17 hours ago, DrTuner said:

Penny for his thoughts, a dollar for the MoPH data that actually shows "Probable" and "Asymptomatic" case count, I'll throw in five bucks for the test figures.

 

The question is what data is he going to base any decisions on.

Money.

1 minute ago, BobbyL said:

With currently 0.6 death per 1 million people (if there numbers are true) they cannot keep this lockdown for another 6 weeks. 

 

Italy and Spain to name a few countries are beginning to have people returning to work now. Thailand has to do the same from 1st May. 

 

Governments around the world, rightly or wrongly, are balancing economic issues with health issues. Keeping people locked down and causing massive economic and financial problems just isn't sustainable in our current world.

 

So many will now consider casualties as unfortunate but acceptable.

 

Same logic governments always apply and claim they see the bigger picture.

18 minutes ago, Surelynot said:

Bit of a knee jerk reaction.

Shirley knot

2 minutes ago, Almer said:

Shirley knot

Ha! My monica for The Independent

16 hours ago, Brigand said:

Many people in positions of privilege/power don't seem to realise just how much damage has, and is, being done. It's not going to keep, as many ordinary Thais are already at their wits end pawning everyday items for small bits of cash, people lined up outside gold shops etc. Give it two more weeks and people will be going properly nuts, even rioting. Most locals live day-to-day or month-to-month and as the work dries up and people get laid-off then it's going to go south big time. People are already throwing fits out of desperation.

 

Problem is, that so many locals are so in debt with cars/houses and luxury items (even small ones like phones that they pay monthly) that they can't really afford and the slightest hiccup and they have to default as so few have room to maneuver. On top of this the shambles that the government handout has been and how slow they are doing it is just crazy ... and by the time they get the next batch of people ready for payment then the first lot will have run out of money and want more. Maybe they should use some of that mountain of foreign reserves they are sitting on.

 

Dark days are ahead for many Thais as it will take a very long time to get things back to even half of what it was as so much here is dependent on tourism/hospitality and manufacturing. There will be no choice other than to let people get on with it soon, virus or no virus ... obviously social distancing, hand gel sanitizer and face masks are here to stay but they can't keep up the other Nazi stuff for that long. People have gotten too used to their lives and deal with shocks very badly plus hunger will make a criminal of anyone.

But what can the people who are on minimum salary of 350B/day save for a rainy day . I see hand sanitizer at 250 Baht. Bangkok and the surrounding Provinces are in a fortunate position that the water supply is Chlorinated this keeps bacteria at bay. Shower, wash clothes. clean the floor and surfaces were food is prepared and your home and dry everything sanitized .The water is also 100% drinkable, its clear of all water born bacteria and full of vitamins unlike the water from the machines which is purified through reverse osmosis and vitamins are nutralized, their isn't any. and vitamins are all part of a good body immune system. Children should not drink it as an everyday drink.

51 minutes ago, Almer said:

Or, as a 71 year old wise non knee jerk person i would Quarantine the brain dead of which you would find many on this forum.

 

46 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

You are making sense, but you cannot have people locked down just because they are over 70, a lot of over 70s are still in good health through living a good lifestyle, and could give some people half their age a run for their money.

 

Thinking about it more... how about the governments 'advise' the over 70's and people with pre existing conditions to self isolate?

 

So, they are not forced into it, but have to sign a form to say they understand the dangers if they don't.  

Those who experienced the Phuket disaster fail to remember history.  What we are now seeing is the water being drawn out to sea at the edge of an oncoming tsunami as the world leaders play on the global beach happily making sand castles out of human misery.

This is being referred to as a Social Bomb:
"The Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warned that riots could be imminent in low-income neighborhoods as extreme wealth inequality has left households unprepared and without a cash buffer to weather the economic downturn." 

As we use to say in the military when those around us failed to understand the gravity of a dangerous situation: "Stand-by."

19 hours ago, Surelynot said:

Of course! Couldn't say "constantly under review". Now whatever happens we are all stuck until May.

stuck?

1 minute ago, connda said:

Those who experienced the Phuket disaster fail to remember history.  What we are now seeing is the water being drawn out to sea at the edge of an oncoming tsunami as the world leaders play on the global beach happily making sand castles out of human misery.

