British man would rather be stuck in Thailand during coronavirus pandemic

[from the home of CC]

looking at the info rolling out of the UK I don't blame him a bit..

[daveAustin]

Quote

“We hear on the news back in England that people are still out and about and going to beaches, it looks utterly chaotic,” Paul Whittall said. “Without a doubt I would rather stay here; it might be draconian but people are calm, there are significantly more measures in place.

What measures? And, sadly, to the huge hungry crowds gathering for handouts in Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai etc? Oftentimes donated by generous individuals (sometimes foreigners), read: not government. How are those measures? You've got your head in the clouds, buddy. Don't diss the UK for missing your flights... why were you even there at this time? Whatever. If when you get back you find orderly streets, bare roads, no lines for free food, empty beaches and parks, and having your life saved in a spotless hospital by caring doctors and nurses, I hope you report back with a big dose of humble pie!

[mrfill]

15 minutes ago, Andycoops said:

You forgot the 6 hour time difference. 

And you forgot that since March 30th, it is 7 hours difference.

[swerve]

The UK is still trying to figure out what masks are for.  No border restrictions.  They are unable to help themselves.  UK media saying it's like a bad flu year.  Lack of medical basic PPE when they knew about the danger months ago.  Super glad I am not there.  

[natway09]

Cannuck1966,,, sorry mate, but your brain is scrambled & he is not the moron

The Thai health care system has a much better handle on all this than in the UK where it is

all overstretched & in some areas broken down.

Testing at this stage means nothing.

Take a look at some death figures in the UK, if you really think Thailand has had over 800 deaths in a day attributable to the virus then you are alluding yourself.    You go, i will stay

 

[tribalfusion001]

33 minutes ago, mrfill said:

And you forgot that since March 30th, it is 7 hours difference.

It was 7 hours, but now it's 6 hours, GMT to BST.

[shy coconut]

5 hours ago, Canuck1966 said:

What a moron! There is no chaos in the uk and just as many deaths in Thailand from Chinese flu!

How many?

[shy coconut]

4 hours ago, daveAustin said:

What a load of bollllox. These types of posts from nationals when they don't know the score get my back up. You'll always get the odd numpty that flouts the rules, but it is not utter chaos. Everywhere is dead. London is a ghost town. People are calm. The 'chaotic' scenes one might read in the tabloids is sensationalist tripe. Pattaya is chaos. Bangkok immigration is/was chaos. While I often think I'd prefer to be stuck there, I know where I'd rather be if the sh!t hits the fan and I need to go to hospital. Democratic society or one run by an army with an agenda...

Don't give up your day job, idiot.

Good job the info we get here isn't hysterical nonsense, particularly from the

Jaded/burned expats who have nothing positive to say about anything.

Edited April 22, 2020 by shy coconut
Spelling

[CG1 Blue]

2 hours ago, Yinn said:

No. More die everyday in U.K. than Thailand.

UK hospitals full, doctor have no PPE, is a big problem.

safer in Thailand. Sure.

 

 

UK care home staff 'at breaking point' as coronavirus cases rise

Care workers and homes report insufficient PPE and lack of clear government guidance

Link,..

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/mar/31/uk-care-home-staff-at-breaking-point-as-coronavirus-cases-rise

 

Data collected by the NCF, which represents not-for-profit adult social care providers, suggests 4,040 people may have died from Covid-19 in residential and nursing homes up to 13 April but are yet to be included in official figures.

 

It said that in the week from 7-13 April there were 299 deaths linked to the coronavirus, three times more than in the previous week and double the number in the whole of the previous month.

Link..

 

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/apr/19/care-homes-body-says-4000-residents-may-died-have-from-coronavirus

 

His government was pursuing a strategy that rested, at least in part, on the idea of shielding the most vulnerable members of the British public from infection while allowing a large percentage of others to catch the virus. The hope was that most of these people would experience relatively mild symptoms, recover, and wind up immune, stopping the virus's further transmission.
 

https://fortune.com/2020/04/06/uk-boris-johnson-coronavirus-icu-herd-immunity/

 

The Festival opened on 10 March with at least 60,000 racegoers in attendance each afternoon, while 68,500 were at the track to see the Cheltenham Gold Cup on 13 March – four days before Boris Johnson announced extensive UK-wide lockdown measures.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/apr/02/cheltenham-faces-criticism-after-racegoers-suffer-covid-19-symptoms

 

 

In a significant U-turn, PHE advised frontline staff to wear a flimsy plastic apron with coveralls when gowns ran out, in a move that doctors and nurses fear may lead to more of them contracting the virus and ultimately putting lives at risk. 

