The Future for Travellers?

[KhaoYai]

Several travel companies and airlines have stated that they plan to introduce a requirement that customers must have been vaccinated against Covid 19. Personally, I think this will become widespread and make travel difficult for those who refuse to be vaccinated.  Its possible that this could also be introduced in other spheres.

 

The latest:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55738918

 

I said a while back that some employers would go down this path - its already started.

 

Linked in the above BBC article:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55654229

Edited January 23, 2021 by KhaoYai

[bkk6060]

Ok, great.

Certainly seems responsible and makes proper sense.

[Surelynot]

I agree....I think it will go that way.....cruises are already doing it.

 

Commercially it makes sense......I can see unbelievably stupid people who refuse to be vaccinated suing companies if they contract covid because the company didn't prevent unvaccinated people traveling.......

[KhaoYai]

4 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

I can see unbelievably stupid people who refuse to be vaccinated suing companies if they contract covid because the company didn't prevent unvaccinated people traveling.......

That is entirely possible as is the case of employers requiring vaccination.  You can imagine someone trying to hold an employer responsible for letting un-vaccinated people work - although I think it may be necessary to change employment laws.

Edited January 23, 2021 by KhaoYai

[sammieuk1]

Life is a risk I will take my much improved chance to cling onto it for as long as possible with the help of the vaccine asap reactions are rare covid is not????

[sirineou]

No one is forcing someone to be vaccinated, but as with everything else in life  choices have consequences.

If someone thinks that it is dangerous to  cross the street, we get it and we are not forcing him to cross, He can stand there and wait until there are less cars coming and cross then. 

[Mike E]

16 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

Life is a risk I will take my much improved chance to cling onto it for as long as possible with the help of the vaccine asap reactions are rare covid is not????

 

Well, covid is pretty darn rare if you're here in Thailand.  Now I don't know what the percentage of bad reactions to the vaccine are but lets say they are a very small half of a percent.   If 70,000,000 people get vaccinated, that will be about 35,000 bad reactions.  Significantly higher than the 13,000 cases so far and 72 deaths.  As long as cases stay as low as they've been here, I'm perfectly happy if the government insists on vaccinating all citizens first before they decide to get around to farang.

[sammieuk1]

45 minutes ago, Mike E said:

 

Well, covid is pretty darn rare if you're here in Thailand.  Now I don't know what the percentage of bad reactions to the vaccine are but lets say they are a very small half of a percent.   If 70,000,000 people get vaccinated, that will be about 35,000 bad reactions.  Significantly higher than the 13,000 cases so far and 72 deaths.  As long as cases stay as low as they've been here, I'm perfectly happy if the government insists on vaccinating all citizens first before they decide to get around to farang.

You fell head first into the numbers trap with reliance on figures posted by the Thai government safer asking is it black or white to the colour blind ????

[GinBoy2]

I think the covid 'passport' is definitely on the cards for international air travel.

 

This damn virus doesn't seem to recognize national boundaries, and especially with these new new super transmittable variants governments are going to get twitchy, especially if they have suppressed it in their country.

 

This is really no different to the mask wearing concept. I had a 'conversation' with a particularly unruly passenger last week who wouldn't obey the instructions to wear a mask.

"Sir, You have choices. Wear a mask as instructed, or drive to your destination. If not you don't travel on this aircraft and I suggest the car rental desks in the terminal"

 

That was one of many encounters I've had recently

[Joinaman]

46 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

You fell head first into the numbers trap with reliance on figures posted by the Thai government safer asking is it black or white to the colour blind ????

ahhh, but you have fallen into the trap of not believing the Thai authorities

Do you have any facts to show they are wrong ? 

I'm not saying you are wrong, cos who the hell can believe anything the goverment says, but without any other facts to dispute their claims, we can only accept them at face value.

And as far as paperwork for travelling, Khaosan road is your friend 

[Joinaman]

18 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

I think the covid 'passport' is definitely on the cards for international air travel.

 

This damn virus doesn't seem to recognize national boundaries, and especially with these new new super transmittable variants governments are going to get twitchy, especially if they have suppressed it in their country.

 

This is really no different to the mask wearing concept. I had a 'conversation' with a particularly unruly passenger last week who wouldn't obey the instructions to wear a mask.