This is being referred to as a Social Bomb:
"The Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warned that riots could be imminent in low-income neighborhoods as extreme wealth inequality has left households unprepared and without a cash buffer to weather the economic downturn." 

As we use to say in the military when those around us failed to understand the gravity of a dangerous situation: "Stand-by."

The citizen in Lansing, Michigan are the bleeding edge of what is coming....

https://www.newsweek.com/residents-gridlock-michigan-streets-protest-governor-whitmers-coronavirus-lockdown-measures-1498112

 

 

 

Just now, GlassWayOverHalfFull said:

stuck?

In lockdown, however, it seems the Governors have more power than I thought they had. So maybe not 'stuck' till May.

38 minutes ago, Surelynot said:

Ha! My monica for The Independent

555

2 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

No it's because of the lack of testing, which even the government admitted to saying that it was too expensive !! 100,000 tests only in 6+ weeks !! 

Of which at least 50k were in private hospitals and are not included in "Confirmed" even if tested positive. Only source of that figure seems to be a leaked MoPH document.

39 minutes ago, Percy P said:

But what can the people who are on minimum salary of 350B/day save for a rainy day . I see hand sanitizer at 250 Baht. Bangkok and the surrounding Provinces are in a fortunate position that the water supply is Chlorinated this keeps bacteria at bay. Shower, wash clothes. clean the floor and surfaces were food is prepared and your home and dry everything sanitized .The water is also 100% drinkable, its clear of all water born bacteria and full of vitamins unlike the water from the machines which is purified through reverse osmosis and vitamins are nutralized, their isn't any. and vitamins are all part of a good body immune system. Children should not drink it as an everyday drink.

What vitamins are in water

50 minutes ago, Percy P said:

full of vitamins unlike the water from the machines which is purified through reverse osmosis and vitamins are nutralized

what now ?

vitamins ? like which ones ?

A,B,C ....

 

you mean minerals, but I doubt they add magnesium or potassium

 

chlorine kills, yes, also your good intestinal bacteria, AKA YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

 

so does too much added sugar

 

5 hours ago, Jimbo2014 said:

So what have we achieved with this lockdown. 

Very little. The time should have been used to prepare for mass testing, contact tracing and procuring the necessary technology from f.ex. Korea. None of that has been done so the time that was bought with heavy hit to the economy has been for nothing. And you can blame face for that. Can't have them true infection numbers out.

20 minutes ago, Bender Rodriguez said:

chlorine kills, yes, also your good intestinal bacteria, AKA YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

Gut bacteria does play a role but it is not "the" immune system. That'd be the T-cells & co.

 

Not a good idea to ingest chlorine in amounts that are so high they start to raise the levels in the exhaust pipes.

8 hours ago, Georgie65 said:

Fair Warning!!! If I see any Chinese tour buses anytime soon in Pattaya, I will be calling a good friend of mine who works in US State Department back home in WAshington, DC. And I will let him, and the rest of the world know just how corrupt, incompetent and money hungry the Thai Government really is! #Americafirst2020

Your a horse of a man .

yeah, that's 57 million of a population of 67 million.

2 hours ago, BobbyL said:

With currently 0.6 death per 1 million people (if there numbers are true) they cannot keep this lockdown for another 6 weeks.

Anyway it seems they don't have enough money to pay another month

the 5000 bahts to 1 million people in need, so they are forced to let's open everything

the 1 may. even if we can already predict a lack of customers for a lot of business

particularly in the tourism sector

the contagion may resurge “if we lower our guard”.

 

Most likely not until the schools reopen, when millions of children will be at risk of becoming infected and passing on the virus to vulnerable elderly relatives in multi-generational households.

 

Not exactly a cheery prospect for those of us old enough to be grandfathers to our adopted families.

 

Let's hope the virus has tired of Thailand before then. Couldn't blame it, really, faced with a booze ban and a curfew!

 

There’s going to be a whole lot of Thais who are going to be in deep trouble financially. How long before the banks start recalling ?
Thats not counting the millions of Thailand’s poor who won’t know how to carry on. 

63 million workers???…even the Priminister cant get figures correct...he should strike up a relationship with Ms Abbott

14 minutes ago, geisha said:

There’s going to be a whole lot of Thais who are going to be in deep trouble financially. How long before the banks start recalling ?
Thats not counting the millions of Thailand’s poor who won’t know how to carry on. 

