Koh Samui: Stranded tourists pack out immigration seeking visa extensions - second virus case reported

 

Image: TNA

 

As Koh Samui reported its second case of coronavirus TNA reported that immigration on the holiday island was dealing with a great many tourists stranded there due to flight cancellations out of Thailand.

 

There were twice as many tourists seeking extensions as usual from Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao prompting officials to expand facilities to help prevent the spread of the virus.

 

Screening was also taking place.

 

The media said that a second case has emerged at Koh Samui Hospital. It is a 61 year old Frenchman who has lived on Samui for 13 years. He arrived back on the island on March 15th after a trip to the Philippines.

 

Earlier in the week another French national who had been on a trip to Europe was confirmed to have coronavirus, notes Thaivisa.

 

Source: TNA

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-03-28

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Looks like a good place to pick up coronavirus.

When are Embassies and Consulates here in Thailand from around the world going to pressure the Thai Government to end this madness?

3 minutes ago, Phuketshrew said:

When are Embassies and Consulates here in Thailand from around the world going to pressure the Thai Government to end this madness?

When the people stop queuing like sheep, pick up the phone, and call them to remind them why they are here - to serve their citizens.

packed out?

 

there are 12 tourists in this picture

 

maybe should have a look at CW this week

1 hour ago, GeorgeCross said:

packed out?

 

there are 12 tourists in this picture

 

maybe should have a look at CW this week

On a Samui-specific page there's no need.

1 hour ago, gearbox said:

Looks like a good place to pick up coronavirus.

stop  spreading  fake  news....................of  course an  amnesty  is  totally not  needed,  i  say  increase reporting to 25  days and  give  daily  extensions  only

1 hour ago, Phuketshrew said:

When are Embassies and Consulates here in Thailand from around the world going to pressure the Thai Government to end this madness?

They'll have started weeks ago.

if they are infecting a country that is not theirs.... we need new rules

 

every day, 1000 baht for test.  ok, good.  come back tomorrow

apps on their phone for total control

if two phones closer than 2 meters...jail

have the embassy pay for their insurance

 

we all must do some soul searching.  it might be more dangerous in our home country, but there will be positives......let's see what happens in May (not leaving in April)

34 minutes ago, Chazar said:

stop  spreading  fake  news....................of  course an  amnesty  is  totally not  needed,  i  say  increase reporting to 25  days and  give  daily  extensions  only

What is fake news - that is not possible to get coronavirus from queues like this one?

Still lots of Bangkok Airways flights arriving and departing Samui all day. But I suppose it's better for the  tourists to stay here than stuck in some hotel in Bangkok waiting for a flight out.

2 hours ago, Phuketshrew said:

When are Embassies and Consulates here in Thailand from around the world going to pressure the Thai Government to end this madness?

you would think they are PAID to do such things , or have the brains

 

or see how their citizen are treated with dis-respect in the media from government people

 

but Embassies do very little, except new passports and some easy letters

1 hour ago, evadgib said:

On a Samui-specific page there's no need.

 

there's every need - its called perspective.

 

 

 

is there an agent or service someone can use to send someone in their place so that they personally don't need to go there to get the extension?  there is no amount of money in the world that would bring me out there to stand among hundreds of coughing and sneezing quite-likely virus spewing tourists.

Off topic  posts removed

4 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

packed out?

 

there are 12 tourists in this picture

 

maybe should have a look at CW this week

The office being on the first floor maybe it is crowded, in eight years Ihad never seen this kind of shelter outside there must be a reason.

4 hours ago, Phuketshrew said:

When are Embassies and Consulates here in Thailand from around the world going to pressure the Thai Government to end this madness?

Exactly!!! Simple- just a blank automatic, say, 30 days at a time from the previous one. Not rocket science is it??? Duuuhhh. ????????????????????????????????

2 hours ago, Ventenio said:

if they are infecting a country that is not theirs.... we need new rules

 

every day, 1000 baht for test.  ok, good.  come back tomorrow

apps on their phone for total control

if two phones closer than 2 meters...jail

have the embassy pay for their insurance

 

we all must do some soul searching.  it might be more dangerous in our home country, but there will be positives......let's see what happens in May (not leaving in April)

False argument. You suggest that someone who is not from this country MUST have infected it.  Many tourists came here completely healthy. If they now catch it while in country, then your assumption is incorrect.  Do not perpetuate that sort of "all tourists are infected" mentality on these forums. There is enough anti-foreigner sentiment already during this challenging time.

