Closure of Pattaya set to begin on Thursday 9 April

[jomtienisgood]

18 hours ago, doctormann said:

Looks as though us folks on the east side of the railway may be going hungry!  The only supermarket of any size on the Darkside is 'The Chill' on Khao Noi.  We have quite a few convenience stores but all the large supermarkets are to the west of Sukhumvit.

 

You got Siamburi left.....

[Guderian]

2 hours ago, Kerryd said:

If you LOOK at the map you can see that there are still a number of routes from the "darkside" into Pattaya. Nern Plurb Wan, Boonsamphan and Khao Talo are all within the checkpoints, not to mention a number of the smaller "shortcut" sois that wind through those areas.

Sukhumvit (north and south) will be closed on the outskirts of Pattaya (*1 - at the Highway 36 intersection in the north and *5 - around Central Jomtien where the railway bypass road starts). Google maps says it is Tesabal Road 1. On the East side of Sukhumvit it's called Rural Road 1096 and on the West side it is Na Jomtien 6.
As well, they will be controlling access from *2- Highway 7, *3- Soi Siam Country Club and *4- Soi Chaiyapruek.

That leaves a lot of ways to get to "Pattaya". Take Nern Plurb Wan to Sukhumvit, cross over quickly and turn into Central Pattaya Road.
Take Boonsamphan to Sukhumvit, take a U-Turn to go back to Central Road or keep going to South Pattaya Road.
Take Khao Talo to Sukhumvit, go left and take the U-Turn just past Makro, or cross over quickly and go right to Tesco, or make the right turn and go to Big C - South Pattaya (or wherever).

To me, it appears that they deliberately left those openings along the bypass road just so the people on the darkside could still get into Pattaya. Otherwise they could have simply blocked all the routes along the bypass (there aren't that many of them) and stopped anyone from crossing the railway at all.
Note that Makro opens at 6:00
Tesco and Big C are open at 10:00
Not sure if Foodland and Friendship have changed their hours.

On the Darkside, aside from the Chill (Tops supermarket) on soi Khao Noi, there is a Tesco market (not big but larger that the average "mini mart" type shops) just up Soi Chaiyapruek from the railway bypass intersection.
Siamburi (just off soi Khao Talo) also has some foreign foods and a fair bit of frozen stuff. Not sure if they are still open (or what the hours are). I suspect they'll run out faster than the big shops though.
 

Yes, I was wondering that too, there must be at least a dozen roads crossing the railway line and ending up on Sukhumvit, but they're only going to have checkpoints on three of them. As far as I can see, either it's going to be the leakiest of lockdowns, or else they'll have to block off all access points from the Dark Side to Sukhumvit, other than the designated three. Keep an eye out for lorries with those large concrete blocks they use for such purposes. However, I can't see the residents of, say, Soi Khao Talo being very happy with such an arrangement.

[Darkside Gray]

39 minutes ago, kingdong said:

Probably haven't thought that far ahead,besides another post said cases of corona are going down,sounds like someone is speaking with forked tongue.

had a couple of cases myself this week so must be going down!

[roger101]

7 minutes ago, DJ54 said:

I live in NE why do they call the Darkside the Darkside...?

Because years ago it was dark in the sense of lights ,housing estates ,shops etc.    The amount of development there has been quite remarkable.  Once an area gets a name it tends to stick for years

[doctormann]

19 minutes ago, jomtienisgood said:

You got Siamburi left.....

Yes, i use Siamburi quite often as it is good for hard to find farang items.  Good sausages, cheese, pies, ready to eat curries and such like.  Not really a substitute for a large Tesco or Big C though.

[Nakdontree]

Is there any information around on what type of places inside the lock-down zone have to close as of tomorrow? I learned that some (or all?) of the restaurants still doing take-away service have to stop this completely. What about the markets? No supply traffic, therefore no produce to sell, I guess.

