Covid-19 mass exodus from Bangkok: Thousands pack Mo Chit bus station last night

[webfact]

Covid-19 mass exodus from Bangkok: Thousands pack Mo Chit bus station last night

 

Picture: Sanook

 

Sanook reported that Mo Chit bus station was packed with people returning to the provinces last night. 

 

TNA said there were 80,000 - many of them workers returning to neighboring countries. 

 

Platforms carrying people to the north east or "Isaan" region were particularly full of people. 

 

The scenes resembled what happens every year as people return home for Songkran in April, notes Thaivisa. Few people had booked in advance and were queueing for tickets.

 

Picture: Sanook

 

But this year it was not the Thai holidays that was causing the mass exodus but the fact that much of Bangkok has simply been shut down for 22 days to try and limit the spread of the coronavirus. 

 

One Laotian lady spoke to Sanook saying she had no work and besides their father was sick so it was time to go home to Laos. 

 

Officials at Mo Chit - the busiest bus station in Thailand - were checking temperatures of passengers entering the facility, sanitising hands with gel and giving advice, particularly about the wearing of masks. 

 

But people were pictured crammed together on platforms with little regard for social distancing.

 

Many fear that the outbreak, hitherto felt most keenly in Bangkok, may now move to the provinces, notes Thaivisa. 

 

Sources: Sanook | MCOT

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-03-23

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

 

[BestB]

Great planning by the big heads. So massive outbreak is to be expected in the provinces. Then once BKK is contained all to return to bring back the virus.

 

Really really well planned and executed by the experts running the show .

 

if anything , Anutin should be nominated for Nobel awards 

[YetAnother]

8 minutes ago, webfact said:

Sanook reported that Mo Chit bus station was packed with people

and then they are packed into buses for long bus rides; petri dish for virus

[bkk6060]

Horrific and unbelievable.

[Assurancetourix]

This government is comparable to that of France or Italy.
Instead of confining Bangkok by prohibiting all types of transport to the outside of the megalopolis; they turn on the tap ???? so that all of Thailand will be infected.

Great art! 

[NCC1701A]

everything in Thailand OK. Sure.

 

Edited March 23, 2020 by NCC1701A

[colinneil]

How bloody stupid, we are postponing Songkran, but allowing thousands to travel ( packed like sardines) on buses all over the country, stupid bloody stupid.

Now any virus that was in Bangkok, is now spread around the country, possibly infecting many thousands.

[BestB]

17 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

everything in Thailand OK. Sure.

 

Foreigners do not understand????

[Enoon]

20 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

i edited my original comment. thanks for helping me not make a big mistake. 

 

Unfortunately 2 replies show your original comment.

 

Containment has failed.

 

 

Edited March 23, 2020 by Enoon

[lopburi3]

What is not reported was that many/most of these travelers were leaving Thailand (foreign workers) due to border closure scheduled for today and no employment. 

[bristolgeoff]

so if you have the virus u can spread to your village home and lots of people.during your travel

[BestB]

Ohh and almost forget , I am sure hospitals in provinces are well equipped and staffed to handle newly infected and of course will provide free treatment , oh no but wait, their social  security registered hospital is in Bangkok , so hop on the bus and head back to Bangkok to get your free treatment , try not to infect another 100 or so on the way there????

[sezze]

Yep , make this a bioweapon every 20 minutes ... bringing you family members back home ...

[anchadian]

45 minutes ago, Assurancetourix said:

This government is comparable to that of France or Italy.
Instead of confining Bangkok by prohibiting all types of transport to the outside of the megalopolis; they turn on the tap ???? so that all of Thailand will be infected.

Great art! 

Those that have lost their jobs in Bangkok and most probably have little money, where do they sleep and eat tonight and tomorrow, etc.

Think about it.

[NCC1701A]

i got to say one of the things trending on tweeter in Thai does not bode well right now. people are angry. 

 

i feel horrible for all these people. But I think for Thailand this has now defaulted to the "herd" approach. if you get sick, fine, deal with it. If you die, too bad.

 

[transam]

And now the spread begins.....

[Matzzon]

Even as we know the government, with Super-Anutin leading the sheeps, have all 100 % under control. We also know that they totally lost the plot.

That as well as we can be 100 % sure over, that the search for human intelligence must go on. It has still not been found. Last nights search in the Mor Chit area of Bangkok failed miserably. 

 

But don´t worry. There is a CLEAR message!

 

[adammike]

1 hour ago, BestB said:

Great planning by the big heads. So massive outbreak is to be expected in the provinces. Then once BKK is contained all to return to bring back the virus.