"Sir, You have choices. Wear a mask as instructed, or drive to your destination. If not you don't travel on this aircraft and I suggest the car rental desks in the terminal"

 

That was one of many encounters I've had recently

So 200 people all wear a mask to get on a plane to travel

Yet 200 people all remove their mask for up to 1 hour while eating and drinking 

does the virus know something we don't ? 

[GinBoy2]

2 minutes ago, Joinaman said:

So 200 people all wear a mask to get on a plane to travel

Yet 200 people all remove their mask for up to 1 hour while eating and drinking 

does the virus know something we don't ? 

You do recognize that most airlines have basically stopped serving food?

The best you get is a drink and a snack bag to minimize the time you aren't required to wear a mask.

 

Nothing is without risk, but the more exposure, the more risk!

[VBF]

2 hours ago, Mike E said:

 

Well, covid is pretty darn rare if you're here in Thailand.  Now I don't know what the percentage of bad reactions to the vaccine are but lets say they are a very small half of a percent.   If 70,000,000 people get vaccinated, that will be about 35,000 bad reactions.  Significantly higher than the 13,000 cases so far and 72 deaths.  As long as cases stay as low as they've been here, I'm perfectly happy if the government insists on vaccinating all citizens first before they decide to get around to farang.

But this thread is about travellers, not people currently in Thailand.

 

I'm in UK, longing to go to Thailand again - i have one problem with the vaccine - I can't get it today and need to wait my turn!

The more a country vaccinates its people, and the more evidence (hopefully) emerges to show vaccinations assist in at least  reducing transmission, the sooner countries will start to relax their restrictions.

Personally, i would love a Covid vaccine stamp to be added to all my other vaccines in my yellow book, alongside Yellow Fever, Polio, Smallpox, Tetanus etc etc

If that helped me to travel, what's not to like?

[CharlieH]

Reported post and response to it removed.

[GinBoy2]

1 hour ago, VBF said:

But this thread is about travellers, not people currently in Thailand.

 

I'm in UK, longing to go to Thailand again - i have one problem with the vaccine - I can't get it today and need to wait my turn!

The more a country vaccinates its people, and the more evidence (hopefully) emerges to show vaccinations assist in at least  reducing transmission, the sooner countries will start to relax their restrictions.

Personally, i would love a Covid vaccine stamp to be added to all my other vaccines in my yellow book, alongside Yellow Fever, Polio, Smallpox, Tetanus etc etc

If that helped me to travel, what's not to like?

Thats where I think this is going. My wife had her first shot this week, 2nd shot in 3 weeks. Mine is scheduled for April.

I think that covid passport is inevitable

 

[KhaoYai]

2 hours ago, VBF said:

The more a country vaccinates its people, and the more evidence (hopefully) emerges to show vaccinations assist in at least  reducing transmission, the sooner countries will start to relax their restrictions.

Even though the jury is still out on the vaccine/transmission - the point will come where the more that get vaccinated, the less the virus is likley to be around.  Hopefully, as more and more travel companies and airlines begin requiring passengers to have been vaccinated, that will persuade some of those that are unsure to get it done.

 

My worry is that third world countries don't seem to be getting their share of the vaccine and that's just not right.  Apart from the moral issues, as the WHO say - 'nobody's safe until everybody's safe.

 

[Patong2021]

Some countries are opposed to 'Vaccine' passport - No support in USA and  Canada  PM Trudeau already say he opposes because it is discriminatory. 2 countries who have mismanaged their pandemic response, so I am not surprised.

 

47 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

Even though the jury is still out on the vaccine/transmission - the point will come where the more that get vaccinated, the less the virus is likley to be around.  Hopefully, as more and more travel companies and airlines begin requiring passengers to have been vaccinated, that will persuade some of those that are unsure to get it done.

 

My worry is that third world countries don't seem to be getting their share of the vaccine and that's just not right.  Apart from the moral issues, as the WHO say - 'nobody's safe until everybody's safe.