Link..

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/17/nhs-staff-to-be-asked-to-treat-coronavirus-patients-without-gownsP

 

 

 

 

Yinn, with respect, you are reading the UK press which likes to exaggerate everything to make a big story. Please don't fall for everything you read in the British media. Reporters are all desperately hungry to make a name for themselves, and so they look for negative stories every day. Most of the general public are sick of the negativity from news reporters. 

I am currently living in the UK, and I can tell you it's not that bad. The virus numbers are higher than Thailand, but we are seeing the numbers flatten now. We have been lucky with sunny weather during lockdown, and most people I hear about on social media are enjoying spending time with families, working in the house and garden, and generally feeling positive about the future. 

The UK government have been changing and adapting policy in accordance with advice from their medical and scientific experts. The media like to criticise the government using terms like U-turn. Up to them...

Hospitals are definitely not full. We have several temporary hospitals that have been constructed to handle extra Covid 19 patients IF necessary. 

Yes, PPE has been handled badly. I believe the NHS and government are trying their best to resolve the PPE shortage - I mean why wouldn't they try their best? But once the Covid 19 pandemic is over we should investigate what went wrong with PPE. 

 

I am satisfied the UK government is doing everything it can to contain the virus and protect the public. The UK has not faced a pandemic in our lifetime, so how can we expect to get everything right?

The Covid 19 numbers are improving, and I think lockdown will gradually be relaxed over the next few weeks. 

To be honest I would be just as happy being locked down in Thailand, because I love being in Thailand. But I am also quite happy being in the UK. 

 

[Yinn]

38 minutes ago, CG1 Blue said:

Yinn, with respect, you are reading the UK press which likes to exaggerate everything to make a big story. Please don't fall for everything you read in the British media. Reporters are all desperately hungry to make a name for themselves, and so they look for negative stories every day. Most of the general public are sick of the negativity from news reporters. 

I am currently living in the UK, and I can tell you it's not that bad. The virus numbers are higher than Thailand, but we are seeing the numbers flatten now. We have been lucky with sunny weather during lockdown, and most people I hear about on social media are enjoying spending time with families, working in the house and garden, and generally feeling positive about the future. 

The UK government have been changing and adapting policy in accordance with advice from their medical and scientific experts. The media like to criticise the government using terms like U-turn. Up to them...

Hospitals are definitely not full. We have several temporary hospitals that have been constructed to handle extra Covid 19 patients IF necessary. 

Yes, PPE has been handled badly. I believe the NHS and government are trying their best to resolve the PPE shortage - I mean why wouldn't they try their best? But once the Covid 19 pandemic is over we should investigate what went wrong with PPE. 

 

I am satisfied the UK government is doing everything it can to contain the virus and protect the public. The UK has not faced a pandemic in our lifetime, so how can we expect to get everything right?

The Covid 19 numbers are improving, and I think lockdown will gradually be relaxed over the next few weeks. 

To be honest I would be just as happy being locked down in Thailand, because I love being in Thailand. But I am also quite happy being in the UK. 

 

Is true that they not take old people to hospital, leave in old care home? And they die?

[EricTh]

8 hours ago, AndyAndyAndy said:

I was in Europe in March. And fly to Thailand at 12:00. At midnight, literally 12 hours later, they closed the borders. And are closed to this day.

 

I wasn't in Europe for 5 years. And I booked that ticket 3 months in advance. What are a chances of that?!!! Extremely lucky.

I thought there was a 14 day quarantee a few days before they closed the borders or did I remember it wrongly?

Edited April 22, 2020 by EricTh

[Letseng]

6 hours ago, Canuck1966 said:

What a moron! There is no chaos in the uk and just as many deaths in Thailand from Chinese flu!

