Pattaya: New lockdown to begin Thursday, new travel requirements for foreigners, restrictions to be eased on some businesses

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Pattaya: New lockdown to begin Thursday, new travel requirements for foreigners, restrictions to be eased on some businesses

 

Image: PR Pattaya

 

Thai media reported that Pattaya's lock down - version #2 after a dismal failure last week - will finally begin on Thursday at 6 am.

 

Today (Wednesday) will see what 77 Koaded described as a ‘soft’ lockdown.

 

Exactly who can go where and what documentation they need is being put to the test at eight checkpoints on Wednesday before being rolled out on Thursday.

 

People travelling in and out of the city will need a special certificate granting them permission to travel. The certificate can be obtained from any 7-Eleven store in Pattaya or online at https://www.pattaya.go.th/permission-certificate/ where both Thai and English language versions are available.

 

People who rent either a house or a condo in Pattaya and need to enter the city centre also need to show a copy of the ID of their landlord and their contact details.

 

In addition to presenting the completed certificate, foreigners who need to travel into Pattaya to work need to also supply a copy of their passport and work permit. 

 

 

The new lockdown will see a total of eight checkpoints set up at various points throughout the city:

 

1. At Maryvit School
2. Mini Siam
3. North Pattaya Intersection
4. Central Pattaya Intersection
5. South Pattaya Intersection
6. Thepprasit Intersection
7. Wat Bunkanchanaran Intersection
8. Intersection at Public Prosecution office

 

Each of the checkpoints will be manned by 27 people. People passing through the checkpoints will have their documentation checked and temperatures taken.

 

The checkpoints will operate from 6am until 10pm and will be in place until the COVID-19 situation in the city improves. 

 

Meanwhile on Wednesday, Pattaya mayor Sonthaya Khunpluem reiterated that most people infected with COVID-19 in Pattaya are either foreign nationals or Thais who came into close proximity with foreigners due to their work.

 

Thai news site Manager said that there are 2,800 tourists still in Pattaya. They are staying at 160 different hotels.

 

Many will be using a new app online on their phones to monitor their own health.

 

A field hospital may be set up at a large hotel that can cater to hundreds of patients.

 

Thai media has referred to Pattaya as the yolk of the egg - an analogy about it being a center of the virus.

 

Also on Wednesday, a Covid-19 meeting chaired by Chonburi governor Pakharathorn Thienchai and attended by other leading public figures in Pattaya decided on an adjustment to the measures about the use of certain shops during the pandemic.

 

Mobile phone repair shops will now be allowed to open along with building supply shops and electrical goods stores.

 

These were deemed to be important items the public needed.

 

But the Koh Loi bridge in Si Racha has been ordered shut until the situation improves.

 

 

*Update 16 April:

 

Thaivisa received the following report regarding documentation needed to pass through the checkpoints:

If someone is a Banglamung resident they do not need to fill out any permission certificate. Thai people just need to use lane 4 and show their Thai ID card with their address. Farangs need to show passport and address ID, ie Thai driving licence. Preferably these ID's should be copied and resized on A4 size paper. My wife and I went through checkpoint 7 today no problem at all to go shopping at Macro.

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-04-15

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

 

[darksidedog]

A whole lot more information would be helpful here. I have just come along Sukumvit from 36 to the top of Klang. Access to Banglamung hospital if coming from the north is a non starter, as the right turn and all U-turns have been closed. Are we going to be able to go south, do a U-turn and use Makro, Big C etc?

My landlord is stuck in Belgium, so I have no way to contact him for a copy of his ID. What happens about that?

Seems to be very poorly thought through, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised about that.

[ThreeEyedRaven]

We should all be praying that the trial run is a similar disaster to the laughable effort last week and they give up the stupid idea for good.

I am not aware of any new cases in Pattaya since the last debacle to shut the city down, so seems a bit late anyway.

It would be very useful for the authorities to actually tell us clearly where we will and will not be able to go without mega drama.

[Puchaiyank]

"People travelling in and out of the city will need a special certificate granting them permission to travel." 

