Trat: Tourists have fled to Koh Chang as rumors of island shutdown from Sunday abound

 

Picture: Manager Online

 

Thai media reported that tourists have been making their way to the holiday island of Koh Chang all week amid news reports that the island is to enter a lock down phase from April 5th, Sunday. 

 

Many believe it will be very difficult if not impossible to enter Koh Chang for a month after Sunday. 

 

A local industry leader Saksit Mungkarn said there were less tourists - both Thai and foreign - crossing to the island yesterday. But there had been many in the preceding 2 to three days. 

 

There are thought to be 10,000 mainly foreign tourists on Koh Chang at the moment.

 

There are 10,000 people on the island to look after them. 

 

There are 8,000 local residents. 

 

Responding to questions that tourists were moving on from Pattaya that is about to be locked down, Saksit claimed that the authorities are ready for that. 

 

After Sunday it could be very difficult to enter the island, said Manager, with a full inquiry done by health officials into where visitors have been in the preceding days. 

 

Source: Manager Online

 

 

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14 minutes ago, webfact said:

Responding to questions that tourists were moving on from Pattaya that is about to be locked down, Saksit claimed that the authorities are ready for that. 

 

how? tent cities? evacuations? ???

 

i'm all ears on this one.. a potential humanitarian crisis could be incoming, here, pattaya and phuket

 

28 minutes ago, GeorgeCross said:

 

how? tent cities? evacuations? ???

 

i'm all ears on this one.. a potential humanitarian crisis could be incoming, here, pattaya and phuket

 

Could end up like Lesbos!

(Only joking!)

8 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

Could end up like Lesbos!

(Only joking!)

My mind was in the gutter as usual. 

Stupid people, need to get off an island not get stuck on it

1 minute ago, canopus1969 said:

Stupid people, need to get off an island not get stuck on it

If it's anything like BKK, virtually nothing's open anyway, takes away a lot from the experience of being there.

Used to be beautiful early 90's few wooden huts,that was it,then as with Samui they ruined it,like most of the rest of the country.

I had three couples visit me here in HH from abroad. They were all scheduled to remain here till May. They all left 20 - 25 days ago. The information online convinced them to abort their holiday. There must be some very uneducated tourist these days that never learned to read while in school nor were taught how to make an educated decision based on existing facts. Do not wish harm to fall on anyone though sometimes life has a way of punishing you when you **** up...  

I spent a relaxed week on Koh Chang two weeks ago, except while I watched the news in horror on CNN. Paid off-season rates in high season. It's as good as any place to be now.

 

Live or die, if you have money for a nice beachfront destination with good food and containment, better than hiding in a box apartment in a mostly shut down city for who knows how long. 

Hospitals overcrowded in Europe and USA, hospitals empty in Thailand. Hundreds or thousands dieing in Europe and USA, just a handful in Thailand, and none in Koh Chang. 
So where is it better to be?
Easy choice, if you don't press the panic button ...

But by all means, stay locked in your small condo, eat your canned food, and stay out of Koh Chang. Nobody will miss you there.

2 hours ago, Captain_Bob said:

Live or die, if you have money for a nice beachfront destination with good food and containment, better than hiding in a box apartment in a mostly shut down city for who knows how long. 

I would put all new arrivals into 14 day quarantine. Do you really think all arrivals (10.000?) are virus free. Upside is that Koh Chang healthcare system can't collapse. There is none.

A British guesthouse owner on Ko Chang has chimed in over on Twitter to say this article is complete bullocks. 

Why is he not wearing his mask while speaking to another foreigner at less than 1.5 meter distance?

 

5 hours ago, trainman34014 said:

Visited once three years ago and personally i thought it was a dump...and an overpriced dump at that !   Can't imagine why people would want to be stuck there for a month or more ?

Funny how we are all different. 

 

I take very frequent trips to Koh Chang, love that island.

 

Ok, not now ???? Later again.

 

39 minutes ago, Letseng said:

I would put all new arrivals into 14 day quarantine. Do you really think all arrivals (10.000?) are virus free. Upside is that Koh Chang healthcare system can't collapse. There is none.

There haven't been 10,000 arrivals in Koh Chang. In another post someone suggested they are counting people who moved through the province to other destinations.