 

Really really well planned and executed by the experts running the show .

 

if anything , Anutin should be nominated for Nobel awards 

Darwin award's

[sezze]

4 minutes ago, transam said:

And now the spread begins.....

100% agreed .... unfortunate . This is what makes the tourist industry down the drain in May . The month of April is already done and over , try fix May , but i think they lost the fight before it started .

[RJRS1301]

54 minutes ago, colinneil said:

How bloody stupid, we are postponing Songkran, but allowing thousands to travel ( packed like sardines) on buses all over the country, stupid bloody stupid.

Now any virus that was in Bangkok, is now spread around the country, possibly infecting many thousands.

With not testing kits, hospital beds or PPE fro health workers, poor logistcal planning. Well no planning

 

[Phuketshrew]

1 hour ago, BestB said:

if anything , Anutin should be nominated for Nobel awards 

or the Knobhead awards ....

[piewarmer]

The remote villages have the oldies taking care of the children, they don't need the spreaders coming in.

[NanLaew]

The DPH have been dutifully publishing the daily, national, exponential increases in +ve cases while the government has made no significant comment. Buriram's provincial governor instituted a regimen of health screening that appears to have contradicted the government's largely unstated opinion on not restricting the movement of people. It remains officially unchallenged.

 

Then the Bangkok governor, without any notice, has decided to implement across-the-board business closings that has initiated an exodus that will seriously imperil the best efforts of provincial governments, doctors, nurses and health care workers. The government is notably even more silent.

 

Apart from a former MInister of Health saying we should trust in 'team Thailand' (whatever the heck that is) and the PM's spokesperson saying that he will take decisive action at the right time, the lower-order government leaders and functionaries are openly bypassing him and his government of incompetents.

 

If there's anyone in the neighborhood, can you pop over to Government House and check if there's actually anyone at home? I wouldn't put it past certain personages and entities to exercise all sorts of executive privilege and shoot off somewhere (slightly) less infected. I mean there's loads of empty seats on outbound flights these days and no need for non-existent certificates to get one either.

[ravip]

It is disgusting to read some comments which I feel are made due to ignorance. The situation the world is in right now, is totally unexpected. Governments take tough decisions which are not popular, but essential to contain this pandemic.

In situations such as this, people will panic and do many careless acts... this is normal. It is impossible for Governments to provide ALL facilities their citizens need - eg individual transport, accommodation etc.

Then there is the 'other set' of people, who have a little bit of more disposable money, sitting idly behind a PC, maybe intoxicated, bashing away at the poor people unashamedly, who are trying to get back to their home and family with the only way they can.

I invite these Keyboard Rambos, to keep the glasses down and have a look at the world news in detail. We see supermarket shelves been emptied, fighting unashamedly for toilet paper, YES, fighting for toilet paper etc. Now, this is NOT in Thailand or any other 3rd world undeveloped country, BUT in that great place called the 1st world highly developed countries.

Is this NOT the 'herd' effect, or whatever? Just my observations...

[Tayaout]

30 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

But I think for Thailand this has now defaulted to the "herd" approach. if you get sick, fine, deal with it. If you die, too bad.

 

It's what my mother in law told me when I asked for the 5th times in the last 2 months why she don't buy a little bit extra food. It's a good thing my freezer has a lock. 

Edited March 23, 2020 by Tayaout

[mike787]

No surprise, gov making sure infection infects everyone....

[transam]

Soooooooooooooooooooooooo funny really, if it wasn't so serious, big hullabaloo about a bar selling beers to a few farangs and here we have THOUSANDS FROM THE BUG HOTSPOT cramming onto buses, together for hours probably infecting the whole bus load.. 

Flushing crazy.................????

Who on earth is controlling stuff.......?

[GeorgeCross]

this country is screwed. everywhere shutting down, people fleeing to every corner (and nearby countries), zero gov support both logistical or financial ("hope" isn't a strategy) and to top it off the gov seems to have done a disappearing act on the day we entered stage 3.

 

allowing this to happen is a humanitarian disaster, no excuses, this is the gov's job and they balls'ed it up completely

 

1000s will die, just as they are in southern italy, because someone leaked their lockdown plans

 

all they had to do: secure the perimeter, shut down the interior, provide direct financial support, defer rent, loans and mortgages, ensure supply lines - not difficult is it??

 

too <deleted> late now.

 

[RJRS1301]

14 minutes ago, transam said:

Who on earth is controlling stuff.......?

No one. Totally lacking co-ordination

[ChipButty]

You know the next thing they will say? Bangkok is virus free the safest city in the world