Thailand Says China, Japan Are Interested in Travel Bubbles

By Suttinee Yuvejwattana

 

-- Thai official says South Korea, Vietnam are also interested

-- An upcoming Asean summit is set to discuss travel pacts

 

Thailand said a number of countries, including China and Japan, are interested in discussions about travel bubbles, as the nation considers protocols for the eventual return of foreign tourists.

 

Pacts to make travel easier during the Covid-19 era are due to be discussed at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting due June 26, Bansarn Bunnag, an aide to Thailand’s premier, told reporters on Thursday.

 

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha will join the meeting via video conference, he said. Some Chinese regions as well as Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and New Zealand have all shown interest in exploring the possibility of travel bubbles, Bansarn said in Bangkok.

 

Full story: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-11/thailand-says-china-japan-are-interested-in-travel-bubbles

 

-- Bloomberg 2020 06-12

But not allowed to go to wat pho.

Yep, I'm the reader who didn't know what a "travel bubble" was. For anyone else in the same boat, here's a definition I found:

 

"Travel bubbles, also called travel bridges or corona corridors, do away with that waiting period for a select group of travelers from certain countries where the coronavirus has been contained. “In a ‘travel bubble’ a set of countries agree to open their borders to each other, but keep borders to all other countries closed. So people can move freely within the bubble, but cannot enter from the outside,” says Per Block, an Oxford University researcher in social mobility and methodology. “The idea is to allow people additional freedom without causing additional harm.” Travel bubbles are an extension of one of Block’s research specialties —social bubbles, where people expand their quarantine zones to include more people they consider safe. Block is one of the authors of an Oxford study that suggests social bubbles could be an effective strategy to alleviating coronavirus isolation, although the findings have not yet been peer-reviewed."

 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/five-things-know-about-travel-bubbles-180974983/

 

I have been told I live in my own bubble world. 

This is going to be fun, games, finger pointing and quite possibly a blame game as to who brings the first case to Thailand from inside the 'bubble'.

 

 

18 minutes ago, techietraveller84 said:

...although the findings have not yet been peer-reviewed."

 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/five-things-know-about-travel-bubbles-180974983/

 

Interesting.

 

In re things peer-reviewed, during this bubble consideration, maybe they should consider this medical article that is in process of being published...

 

https://www.news-medical.net/amp/news/20200608/Cremation-numbers-reveal-possible-suppression-of-true-COVID-19-data-in-China.aspx

 

1 hour ago, JCP108 said:

Interesting.

 

In re things peer-reviewed, during this bubble consideration, maybe they should consider this medical article that is in process of being published...

 

https://www.news-medical.net/amp/news/20200608/Cremation-numbers-reveal-possible-suppression-of-true-COVID-19-data-in-China.aspx

 

Don't worry about that.Show me the Chinese money!

3 minutes ago, findlay13 said:

Don't worry about that.Show me the Chinese money!

Don't worry about that. Show me the Japanese yen.  Right ?

Thailand can do a bubble with Taiwan, not with China please...

1 hour ago, ukrules said:

This is going to be fun, games, finger pointing and quite possibly a blame game as to who brings the first case to Thailand from inside the 'bubble'.

 

 

Enter the second wave......!!!!!

3 hours ago, tribalfusion001 said:

But not allowed to go to wat pho.

Or Ride the bus.

3 hours ago, ukrules said:

This is going to be fun, games, finger pointing and quite possibly a blame game as to who brings the first case to Thailand from inside the 'bubble'.

 

 

This will be Show Time!

Will ai farangs also be able to travel freely in these travel bubbles or will that privilege be strictly reserved for the Thai master race? 

It was reported yesterday that travellers from 'bubble' countries, specifically Thailand would have to stay for 14 days in a specified hotel in Japan. In addition Japan only gives 14 day visas to Thai nationals; what's the point then?

I prefer bubble baths, with my favorite yellow rubber duckie. I might add that if you push the thing under and then let it go, it shoots out of the water in a manner calculated to divert the most careworn.

Edited June 12, 20206 yr by Dustdevil

5 hours ago, JCP108 said:

Interesting.

 

In re things peer-reviewed, during this bubble consideration, maybe they should consider this medical article that is in process of being published...

 

https://www.news-medical.net/amp/news/20200608/Cremation-numbers-reveal-possible-suppression-of-true-COVID-19-data-in-China.aspx

 

The word 'possible' means it shouldn't be taken seriously.

 

Have you found the bodies yet?

Hubble bubble toil and trouble for returning farangs no doubt ???? 

I would like to travel from Thailand to Japan and Vietnam, but I won't get my hopes up that foreigners will be included in any such deal between those countries.

 

Oh I know the drill all too well.  They will nod and be polite, and say "yes, we will take this under consideration.  Thank you for your time."  That, my dear friends, means **** *** in no uncertain terms. 

