Bars allowed to open sooner if case count stays low

[CaptainCarrot]

17 minutes ago, Almer said:

 

It is no good relying on a temp check at arrival, there are no reported cases in Pattaya because nobody is being tested, i am in the sticks in Issan and nobody know's anybody who has or had but its the asymmetric souls that are the problem 

I've just checked in the mirror and I have to say I AM looking a bit asymmetric (I've got a face on only one side of me head for g*dssake), but my soul is looking very rounded????

[Phil McCaverty]

8 minutes ago, Canuck1966 said:

The bodies are burnt and there would not be overflowing hospitals

The hospitals are empty in the UK too as people are petrified to go there..... for some reason 

The hospital my daughter works in, in the UK, is very busy, too busy.

 

The bodies are burnt at the temple. The whole process takes about 5 days. Seen any queues outside the temples?

 

Also, anecdotally, I know of no one in Thailand that is or has been confirmed with Covid-19. Conversely, 2 friends who used to go into my local bar in the UK have died from Covid-19.

[Fairynuff]

19 hours ago, tribalfusion001 said:

The numbers are not rising in the UK and pubs/bars are not open.

Oh ok, so another 400+ dead people in the UK yesterday, that’s not a rise in the number of deaths? 

[Fex Bluse]

43 minutes ago, Phil McCaverty said:

Bottom line is in Thailand very few in hospital, none in my province, and very few dead.

Do you also then believe the numbers the Chinese government provides to the foreign media? 

 

Or, better yet, because you have not seen any person die in China, would you then assume that nobody did die? 

 

I'm trying to help you see the faults in your logic. 

[Almer]

4 minutes ago, CaptainCarrot said:

I've just checked in the mirror and I have to say I AM looking a bit asymmetric (I've got a face on only one side of me head for g*dssake), but my soul is looking very rounded????

Auto spelling a wonderful thingy. 555

[Canuck1966]

2 minutes ago, Phil McCaverty said:

The hospital my daughter works in, in the UK, is very busy, too busy.

 

The bodies are burnt at the temple. The whole process takes about 5 days. Seen any queues outside the temples?

 

Also, anecdotally, I know of no one in Thailand that is or has been confirmed with Covid-19. Conversely, 2 friends who used to go into my local bar in the UK have died from Covid-19.

I know of more than 40 people that have died from pneumonia in Thailand in the last few months, that's at one hospital

Wonder how many died from Chinese Flu?

Why would there be queues at a temple?

This is a large country with lots of temples/incinerators and some funerals can take a day, especially if money is tight

 

[Mac98]

Go-Go bars will have walls of clear plastic surrounding the dance stage. Servers with masks and gloves. Customers six feet apart. You can buy a ladydrink but your lady must also keep her distance. Bar fines allowed but you must sign out together and register with your app at a nearby hotel that records your "in and out" times.

[mikosan]

3 hours ago, Phil McCaverty said:

I'll correct you, you're wrong. Thais only.

I'm not sure that is correct actually.  I also read that it includes farangs.

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/business/2020/03/20/finance-ministry-says-covid-19-treatment-for-foreigners-is-free/

[siamsev]

19 hours ago, tribalfusion001 said:

The numbers are not rising in the UK and pubs/bars are not open.

they are in France and Germany.  Sporadic outbreaks again.

 

[Magenta408]

I guess the bar owners will have to cough up some more dough. Open the fricking bars. It isn't going to be any worse than the pork counter at Macro. 

[forrwhat]

Without tourists the majority of bars will not be able to remain open.  Most are not paying rent at the moment.  If the bars are empty and they have to go back to paying exorbitant rents they won't last long.

[Phil McCaverty]

14 minutes ago, Fex Bluse said:

Do you also then believe the numbers the Chinese government provides to the foreign media? 

 

Or, better yet, because you have not seen any person die in China, would you then assume that nobody did die? 

 

I'm trying to help you see the faults in your logic. 

I'm not American and I don't fall for Trump's absurd propaganda in his phony war with China. So, I'm just as likely to believe the Chinese government as the US government.

[crobe]

16 minutes ago, Canuck1966 said:

I know of more than 40 people that have died from pneumonia in Thailand in the last few months, that's at one hospital

Wonder how many died from Chinese Flu?