[spidermike007]

An over reaction, far, far too late. Perhaps this should have been done weeks ago. Now? The virus appears to be leveling off here. And many are still in a panic. The zombies are coming! 

 

One of the worst problems here, has been the incredibly inconsistent policy. When you have a brain dead health minister, with absolutely no experience, and an astonishing lack of talent in the administration from the top down, this is what happens. 

[kellio]

21 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I wonder if that is to stop possibly infected from coming in, or to stop us escaping.

Both

[losworld]

1 minute ago, spidermike007 said:

An over reaction, far, far too late. Perhaps this should have been done weeks ago. Now? The virus appears to be leveling off here. And many are still in a panic. The zombies are coming! 

 

One of the worst problems here, has been the incredibly inconsistent policy. When you have a brain dead health minister, with absolutely no experience, and an astonishing lack of talent in the administration from the top down, this is what happens. 

And your evidence for a "levelling off here" is????  Govt stats?

[HashBrownHarry]

49 minutes ago, jossthaifarang said:

Surely deeds to a property that you own with your name on it would suffice? Or the blue book with your name in it, then they just need to verify your name with passport/drivers license.

So people are expected to travel about with property deeds?

 

Doubt that's gonna happen.

[fulhamster]

21 hours ago, Phuketshrew said:

But you will still need to queue up at immigration ...

Won't be able to get to Jomtien

 

[spidermike007]

21 minutes ago, losworld said:

And your evidence for a "levelling off here" is????  Govt stats?

There is a big difference between the 335 new cases in Thailand, and 9 new deaths in the past 4 days, and approximately 130,000 new cases and 5500 new deaths in the US. I double down on my assertion that the virus appears to be leveling off here. Just look at the numbers. And for those of you who are skeptical of the numbers keep in mind that they stayed at 100-200 total cases for weeks, before they started ticking up. So, there does appear to be some accounting of the caseloads. Just as in the US, the testing is still limited. But, my assertion of the positive effects of the heat remain in place. It does appear that the heat absolutely wreaks havoc on this virus, and the number of infections in tropical countries throughout the world seems to bear that out. Brazil is about the only one with over 5,000 cases, and it is huge, with a big population, and id burdened with one of the most ignorant leaders on the planet, who is in denial to this day. 

 

Also, consider that there were about 1 million to 1.5 million Chinese in Thailand during November, December, January, and the first half of Feb. They were in close proximity, they were spreading the virus, and many were infected. If the virus were going to blow up here, as many claim, it would have happened a month ago, or longer. It is just not going to happen. Sorry if that disappoints you. The Zombie Apocalypse is not going to happen. 

 

Research from a laboratory-grown copy of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes the COVID-19 illness shows that heat affects the virus and impacts its behavior, a top pathologist said new research has shown. But other infectious disease experts aren't yet convinced. “In cold environments, there is longer virus survival than warm ones,” Hong Kong University pathology professor John Nicholls told AccuWeather exclusively. “Temperature could significantly change COVID-19 transmission,” the authors note in the study. They also pointed out that the “virus is highly sensitive to high temperature.” 

 

https://www.accuweather.com/en/health-wellness/higher-temperatures-affect-survival-of-new-coronavirus-pathologist-says/700800

•  

Edited April 8, 2020 by spidermike007

[kellio]

15 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

I wish we had cool names in Hua Hin like Darksiders.

 

All we have is Dorksiders.

Such a terrible name to have to live with. 
Would you rather something like "The Shady Ones"?

[Boomer6969]

I am still absolutely fascinated by the obvious disconnection between the escalation of the confinement measures and the COVID figures fed to the Herd. 

Totally obscene if you ask me.

 

And what worries me the most is that since they don't really know why they implement measures they will be even less capable to identify the triggers to lift them.

Edited April 8, 2020 by Boomer6969

[brucec64]

1 hour ago, HashBrownHarry said:

So people are expected to travel about with property deeds?

 

Doubt that's gonna happen.

