Asia times article highlighting economic issues facing Thai citizens and businesses due to events

[steelepulse]

https://asiatimes.com/2020/08/thailands-covid-success-turns-economic-failure/

 

Since the pandemic hit in March, 70% of Thailand’s national workforce has seen their average monthly income decline by 47%, 11% of micro and small businesses are verging on permanent closure and 75% of small tourism-related businesses have had their revenues decline by at least three-quarters.

These are some of the Asia Foundation’s revealing preliminary findings from national surveys the think tank conducted with local partners in May and June to assess Covid 19’s impact on what is expected to be one of Asia’s hardest-hit economies.

 

I haven't seen any other news reports which has given the above stats.  I haven't really seen any articles from within Thailand really showing how bad things are as this report is showing.

[warcy]

Do the government want people to know the truth about the economy? There are already students protests that they are clamping right now.

 

It's ridiculous not to open the economy to travel bubbles when Thailand virus rate is so low.

[SteveK]

There's going to be a spike in cases whenever they open the country back up, vaccine or not as the virus is mutating. All they're doing is wiping out the livelihoods and finances of the Thai people by holding on for so long. Of course, the elites have enough money to last for several lifetimes, so they are unlikely to be bothered. And it's the elites who rule the country.

[JusticeGB]

On 8/16/2020 at 12:23 PM, warcy said:

Do the government want people to know the truth about the economy? There are already students protests that they are clamping right now.

 

It's ridiculous not to open the economy to travel bubbles when Thailand virus rate is so low.

1. No the Government doesn't want the people to know the truth they are already scared of the student protests. There was another post today showing that over 380k people in Thailand were under investigation for possible covid19. They are not included in any statistics. 

 

2. Even people coming from countries with no covid19 virus have to undergo quarantine. The whole idea of a travel bubble is people travel freely between travel bubble states. Ok to be tested on arrival and say 4 and 7 days later to be sure that they are still covid19 free and even to stay within their hotels until the second covid19 results come in but not to go through the rigorous nonsense of 2 covid19 tests, a doctor's fit to fly certificate signed by the local Embassy followed by 2 weeks of quarantine. 

[Bangkok Barry]

On 8/16/2020 at 12:23 PM, warcy said:

It's ridiculous not to open the economy to travel bubbles when Thailand virus rate is so low.

It isn't Thailand's low rate that is the key. It's that other countries are not considered to be safe enough to allow their citizens into Thailand. Bearing in mind that every place that has seen figures decline and have relaxed the rules have seen infections rise again, some dramatically. Some of those countries would have been included in the travel bubble before Thailand pulled back on the idea.

 

So I'm with the Thai authorities on this.

[SteveK]

5 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 Bearing in mind that every place that has seen figures decline and have relaxed the rules have seen infections rise again, some dramatically.  

So the plan is to wait until it's 100% safe and there's zero risk of a "spike"? How many years will that take? How many people will either commit suicide or end up homeless and penniless during this time? Right now what I see in Thailand is the economic effects causing far more harm than the virus. 

[Bangkok Barry]

44 minutes ago, SteveK said:

So the plan is to wait until it's 100% safe and there's zero risk of a "spike"? How many years will that take? How many people will either commit suicide or end up homeless and penniless during this time? Right now what I see in Thailand is the economic effects causing far more harm than the virus. 

I agree, but that's the case worldwide. But that is the path that governments have chosen to take. Damned if they do and damned if they don't. It's an impossible balancing act and there is no win-win situation. I read in The Times today that it is estimated there would have been 504,000 deaths from the virus in the UK if lockdown had not been imposed.

 

The report estimates that if there had been no lockdown the death toll would have been 504,000 from Covid-19 and a further 1.1 million from other causes that would have gone untreated because the NHS was overwhelmed. (From the Dept of Health and Social Care)

 

Shocking, isn't it. My guess is that things will not be totally relaxed with zero consequences until there is a vaccine widely available. And even then, a very large percentage of people say they will refuse it.

[SteveK]

It's getting to the point now where I just think open the borders, screw the quarantines and facemasks and let people get back to earning a living. Sure, people will die, but they probably would have died anyway. What's the point of literally destroying millions of people's wellbeing and future to save a few elderly people from dying? It's a huge overreaction. And the cure is killing more than the disease. The worldwide reaction to this virus has caused 100x more damage than the virus ever could have.

