Thailand to tighten entry rules for all nationalities in virus fight

[EricTh]

20 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

"There is no health insurance anywhere in the world that would specifically cover COVID-19 infections;"

 

Not strictly true, I was offered just that today by Kasikorn Bank, and Bangkok Bank have also been offering Virus insurance.

How much ins premium you have to pay per year?

[geriatrickid]

Thailand surrendered to the  infection  some time ago.  Someone put  tourism income ahead of national safety. Quite a contrast to the measures Vietnam has taken  vs. Thailand.  We will see how it pays off in  12-18 months.

 

Vietnam may become the preferred destination for  western tourists who wish to avoid  infection.  If Thailand  gets through the first wave, it will have the 2nd and 3rd waves over the next year to worry about and they will come during  peak tourism  time. Folks, this isn't going away, but is here to stay for a year, biggly.

[bangsaenguy]

6 minutes ago, Chazar said:

offering is  one thing but when there are  many infected  will they actually pay out

I checked with Krungthai and was told no coverage without work permit. Maybe the others are different. Worth checking

[CharlieH]

4 minutes ago, EricTh said:

How much ins premium you have to pay per year?

No idea, as I had no interest in it. I would think the branches of the banks would have the details if you are interested.

[holy cow cm]

Idiotic. Sure, show your health certificate and insurance but then get sick after it incubates and proliferates the sickness to everyone here already. Close the darn borders. Bozos in the government. And that is disrespectful to the word Bozo. Sorry Bozo!

Edited March 19, 2020 by holy cow cm

[SpanishExpat]

Those two statements clarify everything about Thailand`s strategy. They don`t ban anyone, just put measures impossible to fullfill = no loss of their stupid faces.

 

"Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul also said the measure should discourage foreigners from travelling to Thailand. "We are enforcing strict measures so that it will be very difficult for them to come here."

 

""The measure aims to minimise the number of arrivals as much as possible," said government spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat."

[glennb6]

Tourism 2019 was about 20% of thai GDP. Poof, annnnnnd it'd gone.

 

Ban government.

[nuckyt77]

I am at the moment in the Netherlands  and spend the whole morning asking around at local doctors here if and where I could get a test. As I am not sick and feeling very well: ..in nice words they all told me to f.ck off and not waste their time. Here tests are being reserved for people that are sick...not for healthy tourists. And I agree to that.

So...my holiday for May I just cancelled.  And I am sure I will not be the only one. The tourist industry in Thailand was already suffering when I left Thailand in January. Doing this will kill it and ... contrary to Europe..... no government aid to help the Thai companies survive.

Also no airline will fly people to a country that will make the airline pay if some immigration officer thinks the passenger(s) it flew in can not enter because the things  needed to enter are nearly impossible to get. 

 

Come on PM. Pinocchio do the same as USA and EU or Australia: show balls and say you, because of your now showing foolish policy during the Chinese new year, now have to close your border.  Because that is what he is doing. I always had my doubts about the official numbers of infected but now I am sure. They are much higher now and they have been since January ...only difference is..... they can not hide it any longer. Reading the last reports I am actually glad I am not in Thailand at the moment. It will get worse here I am convinced but in Thailand it will get worse too (and Pinocchio knows it only still does not admit it) and then I prefer to be near the Dutch health system then having to hand myself over to the Thai system. 

 

 

Edited March 19, 2020 by nuckyt77

[Yadon Toploy]

10 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

No idea, as I had no interest in it. I would think the branches of the banks would have the details if you are interested.

I paid 850thb for Tip Insurance COVID-19 coverage. 100,000thb coverage. 

 

[JCP108]

14 minutes ago, SpanishExpat said:

Those two statements clarify everything about Thailand`s strategy. They don`t ban anyone, just put measures impossible to fullfill = no loss of their stupid faces.

 

"Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul also said the measure should discourage foreigners from travelling to Thailand. "We are enforcing strict measures so that it will be very difficult for them to come here."

 

""The measure aims to minimise the number of arrivals as much as possible," said government spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat."

Right. Anyone can come here. We're not closing the borders. You just have to juggle three polka-dotted unicorns for at least five minutes at the boarding gate to get on a plane to come here. And, passengers have to provide their own unicorns. And, this is said with a straight face. 