Thailand is not in big trouble for the moment because most of the population

is in rural areas, where they are used to live with very little money or none.

They can also find free food by themselves in the nature.

 

Also and even if it's not very visible a lot of solidarities are at work

between friends, families, neighbours.

Temples and public local authorities give also some help, with food and shelter.

And some private helps, like restaurants giving free foods.

 

The problem could be more in the big cities like Bangkok or Pattaya

where a lot of people are used to have and to spend large amount of money

(And sometimes ''easy'' money, legal or not)

 

This is why more restrictions like the alcool ban or the curfew are specifically enforced

in these areas. (And probably more police and army forces are ''ready to go'' and already

located here)

14 minutes ago, kingofthemountain said:

Thailand is not in big trouble for the moment because most of the population

is in rural areas, where they are used to live with very little money or none.

They can also find free food by themselves in the nature.

 

Also and even if it's not very visible a lot of solidarities are at work

between friends, families, neighbours.

Temples and public local authorities give also some help, with food and shelter.

And some private helps, like restaurants giving free foods.

 

The problem could be more in the big cities like Bangkok or Pattaya

where a lot of people are used to have and to spend large amount of money

(And sometimes ''easy'' money, legal or not)

 

Tis is why more restrictions like the alcool ban or the curfew are specifically enforced

in these areas.

There are a lot of people in rural Thailand with monthly phone contracts and internet connections to name but one area where cash is required. kids use phones and internet for remote learning.

Many also have 'insurance' to pay monthly for their 'funeral fund' requires cash too

 

Where the offspring are working in the metropolis, many would be sending a little home to assist - now no more

 

Sure the rural folks can survive, but pay bills such as mentioned above, once the gold is hawked - unlikely, and sure to cause discomfort.

38 minutes ago, 473geo said:

There are a lot of people in rural Thailand with monthly phone contracts and internet connections to name but one area where cash is required. kids use phones and internet for remote learning.

Many also have 'insurance' to pay monthly for their 'funeral fund' requires cash too

 

Where the offspring are working in the metropolis, many would be sending a little home to assist - now no more

 

Sure the rural folks can survive, but pay bills such as mentioned above, once the gold is hawked - unlikely, and sure to cause discomfort.

You are right about the phone and internet bills

however it's less than 1000 bahts\month, not a big deal if the actual situation

not run for 5 or 6 months.

The monthly insurance is also a very little amount of money, most of the thais can manage it

during few months.

It's more a problem for the usual news big cars or houses with a huge credit.

1 hour ago, kingofthemountain said:

You are right about the phone and internet bills

however it's less than 1000 bahts\month, not a big deal if the actual situation

not run for 5 or 6 months.

The monthly insurance is also a very little amount of money, most of the thais can manage it

during few months.

It's more a problem for the usual news big cars or houses with a huge credit.

In our family 3 phones, satellite internet 1000 a month would be lovely, sadly not the case

9 minutes ago, 473geo said:

In our family 3 phones, satellite internet 1000 a month would be lovely, sadly not the case

''Hi so'' family lol

when i was in the small village in the north

family 3 persons, 2 phones with 50 bahts credits DTAC inside

for phone calls and internet wifi in house for everyone (Including the neighbours lol)

TOT 590 bahts/ month

of course when money is not a problem you can be large, and i am sure you are

but we are talking about Thai people with very little money in special rough times

then i just write another way is possible before being strangled finiancially

maybe time for some people to think about the real priorities

23 hours ago, Brigand said:

People have gotten too used to their lives and deal with shocks very badly plus hunger will make a criminal of anyone.

I just heard cops were out here in the moo ban this afternoon. One neighbor was screaming at another for rice to sell because he's broke. Ya ba is suspected to have been involved.

Seems both Trump and Prayut have set "let's wrap up the virus" dates for the end of the month. Huh? Just awhile ago I was hearing "no end in sight" and "a vaccine could be a year away". I guess they know something we don't? Have they been on the phone with each other?

We are entering the final phase and its been discussed globally

" let the old die" and let the rest of the world get back to life again.

Makes perfect sense