 

Did Immigration write these requirements?

[WineOh]

22 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Meanwhile on Wednesday, Pattaya mayor Sonthaya Khunpluem reiterated that most people infected with COVID-19 in Pattaya are either foreign nationals or Thais who came into close proximity with foreigners due to their work.

Every single time.

Can't miss on opportunity to remind everyone of the current smear campaign against foreigners taking place.

Don't get complacent now lads, wouldn't wanna let your Chinese buddies down!

 

 

Edited April 15, 2020 by Liverpoolfan

[Hallib]

I was planing to move to Pattaya when my rental contract ends May 1st from Hua Hin, I just hope to be able to enter the city to prospect some property to rent. But I can not get an answer from the authority if I can move on May 1st.

[bluesofa]

21 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

People travelling in and out of the city will need a special certificate granting them permission to travel. The certificate can be obtained from any 7-Eleven store in Pattaya or online

So if you're not online or perhaps only have a stupidphone, rather than a smartphone, doesn't the idea of a certificate from 7-Eleven appear to be a Catch 22 situation?

[PatOngo]

30 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Meanwhile on Wednesday, Pattaya mayor Sonthaya Khunpluem reiterated that most people infected with COVID-19 in Pattaya are either foreign nationals or Thais who came into close proximity with foreigners due to their work.

If bu!!$hit was music, this clown would be a marching band!

[WalkingOrders]

Checkpoints 7-11 blah blah blah...retirees can't move I guess....glad I am in Bangkok... Pattaya starting to sound like crazy town.

[Wiggy]

28 minutes ago, ThreeEyedRaven said:

We should all be praying that the trial run is a similar disaster to the laughable effort last week and they give up the stupid idea for good.

I am not aware of any new cases in Pattaya since the last debacle to shut the city down, so seems a bit late anyway.

It would be very useful for the authorities to actually tell us clearly where we will and will not be able to go without mega drama.

If prayers work then ask for all this virus stuff to go away and save a us all a lot of trouble. 

[actonion]

As of this morning my wife travelled from East Pattaya to Second Road North Pattaya  and didnt see a road block or any police....

[lopburi3]

6 minutes ago, actonion said:

As of this morning my wife travelled from East Pattaya to Second Road North Pattaya  and didnt see a road block or any police....

Quote

will finally begin on Thursday at 6 am.

 

[ThomasThBKK]

32 minutes ago, Liverpoolfan said:

Every single time.

Can't miss on opportunity to remind everyone of the current smear campaign against foreigners taking place.

Don't get complacent now lads, wouldn't wanna let your Chinese buddies down!

 

 

Imagine we pull this <deleted> in germany, uk or usa... we would be called Nazis within 5 minutes, rightly so.

 

Braindead asia can do what they want tho, it seems.

[scubascuba3]

No police at the checkpoints on Sukhumvit about 30 mins ago.

 

and Pattaya "yolk of an egg" cheek of that, Bangkok has got far more cases

[WineOh]

11 minutes ago, ThomasThBKK said:

Imagine we pull this <deleted> in germany, uk or usa... we would be called Nazis within 5 minutes, rightly so.

 

Braindead asia can do what they want tho, it seems.

Seems that way mate.

God knows why.

The UN should at the very least call them out on their actions.

Wont hold me breath though like.

[KhunBENQ]

It begins on Monday...

It begins on Tuesday...

It begins on Wednesday...

It begins on Thursday...

 

Wednesday and Thursday headline on same new content list

[graemeaylward]

1 hour ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Each of the checkpoints will be manned by 27 people.

That makes a total of 216 people in total!  Are they all volunteers, or has a pot of money been released to pay for this?  Clearly the best time to travel will be between 4:00 a.m. end of curfew, until they start manning checkpoints at 6:00 a.m.!!! ????

[JoePai]

1 hour ago, darksidedog said:

A whole lot more information would be helpful here. I have just come along Sukumvit from 36 to the top of Klang. Access to Banglamung hospital if coming from the north is a non starter, as the right turn and all U-turns have been closed. Are we going to be able to go south, do a U-turn and use Makro, Big C etc?

