Expats may need to take COVID-19 test in order to renew extensions of stay: Richard Barrow

[tomyami]

I was found positive on a pcr test made isolate for 10 days at my own place then told it was a mistake 2 weeks ago in ireland

If that happened in thailand it would be very costly i have no faith in the tests anymore

Edited January 17, 2021 by tomyami

[bristolgeoff]

If they have not left thailand to extend the visa.Means why would they have covid a test may be a good idea,but somehow it will be excuse to overcharge and give the expats more problems.my friend is still stuck in cnx  and  has not left the country

[Iforbach]

Why print this <deleted> ...

[John Drake]

6 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

Yes 100% they will also pay for the test.  I have the best Aetna plan in fact they encourage it.

You have a viral infection that is very contagious and can turn quickly to serious complications or even death.

I guess if a person has lousy cheap coverage, it may not be the case.

 

Not another topic where you start  bragging about your insurance again, please!

[onebir]

15 hours ago, spiekerjozef said:

I thought they kicked Barrow out already with his panic news.

Wheeled?

[Crossy]

Does anyone actually know what the protocols are for a Thai or foreigner who tests positive in a "random" test outside of the quarantine system?

 

 

[mtls2005]

2 minutes ago, Crossy said:

Does anyone actually know what the protocols are for a Thai or foreigner who tests positive in a "random" test outside of the quarantine system?

 

 

 

Depends.

 

Thai - stay at home, expect a letter if you're found to venture out

Foreigner - province dependent, stay at home or field hospital

Migrant worker - razor wired into tin shanty town

 

That said there aren't a lot of 'random' tests outside of "Active Case Finding" (think Samut Sakhon), or hospitals.

 

In ASQ also depends. Maybe stay inside room, or be moved to hospital/ICU.

[TheFishman1]

I have read many articles that he posted in a long time she’s incorrect I think he may be incorrect this time to TIT

[Archie Baker]

What a load of scaremongering tosh.  

[Skallywag]

I do the same with all my thai girlfriends.  Tell them I need them to take my injection in all orifices before I renew their bank accounts. ????????????????????

 

BTW Covid 19 tests are less than 3000 baht at most hospitals.  For those that pay "Visa" agents this is a drop in the bucket

[stretch5163]

16 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:

 

Richard Barrow, apparently well-meaning, often whips people up into a panic based on his misunderstandings. Clearly, it would be absurd to require a Covid-19 test for extensions and it's not even what the regulations he's quoting says so this is obviously another one of his brain farts. I don't know why anyone takes him seriously.

Why would it be absurd to requrie a covid test for extension ? People on extensions exempt from catching covid are they ?   If people coming into the country have to have insurance then eveyone in country should have insurance. If people coming in need to show valid negative PCR test then stands to reason that anyone already in the country should have said test.

 

What a ludicrous thing to say.

[david555]

So.....if test needed to make your new ret. ext . .... and suppose you are positive , so don't get  extended .... must leave Thailand ? ..... HOW ..? as you can not board airplane if positive ....????

 

So this is understandable in one way , but need further thinking for the backup solutions  ...????

[AMFWolfie]

17 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

won't be taking my test at a private hospital.. just in case i test positive

 

can you imagine the bill! ????

 

 

 

17 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Expats may need to take COVID-19 test in order to renew extensions of stay: Richard Barrow

 

Image: Reuters file photo

 

Expats in Thailand may soon be required to take a COVID-19 test in order to extend their extensions of stay or so called retirement or marriage visas, according to Richard Barrow.

 

Posting on Twitter on Saturday evening, popular travel blogger Richard shared a document published in the Royal Gazette that said foreigners are required to take a COVID-19 not only to visit Thailand but also extend their stay.

 

You can read Richard's Twitter thread below:

 

 

 

“This document was published in the Royal Gazette on 25th December. The part that is underlined says it will become law 30 days later. So on 25th January. As usual, not everything is clear and to be transparent here, there has been no announcement by Immigration yet”, read the Tweet by Richard.

 

“From what I understand, this is for everyone who is entering Thailand and for everyone already here and need to extend their stay. It is also needed for those people who are applying for residency. The document doesn’t say how far in advance you need to get the COVID test done.

 

“I will of course post more information here once Immigration make an official announcement with the details. But as we all know, that will probably come the day before. I’m sure you have many questions. So do immigration officials I spoke to. We all have to wait for head office”, Richard added.

 

Richard’s Twitter thread comes as Thai news site Thansettakij on Thursday reported that “Coronavirus 2019 or COVID-19” had been added to the list of “prohibited diseases” for foreigners entering Thailand or those who apply for residency. It does not explicitly say those applying for an extension of stay.

 

At this stage, it is worth noting the other “prohibited diseases” listed:

 

1. Leprosy

2. Tuberculosis 

3. Lymphatic filariasis 

4. Disease, drug abuse

5. Syphilis of the third stage

 

Expats who have previously submitted an application for an extension of stay for either retirement, marriage or being a parent to a Thai child will note that there has never been a requirement to complete a test for any of the “prohibited diseases”.