You wish that was the case. Some 17thou deaths in the UK don't give the impression of much testing and control over Covid 19.

[CG1 Blue]

59 minutes ago, Yinn said:

Is true that they not take old people to hospital, leave in old care home? And they die?

That is not government policy. Some hospitals are advising care homes to not send very old people with Covid 19 to the hospital.  I read that in many care homes the residents can sign a form to say they don't want to go to hospital with Covid 19. Here is a quote from a 97 year old lady, Elizabth Diacon:

 

Asked whether she felt she had been pressured into signing the form Ms Diacon told the BBC: "You didn't have to - you were asked if you would sign it, to agree.

'And I thought I would rather be ill here than go to hospital. Our local hospital is much overworked and it has the virus there.

'I'm not afraid of dying but i'm rather afraid of how I might die. I'd rather do it here than go to hospital."

 

Still it is sad. It's like they would give up trying to survive the virus, rather than go to hospital. 

[ramrod711]

6 hours ago, JCauto said:

Unless I'm mistaken, that's the choice the majority of TV readers will have made, no? It's certainly the choice I made although Canada is doing better than the UK. Still rather be here (Laos) than there. Certainly the point that I haven't experienced the health care system under COVID-19 is relevant, but that's kind of why I'm here; so that I don't. To my astonishment, I've discovered that the Lao people are more disciplined than Canadians!

I agree, I registered for ROCA (registry of Canadians Abroad). They send me emails urging me to return to Canada and even showing available flights, routes and times.

I have no interest in going, 2 week quarantine for starters. I'm happy that they are quarantining arrivals because I have family there, I just don't want to be part of it.

[ancharee]

6 hours ago, Ranshoko said:

Insulting post. Expats live here for many reasons. Many quietly to escape from a previous unhappy life. They are not all Bargirl chasing alcoholic trouble making misfits. The Cheap Charlie reference is usually made from the I'm alright Jack @@@@ you brigade. Any Expat living here has to meet the financial requirements. Smug people should remember that circumstances can change very quickly in Thailand

Smug would be a understatement for this knob,

[jadee]

Like the guy in the original article, I'm British and would rather be here than back in the UK - i'm just hesitant to believe that the Thai government is really testing that many people so I don't think the official numbers are correct. I do, however, believe that Thailand took preventative measures earlier than the UK (early Feb) and people are better here at social distancing and wearing masks (although I still see some Thais packed into song tows and vans lol).

We Brits are culturally averse to wearing masks - I really hated having to wear one initially, but now I quite like it and think it looks cool (I have a black one). Thais don't seem to have the same hang-ups about wearing masks so it's tempting to believe there have been fewer deaths here than the UK but I'll concede I don't really know. Most covid deaths seem to be a follow-on infection of pneumonia - so that's probably all that gets recorded on the death certificate - they aren't tested for covid. 

[Blumpie]

At this point I'd rather be in Thailand too.  If things start to get really bad, then I'd rather not be in thailand.  

It's really hard to say what will happen, but such is life.  Hindsight is always 20/20.  If I was there would I want to go back to my home country?  Nope.  

Enjoy the food, relax, this will end one day everyone.  

[3NUMBAS]

wonder if his insurance cover covid if he has any insurance .prolly not as its not possible to get cover for covid on a  travel insurance ..many brits have ended up in hospital fighting for their lives and no cover in los so out with the online begging bowl

[473geo]

https://www.facebook.com/barnsleyhospital/

 

This small provincial hospital with a big heart has treated over 100 CV patients now well enough to go home and recover

 

A local firm is making 25,000 PPE visors

 

Not all doom and gloom unless one reads the tabloids and supports their relentless search to produce headlines to shock!!

[lamyai3]

12 hours ago, webfact said:

Weymouth man would rather be stuck in Thailand during coronavirus pandemic

Yes it's probably better being stuck in Thailand than stuck in England, as long as you have comfortable living quarters. But the rest of his argument makes no sense at all. 