My landlord is stuck in Belgium, so I have no way to contact him for a copy of his ID. What happens about that?

Seems to be very poorly thought through, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised about that.

Do you not have a copy of his Passport attached to your Rental Agreement ?

[jmccarty]

But the Koh Loi bridge in Si Racha has been ordered shut until the situation improves?

[JoePai]

1 hour ago, Hallib said:

I was planing to move to Pattaya when my rental contract ends May 1st from Hua Hin, I just hope to be able to enter the city to prospect some property to rent. But I can not get an answer from the authority if I can move on May 1st.

Best stay where you are and move after things are back to normal

[overherebc]

1 hour ago, Wiggy said:

If prayers work then ask for all this virus stuff to go away and save a us all a lot of trouble. 

Throw in the lottery numbers as well eh!! ????

[petermik]

7 hours ago, JoePai said:

Best stay where you are and move after things are back to normal

He might be dead in 3 years time..........

[Jingthing]

27 minutes ago, JoePai said:

Best stay where you are and move after things are back to normal

In two years 

[marko kok prong]

So new lockdown number 249 begins.

[Jingthing]

Does the Thai version blame this on foreigners or farangs? It sounds like they are still play acting that there isn't community infection going on. Regardless of these questionable roadblocks it's not comforting to hear this kind of rhetoric that doesn't seem to reflect the current reality. To combat a problem a first step is transparency about the problem. On the other hand if the main goal is political cover then carry on. 

 

It's not wrong per se to say the virus first entered Thailand from Chinese visitors and later came in also from visitors and returning Thais and other nationalities from China, other parts of Asia, Europe, and North America. 

 

But this situation has been smelling of specifically irrational anti farang xenophobia for quite a while now. Not good. Yes the virus is scary but being scapegoated isn't a tea party either. 

Edited April 15, 2020 by Jingthing

[Kerryd]

The last infection (that I've heard of) was the Russian who died on 5 April.

According to the covid tracker (which doesn't mention that one) all of the other cases in the Pattaya area are nearly 3 weeks old and most of those aren't actual infections but warnings about people who might have been in the same place (like a massage parlour) at the same time as someone who was suspected of being infected was thought to have been.
One of those "cases" seems to be 5 Thai women (who worked as Masseuses) who all travelled on the same bus.

https://covidtracker.5lab.co/en

As noted in another thread, just a few days ago the stated purpose of the lock down was to keep foreign and domestic tourists OUT of the city:
"This is not a lock-down, according to Pattaya City Police, it is a further scrutiny of the area with the MAIN intention being to stop non residents and tourists, both foreign and domestic, from entering the city. "

That was just 7 days ago. https://thepattayanews.com/2020/04/08/pattaya-city-begins-restricted-closure-tomorrow-here-is-a-detailed-explanation-of-what-is-happening/

[Gandtee]

1 hour ago, lopburi3 said:

 

With a test run Wed, at 3pm I believe. Standby!

[Mattd]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Does the Thai version blame this on foreigners or farangs? It sounds like they are still play acting that there isn't community infection going on

 

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

It's not wrong per se to say the virus first entered Thailand from Chinese visitors and later came in also from visitors and returning Thais and other nationalities from China, other parts of Asia, Europe, and North America. 

My son says that most of the gossip on social media squarely puts the blame on to America, quite why he cannot explain, certainly nothing to do with China as far as the social media sites he frequents.

[RichardColeman]

I guess those living here illegally currently are not enjoying travelling around the country !

[Justgrazing]

4 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

 

Meanwhile on Wednesday, Pattaya mayor Sonthaya Khunpluem reiterated that most people infected with COVID-19 in Pattaya are either foreign nationals or Thais who came into close proximity with foreigners due to their work

Love the meanwhile bit at the start .. And are the Thai's coming into close proximity to foreigners the one's who go to S K , U A E etc to pull shandies for the locals ..