Thailand is red-lighted in UK for quarantine purposes alongside Brazil, China and US, inexplicable move

[webfact]

Thailand is red-lighted in the UK for quarantine purposes alongside Brazil, China and the US, inexplicable move

by Carla Boonkong & Son Nguyen

 

The UK’s Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps, who has introduced a traffic light system on the basis of 14 days quarantine being required from red-lighted countries. Late on Friday night, it came as a shock to Bangkok to find that Thailand has been excluded from the green list and relegated to the red list of countries. The UK’s new scheme, designed to open up the county to trade and tourism and air travel back into skies, takes effect on July 10th next. The quarantine being implemented is self-enforced with monitoring by police and health authorities.

 

Travellers from Thailand must quarantine for 14 days when entering the UK. Clarification late on Friday night is disappointing news for Thai authorities as the kingdom, earlier in the week, was green-lighted by the European Union. The decision appears to have taken no account of Thailand’s exemplary performance in fighting the Covid 19 threat at such a heavy cost to the public and the economy which has been left devastated.

 

Contrary to earlier authoritative reports, it emerged on Friday night that the United Kingdom has red-lighted passengers from Thailand when it comes to an exemption from quarantine on entering that country from July 10th under the UK’s new traffic lights quarantine system. The decision places Thailand, like much of Asia including China and the United States, in the same boat when it comes to the assessment of risk under the British government’s scheme.

 

There has been a certain amount of confusion and consternation in Bangkok when it became clear late on Friday night that the United Kingdom had failed to give the green light to Thai travellers visiting Britain as part of the UK government’s new approach to health controls in respect of the Covid 19 virus as that country throws open its borders to trade and travel.

 

Full story: https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2020/07/04/thailand-red-lighted-uk-quarantine-purposes-with-asia-china-us/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Examiner 2020-07-06

 

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[scubascuba3]

They obviously don't trust the Thai government figures provided, test numbers were very low and shady

[samsensam]

 

Travellers from Thailand must quarantine for 14 days when entering the UK. Clarification late on Friday night is disappointing news for Thai authorities as the kingdom

 

friday evening? 48 hours ago...

Edited July 5, 2020 by samsensam

[Starmocihc]

It probably has more to do with the Chinese relationship than anything else. ????

[SkyFax]

My guess it is a matter of reciprocity: UK citizens cannot enter Thailand without a 14-day quarantine if they can enter at all.

[RichardColeman]

 

49 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

They obviously don't trust the Thai government figures provided, test numbers were very low and shady

Either that or they are pretty confident that Thailand is about to open up to the residents of China and Wuhan again pretty soon

[Trillian]

Taiwan, Hong Kong and Bangkok are all large regional air traffic hubs and are key transit points for Chinese travelling from China, is that the reason why perhaps? 

[lockyv7]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

They obviously don't trust the Thai government figures provided, test numbers were very low and shady

almost the bottom of the list when it comes to testing per million population 

 

[Trillian]

1 minute ago, lockyv7 said:

almost the bottom of the list when it comes to testing per million population 

 

If they had tested more, would that have changed the number of fatalities!

[Mops59]

Ofcourse. I was told Thai citizens were welcome in The Netherlands because of an independent decision of.the Dutch government.  It stroke me as  Dutchman that this decision wasn't reciprocated. So Dutch people aren't allowed into Thailand even with a visa, a house to live in and the will to state quarantine. So when UK decides to refuse Thai people without quarantine it is possible because of the decline of Brittisch people entering Thailand with or without quarantine. 

 

[Somtamnication]

They obviously know more than little people like us.

[rupert the bear]

when i 1st looked at this i was surprised as theres little covid here according to the figs BUT several things spring to mind-the figs ,they dont trust them,theres almost no testing done here,some things about the figs just dont add up,to test privately is a bizarre 6000b plus.theres no recipricocity.thats a major issue and the thai entry docs are mind numbingly absurd.then theres the PRC scam.a chinese could ride into uk on transit although passport entry should be able to pick that out but.......UK nationals should be able to breeze thru and the thais have all the hoops to jump thru then we could b as daft and racist as they are.oh what a wonderful world we live in and it looks like the virus is waving goodbye anyway.we dont have golden goose strangling down to the fine art of bkk but we sure are good at screwing our own folks over.i guess thats the art of PC

[Paiman]

Is it a landing on the ground of hard facts?

 

At least it might help to have a reality check here and not act like some superior race.

[bkkcanuck8]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

They obviously don't trust the Thai government figures provided, test numbers were very low and shady

Thailand test numbers were actually considerably well within the higher test nations earlier (when they had the peak) - they have not been testing as much.  It looks wider now because other countries which are considered hotspots have had to continue testing at a higher level longer.  I was skeptical for a very long time that there was a hidden problem, but there are really only two directions - controlled or increasing rapidly... I see no indication of the hospitals being hit by wave after wave of COVID patients... so I am no longer skeptical... Thailand has done a good job of tracking and tracing and controlling it.