Why would there be queues at a temple?

This is a large country with lots of temples/incinerators and some funerals can take a day, especially if money is tight

 

But if most of those 40 pneumonia patients had really died from Covid, then they would have infected their relatives, some of whom would have been sick enough to have needed hospitalisation, which should now start to show up in the virus numbers...it very soon becomes difficult to hide

[AAArdvark]

If you happen to see the Korean guy, that infected dozens of people, enter your favorite gay bar, leave in a hurry.

[Phil McCaverty]

13 minutes ago, mikosan said:

I'm not sure that is correct actually.  I also read that it includes farangs.

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/business/2020/03/20/finance-ministry-says-covid-19-treatment-for-foreigners-is-free/

“Thais and foreigners, including expatriates, who are covered by Thailand’s welfare scheme, can claim medical expenses for the amount that exceeds the limit of the welfare scheme,” 

 

very few expats are covered by Thailand's welfare scheme.

[mikosan]

2 minutes ago, Phil McCaverty said:

“Thais and foreigners, including expatriates, who are covered by Thailand’s welfare scheme, can claim medical expenses for the amount that exceeds the limit of the welfare scheme,” 

 

very few expats are covered by Thailand's welfare scheme.

Fair enough.  I have health insurance anyway.

[NoshowJones]

2 hours ago, kingdong said:

So why were all the bars shut and the sale of alcohol banned?

Power trips, what else?

[Geroniman]

1 hour ago, katatonic said:

 

2 hours ago, zaZa9 said:

The area of Phuket that was constantly having cases and cross infecting was Bang Tao. This is a Muslim area with NO BARS and plenty of  small Mosques.

So I appreciate what you are saying.

Dozens of bars in Bang Tao. Huge beach and lots of hotels. No more muslim than most of the rest of Phuket.

 

Yes, loads of bars but all in the Bangtao Beach area. Bangtao Beach was, for much of the lockdown, on the Surin side of the roadblocks i.e. part of a separate (from Bangtao proper) lockdown area. The area where the vast bulk of the infections occurred was in Bangtao proper, on the main road and near the market and the big mosque. I certainly have no anti-Muslim agenda, but it just so happens that that is a very predominantly Muslim area, and there are no bars whatsoever there!

Edited May 20, 2020 by Geroniman
Correction

[natway09]

No problem opening the bars, problem is opening the borders

[Bangkok Barry]

18 hours ago, Chivas said:

Except that the real figures on deaths is actually double what our hapless incompetent Government claim

And your source for that is? Please direct us to a statement, article, document, news item - anything at all that isn't made up in your head. What is your motive or agenda for making such a statement?

[RichardColeman]

19 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

The UK and USA have never had the situation under control, so not comparable.

The UK (and probably the USA) are far more honest with their figures than most other countries spouting they have everything under control

[ianwheldale]

19 hours ago, keith101 said:

We can expect the numbers to rise again like what's happening in the UK and US etc .

I think not so much as people's immune systems will not have been compromised to the same extent as people who have been locked in their houses.

[AhFarangJa]

4 hours ago, Phil McCaverty said:

I'll correct you, you're wrong. Thais only.

I will stand corrected until I learn more, but, I do remember something several weeks ago where it was reported that in Hua Hin they were going to do Covid tests for Foreigners at about 1500 Baht a time. In that article I am sure I read that a doctor stated treatment would still be free if you were diagnosed as positive. Maybe it was all a dream......

[Nanaplaza666]

19 hours ago, Phil McCaverty said:

Doesn't matter what people do if Thailand doesn't open its borders. If no one has it, no one can catch it.

 

Hasn't been a single case in Pattaya for a month, none in hospital. It's gone.

You must be desperate for a bar visit ???????????? i to hope live goes back to normal as much as possible and people can start making money and having fun again , but it's not gone as you say . There are still cases being detected and it only needs one in a crowded place to get the ball rolling again .

[AhFarangJa]

2 hours ago, JackThompson said:

Just put 300 baht on every entry, regardless of land or air, and put it into the national-health.  From the calcs I saw, the last time the "uninsured foreigner" bit was in the news, even 100 baht per-each by air would generate a massive profit over the total-cost of uninsured foreigners. 

