Cha-am (and Hua Hin) lockdown status

[northerner]

Hello all,

 

I'll be moving to Cha-am in May and was wondering what the current situation is there (I haven't been for several months)

 

- Are most restaurants open and surviving on take-away business?

 

- Are the locals respecting social distancing/mask-wearing?

 

- Any predictions on how soon/if Cha-am will return to normal after restrictions are lifted?

 

Any input from those currently in Cha-am is much appreciated...

 

 

[Darkside Gray]

Is Cha-am still in Thailand or has it become another country. will be the same as the rest of Thailand!

[Psychic]

Chaam pretty much on full lockdown like everywhere else.

Restaurants, bars shut but quite a few restaurants offering take away.

Beach closed, no umbrella/chairs.

Saw a few Thais sitting eating around their cars.

The wife said that if a vacant tried it they end up paying a fine.

????

Other than that, yes wearing masks almost religiously observed.

 

As the poster above said...loosening will occur at the same time as everywhere else.

i wouldn't expect "normal" for quite a while.

Maybe distancing in restaurants but no bars (not a big thing in Chaam anyway).

Don't know how they'll address the weekend invasions from Bangkok going forward if they open the beach.

[TGIR]

NO <deleted> GOLF !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[HHTel]

I live in Hua Hin.  Mask wearing - YES, often under the chin.  Social distancing - forget it!  Hand sanitising - never seen a local take advantage of sanitisers available at the entrance of most stores.

 

Nearest infection - a couple of hundred kms away in BKK!

Prachuab, Petchaburi, Ratchaburi just to mention neighbours are virus free!

[BritManToo]

1 minute ago, HHTel said:

never seen a local take advantage of sanitisers available at the entrance of most stores.

Me neither, can you imagine all the dirty hands that have touched that sanitiser?

[NCC1701A]

22 hours ago, northerner said:

'll be moving to Cha-am

what do you mean moving? will you report to immigration with a new address? 

[baansgr]

10 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Me neither, can you imagine all the dirty hands that have touched that sanitiser?

Makro Pattaya are one step ahead...they have concocted a home made stand, sanitiser is tied with a shoe lace to a post and a pushrod attached to a foot pedal for pumping the sanitizer

[HHTel]

11 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Me neither, can you imagine all the dirty hands that have touched that sanitiser?

Why does that matter.  You use the sanitiser to clean your hands.  It doesn't matter one iota that there may be <deleted> on the bottle.

Some stores have a girl at the entrance to 'squirt' you. (no comments plse)

[The Theory]

When I lived in Cha Am I moved out in Jan) there was no "emergency" situation. How to find an eatable food was a big challenge for me everyday (unless you eat anything they sell as food). They run restaurant business but have no idea about how to cook. Perhaps seafood vendors will be one option, but not an everyday food.  
Cha Am food is absolutely nothing close to CM food (people too) Go figure, what it could be now at this time. 
Good luck 

only Makro was a life savor, locals prices way too high. 65 baht for a 6 pack of Sing water, CM 40 baht. 

Edited April 28, 2020 by The Theory

[HHTel]

4 minutes ago, The Theory said:

ha Am food is absolutely nothing close to CM food

Cha-Am population 20,000

Chang Mai population 127,000

I would say there are many more westerners in CM.

 

Can't compare.

[ThaidDown]

21 minutes ago, baansgr said:

Makro Pattaya are one step ahead...they have concocted a home made stand, sanitiser is tied with a shoe lace to a post and a pushrod attached to a foot pedal for pumping the sanitizer

Ditto for Makro and Lotus in Rayong.

 

[The Theory]

I'm just saying what the OP will get and what won't in Cha Am. 
All up to OP to decide since his name is "Northerner" I thought he could be from CM. 
And good or bad food has nothing to do with the population. It is the local food style and taste. One example is sugar in foods in Cha Am. 

[Peterphuket]

2 hours ago, Darkside Gray said:

Is Cha-am still in Thailand or has it become another country. will be the same as the rest of Thailand!

There is also a Chaam in the Netherlands, but as far as .I know not at the sea

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, HHTel said:

Why does that matter.  You use the sanitiser to clean your hands.  It doesn't matter one iota that there may be <deleted> on the bottle.

Some stores have a girl at the entrance to 'squirt' you. (no comments plse)

 

So if a bottle of hand sanitiser had been smeared with leprosy, you'd definitely be OK using it?

[Krataiboy]

2 hours ago, HHTel said:

I live in Hua Hin.  Mask wearing - YES, often under the chin.  Social distancing - forget it!  Hand sanitising - never seen a local take advantage of sanitisers available at the entrance of most stores.

 

Nearest infection - a couple of hundred kms away in BKK!

Prachuab, Petchaburi, Ratchaburi just to mention neighbours are virus free!

Nobody in authority, so far as I know, has suggested the current hiatus in infections and deaths means the virus has actually died out anywhere in Thailand.

 

My guess is that, deprived of victims by the nation-wide "lockdown", it is in a dormant phase and waiting to wreak new havoc when the current restrictions are eased.

 

The reopening of schools and colleges will be the acid test of whether Thailand has actually beaten the virus, or simply delayed the natural - but inevitably painful - process necessary to achieve herd immunity.

Edited April 28, 2020 by Krataiboy

[northerner]

Thanks for the replies. Central Bangkok (where I currently stay) is strictly locked down, so it's good to get some up-to-date info on the situation in Cha-am. It helps us to mentally prepare for the move next month. 

 

To answer a couple of questions: yes, I'll be legally moving to Cha-am, immigration reporting included. As as for my username, when I joined Thai Visa - 13 years ago - I was living in Chiang Mai. I'm also from the north of England.

[pe747]

BTW. Immigration for Cha Am is in Tha Yang, next city north of Cha Am

[HHTel]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

 

So if a bottle of hand sanitiser had been smeared with leprosy, you'd definitely be OK using it?

Quote

 It takes years, however, of living in close proximity with an untreated leprosy patient to catch the disease.

Yeh, I think I'd be okay with that!

[Canuck1966]

On 4/28/2020 at 12:22 PM, The Theory said:

When I lived in Cha Am I moved out in Jan) there was no "emergency" situation. How to find an eatable food was a big challenge for me everyday (unless you eat anything they sell as food). They run restaurant business but have no idea about how to cook. Perhaps seafood vendors will be one option, but not an everyday food.  
Cha Am food is absolutely nothing close to CM food (people too) Go figure, what it could be now at this time. 
Good luck 

only Makro was a life savor, locals prices way too high. 65 baht for a 6 pack of Sing water, CM 40 baht. 

There are quite a few good restaurants in Chaam if you know where to look

[Canuck1966]

On 4/28/2020 at 12:44 PM, The Theory said:

I'm just saying what the OP will get and what won't in Cha Am. 
All up to OP to decide since his name is "Northerner" I thought he could be from CM. 
And good or bad food has nothing to do with the population. It is the local food style and taste. One example is sugar in foods in Cha Am. 

All Thai food has sugar in it

The four components of hot, sour, sweet and salty pretty much make up most dishes

Best to say you have diabetes (bao waan) if you really want to make sure they don't put sugar in

That seems to work much better than just asking them not to add it

[The Theory]

2 hours ago, Canuck1966 said:

There are quite a few good restaurants in Chaam if you know where to look

There is only one that offers good foods at right prices, Haadthip restaurant on Ruamjit (beach road).
Forget about the rest especially those around the soy and bars. ???????? A friend warned me before I moved to Cha Am from Chiang Mai, but I had to see it by myself. It’s all over now anyway.

Edited May 1, 2020 by The Theory