 

Look on Agoda and see the low cost of rooms and high availability. Looking around it seems to be quieter than at low season.

 

 

45 minutes ago, Letseng said:

I would put all new arrivals into 14 day quarantine. Do you really think all arrivals (10.000?) are virus free. Upside is that Koh Chang healthcare system can't collapse. There is none.

And i would kick that farang without mouthmask from the island....stubborn people are not welcome.

So I was curious about how much they would discount if we stayed a month at Emerald Cove, and shocked to see that they are closed April 1 - June 30!

 

https://www.emeraldcovekohchang.com/

 

 

5 hours ago, camble said:

I spent a relaxed week on Koh Chang two weeks ago, except while I watched the news in horror on CNN. Paid off-season rates in high season. It's as good as any place to be now.

 

Looks great but seafood pizza? Think I'll pass....

It's an island, needs regular supplies from the mainland. Wonder if the costs for deliveries is going to reflect the dangers involved? The smart ones are going to visit 7-11 right after check-in.

Ok. Another april fool's joke? Koh chang is a small Island and how can they make up a sum of 10000 tourists.  Is that a yearly sum?

3 minutes ago, sead said:

Ok. Another april fool's joke? Koh chang is a small Island and how can they make up a sum of 10000 tourists.  Is that a yearly sum?

Ko Chang is the second biggest island in Thailand after Phuket 

23 minutes ago, Sametboy2019 said:

Ko Chang is the second biggest island in Thailand after Phuket 

How's the lockdown on Samet going, do you have the booze ban curfew there?.

8 hours ago, trainman34014 said:

Visited once three years ago and personally i thought it was a dump...and an overpriced dump at that !   Can't imagine why people would want to be stuck there for a month or more ?

Totally agree,was there for 4 days,never again

12 minutes ago, kingdong said:

8 hours ago, trainman34014 said:

Visited once three years ago and personally i thought it was a dump...and an overpriced dump at that !   Can't imagine why people would want to be stuck there for a month or more ?

Totally agree,was there for 4 days,never again

 

You guys went to the wrong side....  Should have hung a left off the ferry, not a right.  Although a little spartan and isolated, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay.  Spartan and isolated was exactly what I wanted, along with some kayaking on a pristine looking coastline.

 

I'm wondering how the price of hotel rooms will be affected if/when people can no longer leave the island. 

 

Some troll posts have been removed. 

 

A post using a video from an unapproved YouTube source has been removed as well as the off topic replies. 

 

This topic is about:

 

Trat: Tourists have fled to Koh Chang as rumors of island shutdown from Sunday abound

 

Thai media reported that tourists have been making their way to the holiday island of Koh Chang all week amid news reports that the island is to enter a lock down phase from April 5th, Sunday. 

 

Many believe it will be very difficult if not impossible to enter Koh Chang for a month after Sunday. 

 

A local industry leader Saksit Mungkarn said there were less tourists - both Thai and foreign - crossing to the island yesterday.

 

 

1 hour ago, RickG16 said:

Looks great but seafood pizza? Think I'll pass....

It was awesome, with a Long Island Iced Tea ????

 

I admit a month ago it looked best to return home if you had any decent life there at all.  I also think  koh chang looks like a good idea for a month.  Staying at some of those resorts ,  in your own  bungalow, it would be easy to have big social  distance except at meal time.    Now if you do get sick I imagine their are not many vents on the island but do you farang think you will get a vent in XYZ city  if the crunch comes?  Haha

 

I wish I had spent time in TH in the 90's.   As a man who has lived 80%of his life in the West near  wilderness and unspoiled places and a lover and diver of the ocean, wooden huts on the beach sounds great.  I also still have this island lifestyle fantasy.   Probably since  Gilligan's island.   Who was that little dark hair sensible one?  That was my choice.  

I like to imagine life 200 years as go when I travel.  Life must have been hard in Thailand but I have met s few gals  who I can imagine to be hard working partners.   Of course the heat and mosquitoes soon come to mind. 

4 hours ago, Thian said:

Why is he not wearing his mask while speaking to another foreigner at less than 1.5 meter distance?

 

"Dad, put on your mask when you speak to me, or the Covid Police will come and shoot us! There are Covid snitches everywhere."