If you don't have a driver's license, most likely a piece of mail (like an electric bill) with your name, along with your passport, will be enough to show residence. This is usually what immigration requires.

[digbeth]

Thai workers going into town without Bang Lamung addressed ID are asked to have a piece of paper signed by their employer saying they are need for work and at what address. So unless  you have a local Banglamung ID or know a business inside the city that can sign the forms for you, you're not going pass the checkpoints around town? If you sign your own 'hall pass' how are they going to scrutinize it? 

 

I'd stay away for the first couple of days since the checkpoints are going to be backed up with queues for miles for sure. 

[Mazungu]

Pilotman -- these are the checkpoints on the cartoon. 

 

Checkpoints

Point 1 Soi Chaiyapornwithee

Point 2 Motorway Road 7 section 5 (in front of highway patrol)

Point 3 Phon Prapha Nimit (in front of mae la grilled fish shop)

Point 4 Soi Chaiyapruek (before the intersection of railroad in front of coffee shop)

Point 5 Sukhumvit Road before the prosecutor's office (under the overpass in front of na jomtien temple)

Edited April 8, 2020 by Mazungu
more info

[Traubert]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

Sorry if that disappoints you. The Zombie Apocalypse is not going to happen. 

There is/was never going to be any such thing.

 

Zombies are a figment of Hollywood's imagination.

 

What we have is a respiratory disease that gets one in 120,000 people.  Mainly elderly.

 

Sorry!

[Sonyboy]

21 hours ago, William Osborne said:

Definitely a lock in.....100s and 100s of foreigners crammed into queues down at immigration over last 3 weeks....and then traveling back to their to their homes/ hotels scattered all over Pattaya.......absolute lunacy on at an unprecedented level.

 

 

 

Yes,the perfect time to waver visa applications,give visa holders a couple of months free run,and over stayers if it's because of this virus covered time,then sort out the dates later,like backdating(without fines) if they really want to after this virus has gone,and the ones unable to leave being given a bit of space,and immigration at the same time,what's a one of exemption for this year,the honest legal ones should be fine.

[generealty]

doctormann - the map looks like there are still roads allowing access to the Supermarkets on Sukhumvit coming from Darkside. Makro, Tesco Lotus and Big C seem to be accessible from DS without the need to pass through check point. Carry your passport and probably be ok. Oh and a face mask as Makro not allow without. Really interesting to know where the boundary for Pattaya is.

[Kerryd]

The law office I deal with sent out a message and had a new map of the closed off area:


According to this map, all roads from the Darkside into Pattaya will be closed (or have checkpoints). Not sure where they got their map from.

I just came back from a trip to Villa Market at the Little Walk plaza. Police had a checkpoint on the bypass road just before soi Khao Noi, but they never even looked at me. Pulled over a crappy pick-up in front of me, there was another vehicle and a couple of motos pulled over on the side of the road as well.

Couldn't tell what they were looking for, but there wasn't a checkpoint at the Siam Country Club or Nern Plurb Wan crossings, and the one I went through was a hundred meters or so before the Khao Noi intersection.

The lawyer notes that if you cross a checkpoint you need to have your passport (!!) with you as well as a Certificate of Residence (!!!!!!). One of her clients asked about that and she told him he could get one at Jomtien Immigration !!!!!

Which he'd have to go through a checkpoint to get to !!!

(I've asked her what a "SRP juristic house person" is. Maybe the village pooyai ban ?)

 

[Phoenix Rising]

The wife just watched the Thai news and they said that even within Pattaya travel will be restricted with checkpoints between North/Central/South Pattaya.

Don't ask me for details because that's all I know.

[scubascuba3]

14 minutes ago, generealty said:

doctormann - the map looks like there are still roads allowing access to the Supermarkets on Sukhumvit coming from Darkside. Makro, Tesco Lotus and Big C seem to be accessible from DS without the need to pass through check point. Carry your passport and probably be ok. Oh and a face mask as Makro not allow without. Really interesting to know where the boundary for Pattaya is.

