Pattaya baht buses are obviously rolling dens of potential Covid-19 transmission

[Jingthing]

13 minutes ago, jimn said:

Top USA over the top medic. These people remind me of the work place lawyers, expert trial witnesses, phychics etc that seem to be everywhere in the states. Everything there is over the top as is the panic from its people. Look at the overreaction in the aftermath of the tragic events of 9/11 (which is really 11/9). Americans refused to travel anywhere, even the Golf Ryder Cup was cancelled that year. 

10 times the flu mortality rate is actually the most conservative estimate you're going to hear from any expert. Pretty much the opposite of over the top. 

 

I'll ignore the tired and totally irrelevant American bashing.

Edited March 13, 2020 by Jingthing

[scubascuba3]

It's definitely time to reduce contact in Pattaya, i wouldn't use the baht bus now, i cancelled going to Bangkok by bus. Trying not to touch my face when out. Use gel and wash hands when i get in. Discussed with friends that we self isolate if we get a fever and\or cough. No massages etc for me for a month+, I'm avoiding sharing a car also.

 

If i think i might have a fever, I'll head to Makro to check..

Edited March 13, 2020 by scubascuba3

[Chazar]

On 3/12/2020 at 12:59 PM, Jingthing said:

Yeah but l like to keep things local here on the Pattaya forum. 

 

Do people agree with me that the city should start a formal program of disinfecting the baht buses? 

why, you  would  have to do it after every new passenger got  on or  off

Edited March 13, 2020 by Chazar

[Jingthing]

24 minutes ago, Chazar said:

why, you  would  have to do it after every new passenger got  on or  off

No that's silly. 

Periodic is better than nothing. 

Measures aren't about zero risk. 

They're about reduced risk. 

Collectively that translates to slowing down the rate of new infections.

That's really the realistic public health goal at this time. 

[denby45]

It's a viral infection which targets the respiratory system. Through the mouth or nose or eyes. Now I was advised by my doctor that properly washing hands and avoiding touching the parts listed above would help immensely. However he also  advised to carry a bottle of water around when in crowds and drink frequently. The virus thrives in the air passages but has to be there for a while to be effective. Flushing it into your gut it will not survive your stomach acid. Not 100% convinced but what harm could it do.

 

Den

[superal]

17 hours ago, Max69xl said:

"Top USA medic", yeah right! You keep repeating posts that everybody have read over and over again. 

Why bother posting meaningless , negative and non constructive words .  BTW , repeating means more than once /  recurring  . That was my first post on the baht bus discussion . 

[fred110]

16 hours ago, Chazar said:

why, you  would  have to do it after every new passenger got  on or  off

Carry your own hand cleaner, if you can afford it.

[Jingthing]

2 hours ago, fred110 said:

Carry your own hand cleaner, if you can afford it.

I do carry some with me but I generally wait until I reach my destination to wash my hands as soap and water is a better method than the gel (contrary to popular belief). The gel is really for when you don't have access to soap and water.

[fhickson]

On 3/13/2020 at 2:54 AM, elliss said:

 

     Airplanes.

    Boeing 747 / Airbus , no thank you.

    Homeland visit cancelled , this year..

 

airplane air is likely not all that bad. not an expert, but i heard the system continiously sucks are in a current out through high efficiency filters, new air is pumped in  making it much safer then a subway or indoor venue. thus droplets dont "linger", but move with the current.

 

the main risk to my eye with airplanes is touching things. the flight i was on no disinfecting wipes were handed out and everyone was touching the tray tables and touch screens for example (people were using the wet napkin that arrived with the meal much later to wipe their areas). i know all these were not wiped by the airline between flights.

 

to top it all off there is also the hassle carrying on liquids, so i did not bring my bottle of 70% alcohol like i wanted to. travel industry is a mess on this. no chance of containment.

 

this is one time id opt for a first class seat as your more isolated. it was also a very uncomfortable flight with people in economy stressed out and everyone wearing masks. pretty nasty flight. was transiting through taiwan, etc.

Edited March 14, 2020 by fhickson

[jacko45k]

9 hours ago, fhickson said:

new air is pumped in  making it much safer

New air would be at -40 deg C, so the percentage of 'fresh' air is low, as it would consume fuel. I believe you are correct that they use good filters. Being in close proximity and sharing facilities like bathrooms is of concern though. 

