shortage ,Eastern Water keep turning our water off because they Run out of Water so why have Songkran.

Up here they ran out of the local supply in early January, the borehole ran dry in late January and now my wife goes to the tessaban 6km away and signs for it and when out name comes to the top of the list we get a couple of ongs worth, then it is a dry rinse and repeat.

 

1 hour ago, CGW said:

What drought? its not everywhere, my area has plenty of water, had three inches of rain last night, more than enough for people to enjoy the festive activities ???? 

 

It depends on where you live.

 

Khampaeng Phet recorded  its first rain yesterday since 1st December. That day we got 0.1 mm and yesterday it was an enormous 0.8 mm.

 

 

[AmericanSafety]

Yes.

Gents, please read this article and post elsewhere on social media. 

 

https://m.stamfordadvocate.com/opinion/article/I-have-the-coronavirus-So-far-it-isn-t-that-bad-15093664.php

 

[CGW]

2 minutes ago, billd766 said:

It depends on where you live.

 

Khampaeng Phet recorded  its first rain yesterday since 1st December. That day we got 0.1 mm and yesterday it was an enormous 0.8 mm.

Obviously it depends on where you live! I choose an area that historically has plenty of water, you obviously didn't  ???? 

Yesterday was our first rain since September 15th, local reservoir around half full, rain will make little difference but keeps the garden watered, all the more water for Songkran fun, the water from which just drains to the land anyway ????

[shackleton]

Yes as mentioned 5 weeks  to go before Songkran kicks off

Let's see how things go with the virus if it gets worse as expected Songkran will be cancelled 

 

[Soikhaonoiken]

Total madness.... why put so many lives at risk, Oh I forgot, its all about the money ????

[PeeJayEm]

I always try to avoid Thailand at Songkran and if I must be there I go upcountry to avoid the idiocy in the cities.

That said - I imagine being out in the street, moving, and generally more than 2m away from others is likely to be less risky than sitting static indoors at more tightly packed gatherings as mrnioned in the article. - And certainly less risky than plodding about malls like MBK In packed procession.

So it’s unclear why Songkran might be cancelled anyway. Could

be more risky cancelling it if it means people congregate inside instead of outside.

Edited March 4, 2020 by PeeJayEm
Last thought

[CGW]

2 minutes ago, shackleton said:

Songkran will be cancelled 

How can Songkran be cancelled? rewrite the Thai calendar?

[Mavideol]

7 minutes ago, billd766 said:

That day we got 0.1 mm and yesterday it was an enormous 0.8 mm.

that's enough to create a fishing (water) puddles  555....

[JHolmesJr]

How is songkran a commercial attraction?

Its just a bunch of drunks throwing water on each other.

for a week.

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, lemonjelly said:

We’re facing the most serious bio crisis in living memory and policies to control the outbreak are being heavily influenced by the department of tourism !!! 

While I agree Corvid 19 is a concern.... more people will die on the roads, that's never been a real concern!

[Lee bamber]

In hindsight, every crucial decision the junta makes seems to be the wrong one. Maybe there would be more accuracy if they rolled the dice!

[JHolmesJr]

South Korea went off the rails following the church incident....songkran seems

to be geared to do the same in Thailand. %$%^! This will keep me away for years.

[CGW]

4 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

While I agree Corvid 19 is a concern.... more people will die on the roads, that's never been a real concern!

& 150,000 people die everyday regardless, maybe we should show them more concern as well ????

[tandor]

...ridiculous in the extreme..and i thought you were a progressive country...i was wrong.

[emptypockets]

5 hours ago, Ian Nagle said:

I absolutly detest Songram. I hate the farangs who come here and ruin it. Chiang Mai is a nightmare at this time.  

Imagine what the Thais must think about you!

[emptypockets]

4 hours ago, SuwadeeS said:

1. Any kind of epidemic or pandemic takes from the beginning through till the end approx. 2 years.

2. That nonsens what somebody said about it will last only a couple of weeks is not true.

3. The most resently published report in Forbes Magazin, tell that these thin paper mask do not protect, because there are holes inside, which a virus can pass easily.

4. Songkran should be cancelled anyway, because of the lack of water. It isn't environment friendly and many people come to close together.

 

3. I think most people know that the masks are not used to protect you from the virus, but are to control any discharges from you onto other people via saliva and snot etc.

4 Cancel all the European soccer/ football matches for similar reasons.....too many people in close proximity to each other.

Edited March 4, 2020 by emptypockets

[Isaanbiker]

Not only a lot of water will be exchanged, body fluids, alcohol and now also a serious virus.

 

    Welcome to Coronaland! 

[thailand49]

They actually got it right,  songkran will produce more death and emergency visits than the virus, plus I thought they had a water shortage!