[nuckyt77]

3 minutes ago, Yadon Toploy said:

I paid 850thb for Tip Insurance COVID-19 coverage. 100,000thb coverage. 

 

Not good... You need USD 100.000 coverage not Thai Baht . 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

Travellers to Thailand have to now show authorities a health certificate, issued no more than 72 hours before travelling, confirming that they have been tested and are free from the virus.

 

If you're an American looking to travel to or return to Thailand, good luck getting a CV test back home when you have absolutely no symptoms of any illness. Heck, even the really sick people right now are having a tough time getting tested. So if you're healthy, might as well forget about it...at least for the time being.

 

Especially if you're coming via heavily impacted CV areas (and West Coast international airports) such as Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

 

 

Edited March 19, 2020 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[rabas]

31 minutes ago, bangsaenguy said:

I checked with Krungthai and was told no coverage without work permit. Maybe the others are different. Worth checking

My wife bought a policy for 950B from K bank, but they didn't take foreigners. So I bought one from SCB for 850B, who only requires that you have been here continuously from 6 months. I'm currently on a retirement visa. Only had to show my passport, no medical required.

Edited March 19, 2020 by rabas

[cyril sneer]

1 hour ago, fruitman said:

Where can we buy mouthmasks?

There’s a shop near me selling them for 250 baht each, let me know if you want one 

Edited March 19, 2020 by cyril sneer

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

54 minutes ago, GeorgeCross said:

 

your understanding is incorrect, health insurance is available without covid19 exclusions

 

Plus, in at least most places I'm familiar with, an insurer cannot simply impose some new exclusion on a policy that's ongoing and valid. They might be able to impose a new condition the next time one's policy comes up for renewal, and then you can choose to accept the new terms or not. But I don't think they can do that for an existing policy that's already in force.

 

[Misterwhisper]

57 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

"There is no health insurance anywhere in the world that would specifically cover COVID-19 infections;"

 

Not strictly true, I was offered just that today by Kasikorn Bank, and Bangkok Bank have also been offering Virus insurance.

That may be. But what good is it to foreign visitors who must present their coverage to immigration on arrival (i.e. BEFORE they enter the country)? I also doubt that the Kasikorn and Bangkok Bank policies cover $100,000 minimum as required.

 

I might be wrong. if you have more information, please share.

Edited March 19, 2020 by Misterwhisper

[Yadon Toploy]

10 minutes ago, nuckyt77 said:

Not good... You need USD 100.000 coverage not Thai Baht . 

I'm a permanent resident, living and working in Thailand and it is the maximum coverage available for COVID-19 as far as I am aware. 

 

As a foreigner, you need to have at least a work permit to get it though so it will be no good for tourists wanting to travel here anyway. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

7 minutes ago, rabas said:

My wife bought a policy for 950B from K bank, but they didn't take foreigners. So I bought one from SCB for 850B, who only requires that you have been here continuously from 6 months. I'm currently on a retirement visa. Only had to show my passport, no medical required.

 And what's the extent of the coverage?

 

I very much doubt it's the new foreign entry requirement of $100,000 USD coverage!

[audaciousnomad]

8 minutes ago, Misterwhisper said:

That may be. But what good is it to foreign visitors who must present their coverage to immigration on arrival (i.e. BEFORE they enter the country)? I also doubt that the Kasikorn and Bangkok Bank policies cover $100,000 minimum as required.

 

I might be wrong. if you have more information, please share.

The Civil Air Authority of Thailand has issued an official advisory to all airline operators of these new entry requirements, with specific instructions to deny boarding. Therefore, they wouldn't even make it onto the plane to begin with.
Direct Link to their guidance document:
https://www.caat.or.th/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/CAAT-COVID-19-Practical-Guideline-18Mar20-1.pdf

Edited March 19, 2020 by audaciousnomad

[holy cow cm]

10 minutes ago, rabas said:

My wife bought a policy for 950B from K bank, but they didn't take foreigners. So I bought one from SCB for 850B, who only requires that you have been here continuously from 6 months. I'm currently on a retirement visa. Only had to show my passport, no medical required.

I travel too much until now. so not even in the 6 month running. If I die I die, that is life. 