Edited March 15, 2020 by jacko45k

[superal]

9 hours ago, fhickson said:

airplane air is likely not all that bad. not an expert, but i heard the system continiously sucks are in a current out through high efficiency filters, new air is pumped in  making it much safer then a subway or indoor venue. thus droplets dont "linger", but move with the current.

 

the main risk to my eye with airplanes is touching things. the flight i was on no disinfecting wipes were handed out and everyone was touching the tray tables and touch screens for example (people were using the wet napkin that arrived with the meal much later to wipe their areas). i know all these were not wiped by the airline between flights.

 

to top it all off there is also the hassle carrying on liquids, so i did not bring my bottle of 70% alcohol like i wanted to. travel industry is a mess on this. no chance of containment.

 

this is one time id opt for a first class seat as your more isolated. it was also a very uncomfortable flight with people in economy stressed out and everyone wearing masks. pretty nasty flight. was transiting through taiwan, etc.

Some concerning issues raised , especially the gel problem .  Airlines should be taking extra precautions to protect their passengers from C-9 . Were the flight crew masked up ? The entire plane should be disinfected before new passengers boarded . You did not mention the air company but I guess from the location it could be VEA ? ( anagram )    Cabin air , as you say my Google search confirms that the cabin air is changed 15 - 30 times an hour to 99% purity including microbe filtering . Aircraft toilets are a big danger especially towards the end of a flight when they are often filthy .  Business class a good idea if you can afford it  because of reduced contact with other passengers .

[Jingthing]

Well, we've come a long way since I started this topic and we've likely a long way still to go. 

 

I have since learned that the Covid-19 Is especially sticky on metal! As in several days. So baht buses are even more dangerous than I suspected as most people do touch some public metal during their rides.

 

Anyway -- I have a modest proposal on a healthier way to keep the buses rolling along at least until there may be a total lockdown.

 

Limit the ridership to THREE on each side, and TWO in the back.

That's about half a current full ride.

So temporarily DOUBLE the fare to 20 baht.

 

Exceptions for large family groups.

 

As far as the issue of touching infected baht bus metal, that wouldn't be so easy. The only ideas I have so far are disinfectant wipe dispensers and/or mandating that the drivers stay stopped for a long time so people can safely board and leave without touching anything. If you have other/better ideas please say.

 

If anyone has a voice to the powers that be here and/or the local expat "press" please help to get this idea of an occupancy limit considered. 

 

Of course the local government could offer to subsidize this for the drivers and not raise the fares. Yes, I'm well aware that it may be impossible to lower fares once raised. But there are more important things to worry about in these times.

 

[Max69xl]

32 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Well, we've come a long way since I started this topic and we've likely a long way still to go. 

 

I have since learned that the Covid-19 Is especially sticky on metal! As in several days. So baht buses are even more dangerous than I suspected as most people do touch some public metal during their rides.

 

Anyway -- I have a modest proposal on a healthier way to keep the buses rolling along at least until there may be a total lockdown.

 

Limit the ridership to THREE on each side, and TWO in the back.

That's about half a current full ride.

So temporarily DOUBLE the fare to 20 baht.

 

Exceptions for large family groups.

 

As far as the issue of touching infected baht bus metal, that wouldn't be so easy. The only ideas I have so far are disinfectant wipe dispensers and/or mandating that the drivers stay stopped for a long time so people can safely board and leave without touching anything. If you have other/better ideas please say.

 

If anyone has a voice to the powers that be here and/or the local expat "press" please help to get this idea of an occupancy limit considered. 

 

Of course the local government could offer to subsidize this for the drivers and not raise the fares. Yes, I'm well aware that it may be impossible to lower fares once raised. But there are more important things to worry about in these times.

 

I have a better advise, you can take a taxi or any other means of transportation and the rest of us will still use the baht-buses. I will for sure. 

[Jingthing]

Just now, Max69xl said:

I have a better advise, you can take a taxi or any other means of transportation and the rest of us will still use the baht-buses. I will for sure. 

Taxis are a rip off here. Everyone knows that. They're meant to soak tourists. Not designed for frequent use by residents. So get real, OK? This topic is not about taxis. It's not about people with private cars. It's not about people with bikes. It's about baht buses. Comments not related to the baht system are OFF TOPIC and not welcome here.