 

A syphilis test may be required  when a foreigner applies for a work permit for the first time. 

 

However, there has never been the same requirement for anyone applying for an extension of stay based on retirement or marriage.

 

Nor has there ever been a requirement for anyone entering Thailand to complete a test for any of the above diseases. (Can you imagine the repercussions if Thailand required the 40 million tourists it received pre-COVID to complete a Syphilis test before entering the country!)

 

Thaivisa’s advice - wait for further information on this one. Despite being published in Royal Gazette, this may not apply for the vast majority of people reading this post. Don’t panic!

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2021-01-16

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

 

So only possible to get a single entry 3-month O visa from the UK Thai embassy which means you have to extend and convert to multi-entry before the 3-months is up. Having completed quarantine and had 3 negative Covid tests, 1 before leaving UK and 2 in quarantine, I wonder if this is implying you have to have yet another one or will the earlier ones suffice? Guess I will find out at the end of the month if immigration in Pattaya is open and operating normally!!

 

[JAFO]

17 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:

I don't know why anyone takes him seriously.

 

Exactly right on Richard Barrow. Just another vlogger with an opinion.

 

 

[John Drake]

25 minutes ago, stretch5163 said:

If people coming in need to show valid negative PCR test then stands to reason that anyone already in the country should have said test.

 

So you're going to require every person, Thais included, to be tested? Should be interesting. 

[FritsSikkink]

2 hours ago, PatOngo said:

Jealous?

Not at all, I just point out that the "I do this for free" is questionable.

[saminoz]

17 hours ago, audaciousnomad said:

 

Agreed. At this point, testing should only be a deterrent to entry (e.g. it limits how many will go through the trouble of coming here.)  The real focus should be on vaccination. If you want to stay, vaccinate. Anti-vax or can't/won't pay for one? Leave.

Agreed.

With his Thai experience, he really should know better.

[crickets]

The big word is "MAY". That list is for a work permit and you do need to do a test to get that. Not for an extension. If you do test positive you are shipped off to a government facility that you will have to pay for even if you have no symptoms. 

[salavan]

2 hours ago, onebir said:

Wheeled?

Let's hope it is just panic news 

[A Los for words]

17 hours ago, TSF said:

Just got a mental image of  this blind drunk alcoholic alien rolling up at his local Immigration office to extend his visa with fingers, toes & nose missing from leprosy, coughing blood into his hanky from TB, legs swollen from elephantiasis, trackmarks up both arms from drug addiction, sores all over from syphilis, and now the poor bast*rd has disease 2019 too. Jeez life sure ain't fair for the aliens in Thailand.

Hey! I resemble that remark!

[EddyGallagher]

I just renewed mine based on marriage it didn’t even come up lol, wasn’t even mentioned. Honestly I stopped reading these articles a while ago. 

[digger70]

19 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Expats may need to take COVID-19 test in order to renew extensions of stay: Richard Barrow

Rich may have to get some facts straight before he says something .

[Kwasaki]

That's it OP stir it up.

Another bucket mouth. 

[Dialemco]

If this is correct it is an admission Covid is very much present in Thailand and therefore not unreasonable. It should also include  requirement to be Covid vaccinated which vaccine unlikely to be readily available for some years.

[PGSan]

Maybe another banishment from twitter is needed???

[sambum]

17 hours ago, smedly said:

 

simple question - why

 

explain to me the logic behind this - there is none

 

Simple answer - money! To be precise, MORE money to be extracted from the ex pat community.

 

There is no evidence (AFIK)  to prove that the ex pat community are a source of Covid, but they have money, so they are easy targets to insist that they have (and pay for) a Covid test. It wouldn't surprise me if they manage to integrate a 2 tier pricing system into the situation.

 

(Slightly off topic, but I note that vaccinations for foreigners living here was not even mentioned by the PM in his latest speech on priorities for the jabs. No doubt they will be charged at premium rates, and have to be done at private hospitals! )

[Salerno]

  

1 hour ago, stretch5163 said:

What a ludicrous thing to say.

 

I give you Exhibit A:

 

1 hour ago, stretch5163 said:

Why would it be absurd to requrie a covid test for extension ? People on extensions exempt from catching covid are they ?   If people coming into the country have to have insurance then eveyone in country should have insurance. If people coming in need to show valid negative PCR test then stands to reason that anyone already in the country should have said test.

 

What a ludicrous thing to say.

[spidermike007]

19 hours ago, jackdd said:

This order has nothing to do with extensions, this is just wrong information. How about some fact checking before sharing something?

It was also decided several months ago, as you can see from my thread to which you poster above linked, nothing really new here.

 

Let us hope you are right. Otherwise, it is just more insane xenophobic nonsense from this ridiculously notorious division of an extremely incompetent administration. 

[Salerno]

  

2 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

In ASQ also depends. Maybe stay inside room, or be moved to hospital/ICU.

 

Have you read any reports of this? in all reports I've read anyone who's tested positive are wheeled off to hospital for a nice stay.

[PGSan]

18 hours ago, edwardandtubs said:

apparently well-meaning

???