 

It's that saving face thing that we're all well accustomed to now.  They would never (read never) come out and say no thanks, no, no way, no how, are you crazy, are you nuts, no.  They can and will talk and talk and talk... and save each others faces.

 

Just to re-iterate, there will be no tourism in Thailand until there is a vaccine or a viable treatment, full stop.  

7 minutes ago, Blumpie said:

 

 

Just to re-iterate, there will be no tourism in Thailand until there is a vaccine or a viable treatment, full stop.  

Got to disagree with that.

 

There may never be either them. You really think countries will indefinitely close their borders to tourists for potentially years? No chance IMO. 

1 hour ago, Phuketshrew said:

Will ai farangs also be able to travel freely in these travel bubbles or will that privilege be strictly reserved for the Thai master race? 

Probably not but Europeans will be able to travel in bubbles in Europe but Thais and Chinese won't, I believe Aus and NZ are doing the same just for their citizens...same same really

13 minutes ago, Blumpie said:

Oh I know the drill all too well.  They will nod and be polite, and say "yes, we will take this under consideration.  Thank you for your time."  That, my dear friends, means **** *** in no uncertain terms. 

 

It's that saving face thing that we're all well accustomed to now.  They would never (read never) come out and say no thanks, no, no way, no how, are you crazy, are you nuts, no.  They can and will talk and talk and talk... and save each others faces.

 

Just to re-iterate, there will be no tourism in Thailand until there is a vaccine or a viable treatment, full stop.  

Cambodia are opening up but a $3,000 US deposit is required with a compulsory test and one night stay which costs approx $185...if everyone on your flight is clear you can go on your way with a refund minus costs....if one person tests positive from your flight, the whole lot have to quarantine and the $3,000 covers the costs

1 hour ago, Phuketshrew said:

Will ai farangs also be able to travel freely in these travel bubbles or will that privilege be strictly reserved for the Thai master race? 

Ai farang ,as you correctly surmised, won't be included.

We all have Covid since forever.

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand Says China, Japan Are Interested in Travel Bubbles

So does a "bubble" now replace a hub, or is it a travel "hub-bubble" or "bubble-hub"

maybe it should be "hubble-bubble" here comes trouble.

Most Thai's i know live in their own Bubble all their lives so no change then !

10 hours ago, techietraveller84 said:

Yep, I'm the reader who didn't know what a "travel bubble" was. For anyone else in the same boat, here's a definition I found:

 

"Travel bubbles, also called travel bridges or corona corridors, do away with that waiting period for a select group of travelers from certain countries where the coronavirus has been contained. “In a ‘travel bubble’ a set of countries agree to open their borders to each other, but keep borders to all other countries closed. So people can move freely within the bubble, but cannot enter from the outside,” says Per Block, an Oxford University researcher in social mobility and methodology. “The idea is to allow people additional freedom without causing additional harm.” Travel bubbles are an extension of one of Block’s research specialties —social bubbles, where people expand their quarantine zones to include more people they consider safe. Block is one of the authors of an Oxford study that suggests social bubbles could be an effective strategy to alleviating coronavirus isolation, although the findings have not yet been peer-reviewed."

 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/five-things-know-about-travel-bubbles-180974983/

 

Thank you for posting this. It would have been nice and helpful for the author of the article to write this as I'm almost positive  most people don't know exactly what a "Travel bubble" is.

10 hours ago, JCP108 said:

Interesting.

 

In re things peer-reviewed, during this bubble consideration, maybe they should consider this medical article that is in process of being published...

 

https://www.news-medical.net/amp/news/20200608/Cremation-numbers-reveal-possible-suppression-of-true-COVID-19-data-in-China.aspx

 

I do not trust going to China right now. The Chinese government likes to hide too much

4 hours ago, BobbyL said:

Got to disagree with that.

 

There may never be either them. You really think countries will indefinitely close their borders to tourists for potentially years? No chance IMO. 

I also thought that a few weeks ago. But it seems that the government does not really care that Thailand goes back to poverty for quite a large number of people.

 

What will be different next winter? Nothing. All other countries will learn to contain the virus to low numbers. A couple of hundred infections per day are acceptable because you just can't kill the economy.

Test capacities are high, medication is improving, hospitals get better in treatment of serious cases.

 

If Thailand wants to avoid any new infection, they will have to deny reality and keep this country closed.

10 minutes ago, curlylekan said:

I do not trust going to China right now. The Chinese government likes to hide too much

Just as well that you aren't invited then hey?

 

Well ok, you can come with two weeks quarantine.

20 minutes ago, Traubert said:

Just as well that you aren't invited then hey?

 

Well ok, you can come with two weeks quarantine.

You mean to China or to Thailand?

I think also China is closed for foreigners.

 

Funny that China was horrified and disappointed as some countries closed their borders to China in January.

Europe was so stupid to let the Chinese come in until March. Stupid! The stupidest!