[Leaver]

There really is no debate to be had anymore with threads like this one. 

 

It's become very simple.  Everyone STAY HOME, and only go outside for supplies, and STAY AWAY from other people, including on baht buses.   It's been given an official term, "social distancing."  

 

The sooner we all do it, or the governments of the world enforce it, the sooner we can all get back to normal living.  

 

Just do it.    

[bender92]

16 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Taxis are a rip off here. Everyone knows that. They're meant to soak tourists. Not designed for frequent use by residents. So get real, OK? This topic is not about taxis. It's not about people with private cars. It's not about people with bikes. It's about baht buses. Comments not related to the baht system are OFF TOPIC and not welcome here.

You could wear a white hazmat suit and gloves. Lol.

[Max69xl]

22 minutes ago, Leaver said:

There really is no debate to be had anymore with threads like this one. 

 

It's become very simple.  Everyone STAY HOME, and only go outside for supplies, and STAY AWAY from other people, including on baht buses.   It's been given an official term, "social distancing."  

 

The sooner we all do it, or the governments of the world enforce it, the sooner we can all get back to normal living.  

 

Just do it.    

It seems you're a bit paranoid. Social distancing doesn't mean stay inside 24/7, but if you like it, do it. Don't tell other people what to do. 

[Leaver]

21 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

It seems you're a bit paranoid. Social distancing doesn't mean stay inside 24/7, but if you like it, do it. Don't tell other people what to do. 

It's not about being paranoid, or in fear of the virus.  I think if I contracted it, I would survive, but then again, a healthy 21 year old Brit girl died from it, so who knows.

 

It's about all doing our bit to stop the spread of the virus.  Yes, there is a risk profiles to all movements, but if we all just housebound ourselves, like we just had a motorbike accident and can't walk, or similar, the whole world would be over this crisis a lot quicker.  

 

Who am I to tell anyone else what to do, but like condoms were the answer for AIDS, social distancing and self quarantining is the answer for Corona, but everyone needs to do it, or life as we are seeing now will become the norm until it goes through the whole human population, and probably by then it would have mutated in "Covid - 20" and it all starts again.    

[Jingthing]

On 3/27/2020 at 3:10 PM, Jingthing said:

Well, we've come a long way since I started this topic and we've likely a long way still to go. 

 

I have since learned that the Covid-19 Is especially sticky on metal! As in several days. So baht buses are even more dangerous than I suspected as most people do touch some public metal during their rides.

 

Anyway -- I have a modest proposal on a healthier way to keep the buses rolling along at least until there may be a total lockdown.

 

Limit the ridership to THREE on each side, and TWO in the back.

That's about half a current full ride.

So temporarily DOUBLE the fare to 20 baht.

 

Exceptions for large family groups.

 

As far as the issue of touching infected baht bus metal, that wouldn't be so easy. The only ideas I have so far are disinfectant wipe dispensers and/or mandating that the drivers stay stopped for a long time so people can safely board and leave without touching anything. If you have other/better ideas please say.

 

If anyone has a voice to the powers that be here and/or the local expat "press" please help to get this idea of an occupancy limit considered. 

 

Of course the local government could offer to subsidize this for the drivers and not raise the fares. Yes, I'm well aware that it may be impossible to lower fares once raised. But there are more important things to worry about in these times.

 

OMG! Not such a crazy idea after all!

Measures even more restricted than I suggested.

Only 5 on a bus. Period.

No mention of a fare raise.

Cut the number of buses as well.

Will people actually follow these rules?

Of course I'm skeptical.

The drivers would need to be involved.

Will they?

I can just imagine telling a burly Russian with steroid muscles that he can't board. 

Also pictured in the article -- disinfecting the buses!

 

https://thepattayanews.com/2020/03/29/pattaya-city-reduces-songtaew-fleet-from-712-to-200-limit-of-five-passengers-a-bus-due-to-covid19-and-social-distancing/

 

Quote

Pattaya City reduces Songtaew fleet from 712 to 200, limit of five passengers a bus due to Covid19 and social distancing

 

 

I do have a criticism of this. If it's a small family group no reason that they shouldn't be able to sit closely together. Also couples that are clearly not social distancing at other times. So more people could ride then but of course that would make enforcement more complicated.

 

Again, IF there is any enforcement. 

Edited March 30, 2020 by Jingthing