[fruitman]

11 minutes ago, cyril sneer said:

There’s a shop near me selling them for 250 baht each, let me know if you want one 

No thanks, i want 20-30 or so...i will check the pharmacy again but not much hope.

[Dumbastheycome]

The arguments  get tedious.

Govts. are damned  if they do and damned if they don't.

Mixed  cries  of  "too little", "too late", liers, selfish, stupid  etc etc.

Mixed cries  of " what about poor me" ? "I want", "I expect", "What  about? ".

Unproductive finger pointing, denials of self responsibility in response.

Has the so  called civilized world really regressed so far in the abandonment of any realistic perception of personal relevance to the "system" ?

Regardless  of  which political philosophy is  applied to a nation  the reality is that we are  just bulk numbers  to it. With  7  billion  people in existence of  which maybe half are of significant value as a source of consumerism funded  by well  taxed incomes it  should  be obvious  that priority is/has been given to protection of  that.

The  disaster of  this pandemic is not  really the death  rate  but the  rate of  destruction to the vulnerable/fragile economic bubble we  have been led to believe we are part of.

The  majority are and  been nothing more  than the  skin of the  bubble. 

The remainder have been denied  even to  be part of that pimply skin by being left  to subsist on the pus  that so  gratuitously has been  allowed to drip down on them and  deemed "humanitarian"  aid !

So while  millions  or  some  billions of belated funding goes into the front-line efforts  to " Win the War " on Covid-19 Trillions  are  to  be  made available to what? The contents  of the  bubble!

Why is it that Trillions  could  not have been made available  to enhance populations productive capacity and  quality of existence  before? Why is it  that  annual  budgets provide  as  much if not more funding  for  war  capacity  than  health  provision? A single modern  missile has a  vastly higher value than that of a single fully insured cannon fodder human !

Covid-19 has only  just started to  demonstrate  how ridiculously dependent humanity  has  been deluded. Covid-19 has  revealed the  danger of induced  apathy !

 

 

 

 

[dogfish180]

Don't forget to wear your face mask while you ride your motorcycle without a helmet ????????

[Number 6]

Sigh...

[nightfox]

8 minutes ago, audaciousnomad said:

The Civil Air Authority of Thailand has issued an official advisory to all airline operators of these new entry requirements, with specific instructions to deny boarding. Therefore, they wouldn't even make it onto the plane to begin with.
Direct Link to their guidance document:
https://www.caat.or.th/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/CAAT-COVID-19-Practical-Guideline-18Mar20-1.pdf

Are these rules also include entering Thailand by boarder or just for airline arrivals to Thailand? 

[christophe75]

3 minutes ago, dogfish180 said:

Don't forget to wear your face mask while you ride your motorcycle without a helmet ????????

 

That would be a beautiful epitaph to this... stupid chinese virus !

 

(yes, I dare to call it the "chinese virus", like the "spanish flu"... just to annoy the PC chills brigrade, and all the commies on Beijing's payroll. My bad)

 

[DrTuner]

There go the last hard-core Russian tourists. They might just as well done this a month ago, instead of becoming a petri dish.

[Wilsonandson]

Apart from the Insurance policy you need to do the Covid 19 medical test which my wife says will at least be 7,000 baht. I found this on prices from a news article 3 days ago. 

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/featured/2020/03/16/some-hospitals-apply-farang-pricing-for-coronavirus-testing/

I'm so worried as I need to do a visa run soon to Laos. Every day the restrictions get worse. I just feel like creeping into a hole and hiding until this is all over then plead ignorance and pay the overstay later on down the line.

[DrTuner]

11 minutes ago, Dumbastheycome said:

Covid-19 has only  just started to  demonstrate  how ridiculously dependent humanity  has  been deluded. Covid-19 has  revealed the  danger of induced  apathy !

It certainly has a merciless way of surfacing hidden problems, such as coverups, corruption and all the other usual jazz in Thailand. Junta can't simply give the corona some attitude adjustment.

[DrTuner]

45 minutes ago, glennb6 said:

Tourism 2019 was about 20% of thai GDP. Poof, annnnnnd it'd gone.

 

Ban government.

Not to mention Thailand is heavily exports dependent and logistics, especially air, are taking severe hits, collateral damage. Going to be an epic recession. Maybe that finally gets the mobs with pitchforks out and purges the old elites out.