[alant]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

They obviously don't trust the Thai government figures provided, test numbers were very low and shady

Maybe not scubascuba3, maybe they are very trusting of the information the Thai government are issuing.

They say there is a need for the emergency measures to remain so that would indicate to overseas governments an ongoing problem.

They constantly talk of a second wave even with no infections detected for 40+ days indicating an ongoing problem.

They are restricting social activity and not all activities are possible indicating an ongoing problem.

Even the announcement of the return of the Thai football league in September, is to be behind closed doors. September! Indicating an ongoing problem.

 

It seems to me the Thai government are sending this message to the world, no wonder travel from Thailand is restricted.

 

Nore it is self quarantine in the UK not state quarantine.

[mrfill]

Vietnam is on the green light list....

 

Cambodia and Laos are red light too.

Edited July 5, 2020 by mrfill
additon

[Wiggy]

Could it be due to the continued extension of the State of Emergency that makes the UK wary? I mean, it’s almost like Thailand saying itself that things aren’t right. 

[Matzzon]

Ops! Grant Shapps does not seem to be a nice chap. However, I just wonder where he put his own country on his eminent list? With his way of deluded thinking it seems to me he will need to rid the country of it´s population. Good Luck Mr. Happy Shappy!

[bristolgeoff]

I thought thailand was in good shape,the cases down  and other things.other comments could be right maybe the chinese element,is the reason,but i don,t think  it will last that long.A  few friends are coming back soon from there because of the virus,they will not like that

[sandrew33]

27 minutes ago, bkkcanuck8 said:

Thailand test numbers were actually considerably well within the higher test nations earlier (when they had the peak) - they have not been testing as much.  It looks wider now because other countries which are considered hotspots have had to continue testing at a higher level longer.  I was skeptical for a very long time that there was a hidden problem, but there are really only two directions - controlled or increasing rapidly... I see no indication of the hospitals being hit by wave after wave of COVID patients... so I am no longer skeptical... Thailand has done a good job of tracking and tracing and controlling it.

Thailand is 130th in the world for testing per million. That’s bad. 
 

In context with other low incidence countries: 

 

Australia has done 13 times more tests per capita.  NZ 10 times more. Even Malaysia is 3 times more.

 

 

 

Edited July 6, 2020 by sandrew33

[Trillian]

3 minutes ago, sandrew33 said:

Thailand is 130th in the world for testing per million. That’s bad. 
 

In context with other low incidence countries: 

 

Australia & NZ have done more than 10 times as much testing as Thailand per capita. 
 

 

Once again, does doing more tests change the number of deaths!

[ChrisY1]

43 minutes ago, Trillian said:

If they had tested more, would that have changed the number of fatalities!

If you believe in the idiot Trump....the more tests, the more case found then more fatalities...so that's got to be bad!

Edited July 6, 2020 by ChrisY1

[CLS]

This list is to some point politically motivated. 
The UK exempts from quarantine the three Asian democracies Japan, South Korea and Taiwan along with ex-colonies Hong Kong and Macao. But China and its brother Thailand remain on the red list. Vietnam is rewarded quarantine free entry because they barred the Chinese already on 30th January and are well known for its Anti-China stance. This list is a punishment for China and other dictatorships.

[billsmart]

Obviously, a racist policy... ????

[Dukeleto]

Well as they say in Thailand "Up to you". And like Thailand which is pretty much the worlds gold standard in "inexplicable" decision making. I find it rather amusing at the feigned indignant shock at the UK's announcement.

[lks7689]

2 hours ago, Starmocihc said:

It probably has more to do with the Chinese relationship than anything else. ????

With comments like yours, people here still wonder why they are disliked in Thailand?

[Hayduke]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand is red-lighted

 

This must be a misunderstanding. How could anyone possibly associate ‘Thailand’ with a ‘red light’?

 

 

[BestB]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Travellers from Thailand must quarantine for 14 days when entering the UK. Clarification late on Friday night is disappointing news for Thai authorities

Why? Thailand not only requires Brits to 14 day quarantine but does not allow Brits at all. Yet China on another lockdown due to yet another outbreak is first on Thailand allowed list

[M71]

"The decision appears to have taken no account of Thailand’s exemplary performance in fighting the Covid 19 threat at such a heavy cost to the public and the economy which has been left devastated"

 

And all for a BS common seasonal flu for the PTSB [Powers That Shouldn't Be] to manipulate and force all countries into insurmountable debt through the world's Central Banking system. Fraud, Scam, Theft - call it what you will - wake up sheeple.

[thailand49]

You sleep and do exactly what China wants you are consider them?  Maybe a bit of pay back for China threat about helping H.K. citizenship?

Or maybe a bit of pay back for duel pricing?  ????