 

A 300 Baht fee would generate enough to include more "excluded conditions" into the 30-baht scheme - cancer, diabetes, etc.   That could be very beneficial to many poorer Thais.

I agree it would be an excellent idea, especially to benefit the poor and needy, except for the Thai Government, (or any government for that matter), diverting funds to other "more deserving" causes, such as erm, let me think, oh yes, submarines.

[Ryan754326]

4 hours ago, Fex Bluse said:

I hope not but I expect there will be many old farang with health issues (heart, weight, blood pressure) dropping dead from unexplained causes if they think it's safe to start visiting bars. 

 

Young healthy people are not at much risk. 

 

A 60+ year old who is obese and has a heart condition is at severe risk 

The thing that nobody seems to acknowledge, is that the old, fat Farangs haven’t stopped meeting bar girls. They just have to meet on the street, or online instead of in bars now. 
None of the old expats or working girls that I know have been sick, or know anyone who has been sick. If this virus was as contagious and deadly as they say, we should see expats and hookers dropping like flies here in Pattaya, but we don’t. 

[Mattd]

1 hour ago, Canuck1966 said:

If a person isn't tested in Thailand then they aren't tested after death

Do you not understand this basic principle?

Cause of death could easily be put down to lung infection, pneumonia etc

Thais treat this like the black plague and wouldn't want anybody to think they had it or a relative of theirs

You obviously have zero clue about Thai culture

Most people in the boonies don't even know how this virus kills them and they would definitely never question a doctor

Mate, come on, get real!

Do you honestly think that thousands of EXTRA deaths would go unnoticed and would not make social media at the very least??? 

A few extra deaths would perhaps go unnoticed, I agree, but not to extent of what is being seen in Europe, not a chance of that.

I have lived and worked here for over 31 years and know a lot of Thais, I have a very good handle on Thai culture thanks and so far I do not know of ONE person that has died as a result of this virus, nor do any of the hundreds of Thais I associate with, nor are they telling about the strange death of an Uncle, Aunty, Brother, friend etc. etc. 

I'd lay good money out to suggest that not many TVF members, their wives or friends know of any either.

To say that Thais would not discuss an unusual death is absolute and total rot, there is nothing Thais like more than a good gossip.

 

I personally think that Thailand has under stated the figures, perhaps not by design, there will almost certainly have been some deaths that have not been officially recognised, by the same token, I also believe that UK & US are overstating, one thing is absolutely certain though, Thailand and the rest of SE Asia have not seen the prevalence of this virus compared to other parts of world, why, I have no idea.

[tandor]

20 hours ago, darksidedog said:

As opposed to  the coming days which such a headline tended to suggest.

..write your own Headline.

[shortstop]

19 hours ago, Phil McCaverty said:

Doesn't matter what people do if Thailand doesn't open its borders. If no one has it, no one can catch it.

 

Hasn't been a single case in Pattaya for a month, none in hospital. It's gone.

I agree that it is probably gone in Pattaya.  Right now, the risk of catching it at a bar is probably about the same as getting hit by a baht bus. 

 

Open small to medium sized bars and other moderate risk venues and see what happens.   I think it is actually counterproductive to keep the bars closed.   I was at Treetown last night, and people were packed tightly together at tables.  Opening more venues reduces risk if the same number of people are going out is relatively fixed.

 

I think it was correct to shut most businesses down on March 18th as it was indeed a public health crisis.  Now it's time to give people a choice if they want to go out or stay home.

 

The key is keeping the border shut with minimal exceptions such as repatriated Thais, spouses, people with Thai kids, perhaps long term visa holders, those with work permits etc.  Set up a quarantine system for these exceptions.  When the borders eventually open up, I hope it's done slowly with only extremely low risk countries at first.

 

 

 

  

Edited May 20, 2020 by shortstop

[Fex Bluse]

1 hour ago, Phil McCaverty said:

I'm not American and I don't fall for Trump's absurd propaganda in his phony war with China. So, I'm just as likely to believe the Chinese government as the US government.

Best of luck.