[Sheryl]

12 minutes ago, SteveK said:

It's getting to the point now where I just think open the borders, screw the quarantines and facemasks and let people get back to earning a living. Sure, people will die, but they probably would have died anyway. What's the point of literally destroying millions of people's wellbeing and future to save a few elderly people from dying? It's a huge overreaction. And the cure is killing more than the disease. The worldwide reaction to this virus has caused 100x more damage than the virus ever could have.

 

Everybody will die anyway....eventually. That has never been a reason to the loss of human lives  and should nto be now.

 

Contrary to what some very callous individuals are propagating the vast majority of people who died from COVID were nowhere near death until it struck. They were busy leading their lives. I suggest you read any of the many news articles detailing victims.

 

Median age of those who have died of COVID in US is around 50.  It is likely even younger in India and South America.

 

Certainly there are difficult decisions to be made around best response to the pandemic, and certainly there are economic consequences to lockdown and travel bans. But that is no reason to casually dismiss the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people (which would be millions, not hundreds of thousands, if what you advocate had been the path taken).

 

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, SteveK said:

So the plan is to wait until it's 100% safe and there's zero risk of a "spike"? How many years will that take? How many people will either commit suicide or end up homeless and penniless during this time? Right now what I see in Thailand is the economic effects causing far more harm than the virus. 

 

your logic is a bit circular. The economic effects are causing more harm than the virus because there is no harm from virus because it is being effectively kept out. Let it in, and it will cause plenty of harm.

 

And you could open wide up tomorrow, it still would not remove most if the economic effects.

 

Most Thais seem to support the government's approach.

[baansgr]

Take a walk around Pattaya 2nd and Beach Roads...the proof is in the pudding....every other shop closed down....really dire

[SVC Porter]

Not being able to move to Pattaya is looking more like a blessing in disguise for me right now.

[Hank Gunn]

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

 

Everybody will die anyway....eventually. That has never been a reason to the loss of human lives  and should nto be now.

 

Contrary to what some very callous individuals are propagating the vast majority of people who died from COVID were nowhere near death until it struck. They were busy leading their lives. I suggest you read any of the many news articles detailing victims.

 

Median age of those who have died of COVID in US is around 50.  It is likely even younger in India and South America.

 

Certainly there are difficult decisions to be made around best response to the pandemic, and certainly there are economic consequences to lockdown and travel bans. But that is no reason to casually dismiss the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people (which would be millions, not hundreds of thousands, if what you advocate had been the path taken).

 

Your comment, "...the vast majority of people who died from COVID were nowhere near death until it struck." Is simply not true, and is part of the "panic-porn" that has been propagated by the MSM.

 

In Italy, 80% of those who died earlier this year, were over the age of 80 and had comorbidity factors. From Bloomburg: 99% of Those Who Died From Virus Had Other Illness, Italy Says.

 

Someone in another C-19 thread posted a link to a site that listed all the National Health workers in the UK who had died. I did a sample of two different groups (sir-names by letter) and in each case both the median and average age of those who died was 59 (not your "around 50").

 

Finally, an article from the BBC, from April of this year. Coronavirus: Nine in 10 Dying Have Existing Illness.

 

Every year in the US, over 100,000 people get the flu virus and typically around 30,000 - 40,000 die.

 

History will show that while this virus is marginally more dangerous than typical flu pandemics, the response is/was way out of proportion.

Edited August 17, 2020 by Hank Gunn

[karunasup]

The survey results showing that majority of Thais support the current approach to restricting tourism...is highly suspect....who conducted the survey, who was surveyed what were the questions?  Majority of Thais are economically worse off.

[5633572526]

18 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

your logic is a bit circular. The economic effects are causing more harm than the virus because there is no harm from virus because it is being effectively kept out. Let it in, and it will cause plenty of harm.

 

And you could open wide up tomorrow, it still would not remove most if the economic effects.

 

Most Thais seem to support the government's approach.

More than 1 million people die every year from mosquito bites. Should we all move underground and seal ourselves up? Thai roads kill tens of thousands every year should we ban motorized traffic and go back to bicycles? Those advocating keeping the country closed are not the people who are jobless, homeless or hungry. A good quality life comes with risks or you can hide in a closet and wait to die blinded by your fears.