[Janner1]

7 hours ago, Dene16 said:

am in the UK. People are out and about no masks whatsoever (maybe 5% at most)  I know a number of people at the hospital including nurses and admin staff who inform me that the social distancing is virtually useless if people are not wearing a mask (people standing outside shops in queues 150 metres long  where even a slight wind blowing  will send any virus half the length of the queue . Masks are there to protect others from you, therefore all have to wear one in  order for it be of use.

If infected, by the time you realise it, you will have infected multiple other people simply because you are not wearing a mask. When these imbeciles have infected their parents, grandparents etc (high risk of death) maybe they will have a different outlook.

If everyone were to wear a mask the virus cannot spread buts its everyone or nothing

If you look at the countries that already were prevalent in the wearing of masks and therefore the population immediately used masks on a virtual 100% basis their death rate and exposure were minute in relation to other countries

The scientific evidence is thus. If a Covid19 positive Person is wearing a mask and coughs inside it, it decreases the potential to spread the virus because the mask can stop it, but if the same person is not wearing a mask and coughs but you are wearing one your chances of contracting covid19 is NOT diminished because whilst the mask can stop the virus escaping For a time it will not stop the reverse action.

Please don’t ask me why as I am not a scientist I am merely passing on information that has been published before and was again yesterday.

So the moral here is wear a mask if you want to but don’t put all your trust in it.

[roo860]

12 hours ago, topt said:

I was going to query this - if the airline cancels don't they have to provide an alternative, refund or credit?

Also £1500 is a lot for a one way flight - presuming he has already had the outward leg?

 

Not sure where you are but in Pattaya the DIY stores are open - certainly Home Pro as I have just been in one. 

I returned to the UK last Sunday, original flight with Emirates cancelled, refunded. Then booked with Cathay Pacific, cancelled and refunded. Finally returned with KLM, excellent airline, quite errie walking through departure in Suvanaphum, all shops closed.

 

Edited April 22, 2020 by roo860

[richard_smith237]

3 hours ago, Janner1 said:

The scientific evidence is thus. If a Covid19 positive Person is wearing a mask and coughs inside it, it decreases the potential to spread the virus because the mask can stop it, but if the same person is not wearing a mask and coughs but you are wearing one your chances of contracting covid19 is NOT diminished because whilst the mask can stop the virus escaping For a time it will not stop the reverse action.

Please don’t ask me why as I am not a scientist I am merely passing on information that has been published before and was again yesterday.

So the moral here is wear a mask if you want to but don’t put all your trust in it.

 

That exactly as I understand it. I’ve had discussions with Medical Experts in the UK who have varied opinions on wearing masks. 

 

Let's start with the initial comment about the ‘2m spacing in a supermarket queue’ and a Covid-19 carrier (who may also be asymptotic and not know) sneezes while upwind of everyone - the potential for viral spread is reduced if he is wearing a mask. Not irradiated, just reduced. If the same person is not wearing a mask the risk of spread is greater than if he were wearing a mask. 

 

I believe wearing a mask may also offer a degree of protection for the wearer, but not an assurance of protection. If some aerosol (to which a the virus is attached) is floating downwind, yes it can get on your hands, in your eyes or be breathed in through the gap in your mask, but it may also be filtered out by the mask. 

 

Of course, there are also elevated risks associated with the wearing or masks. The issue is not right and wrong, or black and white. People need to be educated in mask use, not to adjust the mask and constantly touching their face, not to re-use a mask, to dispose of a mask after one time use, not to wear a mask for more than a set time frame (i.e. 1-2 hours), to dispose of a mask correctly so no one else can come into contact with it etc. 

 

Many of the measures employed, hand washing, mask wearing, social distancing, quarantine measures all involve not the eradication of risk, but the reduction of risk such that in aggregate the risk of spread is below a minimum threshold to prevent or at least minimise exponential and uncontrollable infection rates. 

 

So, Yes, as you pointed out. Wear a mask if you want, don’t put all your trust in it.

I’ll add, if everyone wears a mask and does so properly there will be a ‘herd contribution’ to the speed at which the rate of infection is reduced. 

 

If we speed up the reduction infection rates the sooner we can strategically relax quarantine and re-boot the world. 

 

Upon re-booting the world it will be a different world. Until vaccines are readily available the ‘high-risk’ groups will need to continue to isolate, while the low risk continue working. 