Maybe they will block the roads which are not checkpoints, otherwise the whole thing won't work

[doctormann]

26 minutes ago, generealty said:

doctormann - the map looks like there are still roads allowing access to the Supermarkets on Sukhumvit coming from Darkside. Makro, Tesco Lotus and Big C seem to be accessible from DS without the need to pass through check point. Carry your passport and probably be ok. Oh and a face mask as Makro not allow without. Really interesting to know where the boundary for Pattaya is.

Looks possible, although, for me, it will mean taking a diversion via either Soi Siam Country Club or via Chaiyaphreuk.  Could be worse.

[spidermike007]

1 hour ago, Traubert said:

There is/was never going to be any such thing.

 

Zombies are a figment of Hollywood's imagination.

 

What we have is a respiratory disease that gets one in 120,000 people.  Mainly elderly.

 

Sorry!

It is an expression. I believe what you said, and you believe it too. Two voices of reason. But, it seems millions are willing to buy into the apocalypse scenario. 

[Dart12]

40 minutes ago, Kerryd said:

The law office I deal with sent out a message and had a new map of the closed off area:


According to this map, all roads from the Darkside into Pattaya will be closed (or have checkpoints). Not sure where they got their map from.

I just came back from a trip to Villa Market at the Little Walk plaza. Police had a checkpoint on the bypass road just before soi Khao Noi, but they never even looked at me. Pulled over a crappy pick-up in front of me, there was another vehicle and a couple of motos pulled over on the side of the road as well.

Couldn't tell what they were looking for, but there wasn't a checkpoint at the Siam Country Club or Nern Plurb Wan crossings, and the one I went through was a hundred meters or so before the Khao Noi intersection.

The lawyer notes that if you cross a checkpoint you need to have your passport (!!) with you as well as a Certificate of Residence (!!!!!!). One of her clients asked about that and she told him he could get one at Jomtien Immigration !!!!!

Which he'd have to go through a checkpoint to get to !!!

(I've asked her what a "SRP juristic house person" is. Maybe the village pooyai ban ?)

 

I thought this does not start until Thursday at 2 pm?

When did this turn into a 24 hour curfew?  I have not read that anywhere. 
Just a lockdown of city with 10pm to 4am curfew.

should a tourist stuck here be leaving for Bangkok today while still possible?

 

[Kerryd]

5 minutes ago, Dart12 said:

I thought this does not start until Thursday at 2 pm?

When did this turn into a 24 hour curfew?  I have not read that anywhere. 
Just a lockdown of city with 10pm to 4am curfew.

should a tourist stuck here be leaving for Bangkok today while still possible?
 

On the map it just says that it starts on Thursday (tomorrow) but not at what time.

Leaving Pattaya shouldn't be a problem. They are restricting people trying to come into Pattaya, not leave it.

The g/f is on her way to Suvarnabhumi (from Sa Kaeo) this afternoon. Thailand has stopped people from arriving, but is allowing empty flights in to pick people up and take them somewhere else.
Qatar Air is still flying out of Bangkok almost everyday it seems, though I imagine most of their flights must be near empty by now.

[jacko45k]

4 hours ago, digbeth said:

residents should have ID showing Banglamung address

Banglamung is a very large area reaching Laem Chabang, Nong Nooch and Rayong border.

[Kerryd]

Just went to Siamburi (on soi Khao Talo just after it makes the big bend - https://www.google.co.th/maps/place/Siamburi’s/@12.9085321,100.9185268,18.71z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x310295b0c92ae163:0x7a4dd8606a3bfb38!8m2!3d12.9078288!4d100.919067?hl=en)
Thought I'd check it out before the big lock down. VERY busy and they are having a hard time keeping the shelves stocked (but they are trying) ! They still have lots of frozen meats and pies and such in the freezers, though they are running low on their selection of cheese right now (or just haven't had the chance to restock those fridges yet).

 

[sucit]

Finally, some good news.