1 hour ago, justin case said:

you would think they are PAID to do such things , or have the brains

 

or see how their citizen are treated with dis-respect in the media from government people

 

but Embassies do very little, except new passports and some easy letters

Some don't even do that!! They use agents!! Bloody job title loving civil servant cronies!!????????????????????????????????

Given the high number of fairly high-risk people that Immigration Officers come into contact every day, how long before they catch the virus themselves?

 

 

Thai government:

Practice social distancing and do not leave house unless you have to

Also the Thai government:

Please everyone come crowd in one place to have your visa extended. We will not do the sensible thing and allow you to do this from the internet or just give you the ok to skip it during this time and we will not give a blanket statement to embassies about how we will work with foreigners who need their visa extended so they don't have to congregate in 1 place.

 

Sounds like to me the govt. says: "We really don't care about foreigners, we only want you to come here so you will contribute money to our economy.

It's amazing that the Thai love affair with paperwork and anally retentive bureaucracy takes priority over all else including common sense, safety and practicality. Way-to-go Immigration Department for getting everyone together and spreading things even further. The Ministry of Dumb Ideas does it again.

Just in case that anybody want to know what SCIENCE says about the Corona virus:

 

The New England Journal of Medicine [the most renowned Journal for medicine in the World !!!]

Link to the Article: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2002387

 

... This suggests that the overall clinical consequences of Covid-19 may ultimately be more akin to those of a severe seasonal influenza (which has a case fatality rate of approximately 0.1%) or a pandemic influenza (similar to those in 1957 and 1968) rather than a disease similar to SARS or MERS, which have had case fatality rates of 9 to 10% and 36%, respectively.

 

The PANIC is real ... the PANDEMIC is not !!!

 

 

5 hours ago, phetphet said:

Still lots of Bangkok Airways flights arriving and departing Samui all day. But I suppose it's better for the  tourists to stay here than stuck in some hotel in Bangkok waiting for a flight out.

That might well be the case, I know of some foreigners that say that.

5 hours ago, Tchooptip said:

The office being on the first floor maybe it is crowded, in eight years Ihad never seen this kind of shelter outside there must be a reason.

The office has only been open for less than 3 years before it was in Nathon so where do you get the 8 years from.

9 hours ago, Phuketshrew said:

When are Embassies and Consulates here in Thailand from around the world going to pressure the Thai Government to end this madness?

Hmmm, what madness. You are proposing what in the face of illness. I would welcome news from carita le sources how other counties are handling Visa issues.

6 hours ago, justin case said:

you would think they are PAID to do such things , or have the brains

 

or see how their citizen are treated with dis-respect in the media from government people

 

but Embassies do very little, except new passports and some easy letters

The UK embassies dose not even do passports now  , they have subbed it out ,you have to go to darkest Sukhumvit to the Trendy building.  

2 hours ago, wwest5829 said:

Hmmm, what madness. You are proposing what in the face of illness. I would welcome news from carita le sources how other counties are handling Visa issues.

Here's what UK are doing in the other direction:

Visas extended for those currently unable to return home due to COVID-19

14 hours ago, jasonsamui55 said:

is there an agent or service someone can use to send someone in their place so that they personally don't need to go there to get the extension?  there is no amount of money in the world that would bring me out there to stand among hundreds of coughing and sneezing quite-likely virus spewing tourists.

It always someone else isn't it. You couldn't have the virus already could you?

14 hours ago, audaciousnomad said:

False argument. You suggest that someone who is not from this country MUST have infected it.  Many tourists came here completely healthy. If they now catch it while in country, then your assumption is incorrect.  Do not perpetuate that sort of "all tourists are infected" mentality on these forums. There is enough anti-foreigner sentiment already during this challenging time.

Foreigners complaining about foreigners.

Long term tourists complaining about short term tourists.

Non immigrant visitors complaining about other non immigrant visitors

 

Only on TVF!!