By then I suspect the high risk groups will be able to make their own minds up about isolation. 

 

What does worry me is the high-risk kids, those with Asthma and other underlying respiratory illnesses and factors which place them in the high-risk group, how can (we) society protect them when schools have re-started (I hope some heartless tool doesn’t come along and mention darwinism as I’ve seen on other threads).

 

 

 

 

 

[Stargeezr]

If you are in the USA and in the protests, where no idiot is wearing a mask, as some of them

think that the virus is a hoax. They will be why the US has not seen its peak yet of even

the first wave. Thanks to Trump and his refusal to wear a mask as it will hide his face.

  I cannot expect his followers to be as smart as that stable genious, who seems to be able

to walk on water at least in the eyes of the followers. In Asia the first wave has passed

and it seems that the numbers have stayed low. Good luck to you all and enjoy the

hot season. Maybe by Fall the airplanes will fly again, and a few brave souls will travel

again.  I will not be travelling for 2 years.

Geezer

[fastplus]

Stay in thailand during the corona crisis?

Here is the truth (video) of what some Thais think of us. Administrator of the facebook page Spotlight Thailand2 and his words about tourists ,he called for attacks on white tourists because of masks and covid-19 :  

https://streamable.com/jckp6l?fbclid=IwAR2U_DrAq-30SvZFoU5g_p2BAle0FA3VyyMCJ8dRZPBpB9cqzzCIgQFtON8

:  

 

[OnTheGround]

9 minutes ago, fastplus said:

Stay in thailand during the corona crisis?

Here is the truth (video) of what some Thais think of us. Administrator of the facebook page Spotlight Thailand2 and his words about tourists ,he called for attacks on white tourists because of masks and covid-19 :  

https://streamable.com/jckp6l?fbclid=IwAR2U_DrAq-30SvZFoU5g_p2BAle0FA3VyyMCJ8dRZPBpB9cqzzCIgQFtON8

:  

 

 

 

[OnTheGround]

7 expat friends went home and regret it. I choose to stay in Thailand after 22 years living here, this is home for me.

Many of my friends flights was cancelled, no refund given while they was here. Some had 2 flights cancelled, one had 3 flights cancelled, and until he get refund or not, his flight going back home cost him all in 4000€ (incl previous cancellations).

 

My expat friends now realise it Sucks to be back home, and worse, they don't know if it will be possible to return this year.

I practice Stay home as much I can, every 3rd day go supermarket and out for a walk. Pattaya Soi Buakhao has many people, while beach road and second road are deserted.

Grab and Foodpanda are busy as never before, same are many old and new freelancers who now work from internet. No lack of food, girls, massage or alcohol if needed. Curfew at 10pm guarantee a good sleep.

I have confidence in the 2 best hospitals in Pattaya. My expat insurance has confirmed they cover covid-19.

 

If any in Thailand don't have covid-19 insurance, Ais have it available for purchase, cheap.

I'm not stuck in Thailand, I choose to stay here, and so far happy with my decision.

[RoyLee]

"Stranded" in Phuket town.  Except for having to wear a mask (which I think is a good idea), I am mostly unaffected by the lockdown. Can't imagine returning to Canada, with food lines and cops handing out $880+ tickets for breaking inane rules. 

[bodga]

16 hours ago, Dene16 said:

If everyone were to wear a mask the virus cannot spread

Because  having it  on your hands never  happens  does it? The  main transportation method.

Edited April 23, 2020 by bodga

[Dene16]

Just now, bodga said:

Because  having it  on your hands never  happens  right? The  main transportation method.

read the post correctly.

Always has to be some smart ass with a pointless  statement.

My point was obvious (but not for some) that the wearing of masks (if everyone was to wear one) will stop/slow the spread of the virus. All the people standing outside the shops are not shaking your hand, are they!

I don't dispute your statement but have also been told by numerous medical staff that you cannot wash your hands enough in a day to combat the virus (would have to be every 20 minutes was quoted to me) but anything is better than nothing

The fact that it is the main transportation method can also be argued. i quote

The virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly transmitted through droplets generated when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks. 

If someone then touches an infected surface, of course they then can then become infected

Its called stopping it at the root cause