 

What do you mean, not "getting their share"?  These countries had every opportunity to make pre-orders for vaccine like other countries did. Oxford vaccine is a cheap as it gets and India will be manufacturing for the poor countries. How many of these countries put up some money to prepare? Instead of building up armies and looting their treasuries, they could have invested a small sum in  preparation or at least reserving/ordering vaccine for health care workers. What's not right is trying to blame others for selfish mismanagement.

[shdmn]

12 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

Some countries are opposed to 'Vaccine' passport - No support in USA and  Canada  PM Trudeau already say he opposes because it is discriminatory.

I'm kind of on the fence about it. I don't think it will be necessary because it sounds like they are not going to let anyone into the country until herd immunity kicks in locally.  So vaccine passports probably won't be of much use.

Edited January 24, 2021 by shdmn

[at15]

would just be more confirmation to people that something nefarious is going on. completely unnecessary.

[simon43]

I don't think that governments have really thought things through, as regards vaccinations and travellers.

 

Right now, millions of people are receiving a Covid-19 vaccine, which IMHO, is a great idea.

 

But where's the proof of that vaccination?  Where is the internationally-recognised Covid passport?  As far as I know, many people are receiving the vaccination and given no proof whatsoever that they have received this, apart from an entry in their hospital records.  Others are given a scrap of paper in whatever format the hospital sees fit.

 

The lack of global standardisation in proof of vaccination is going to create huge issues for travellers => how to proof you've received a vaccination, how to reassure others that your scrap of paper is not fake etc etc.

[TSF]

Going to be 100% certainty after mass vaccination kicks in and the demand for international travel rises. We'll need proof of vax to enter airports, board planes, and enter other countries. People will also need to provide proof of vax when applying for many jobs. Could also see it a requirement for entering sports stadiums, concerts/theaters, large pubs/clubs. And it's going to be a requirement for foreigners to enter Thailand and renew visas to remain in Thailand...no doubt about that one.

[TSF]

19 minutes ago, simon43 said:

I don't think that governments have really thought things through, as regards vaccinations and travellers.

 

Right now, millions of people are receiving a Covid-19 vaccine, which IMHO, is a great idea.

 

But where's the proof of that vaccination?  Where is the internationally-recognised Covid passport?  As far as I know, many people are receiving the vaccination and given no proof whatsoever that they have received this, apart from an entry in their hospital records.  Others are given a scrap of paper in whatever format the hospital sees fit.

 

The lack of global standardisation in proof of vaccination is going to create huge issues for travellers => how to proof you've received a vaccination, how to reassure others that your scrap of paper is not fake etc etc.

It's not going to be a scrap of paper. At the present time mass vaccination hasn't started, so far it's only been some aged people and health care workers in a handful of countries, and so far no demand for proof of vax from these people. But when mass vax programs kick in and the demand for proof increases there are hospital/doctor's records of who has been vaccinated. This information can be added of E-passorts, people can be issued  with photo ID cards, info can be stored online just like visas are. My TGF gets approved for a visitor visa for Australia and it's all online. All her personal info, visa details & conditions, all there online for airport officials to scrutinize.

[Destiny1990]

Requirements for this place will not just be a proof of ur vaccination... Probably still testing , quarantines, and another 20 plus of rules enjoy ur trip.

[richard_smith237]

35 minutes ago, TSF said:

Going to be 100% certainty after mass vaccination kicks in and the demand for international travel rises. We'll need proof of vax to enter airports, board planes, and enter other countries. People will also need to provide proof of vax when applying for many jobs. Could also see it a requirement for entering sports stadiums, concerts/theaters, large pubs/clubs. And it's going to be a requirement for foreigners to enter Thailand and renew visas to remain in Thailand...no doubt about that one.

 

Its already happening in some countries... 

An App on your phone registers your ‘Covid-19 status’ you have to show your phone App to security when entering a hotel, a shopping mall etc... (smaller shops no need). 

 

There is already a Vaccination Passport (Yellow one - for yellow fever etc) so there is something in place which is recognised internationally, but it would be difficult to carry that around.

 

In places like Thailand an APP would work, or a Covid-ID card etc... But in places such as the UK where we can;’t even get a Photo ID card system because people cry about their freedoms and rights, insisting on such ID or that everyone uses an APP will be met with resistance. 

 

It's going to be messy - Ultimately, I suspect the only people required to prove they have been vaccinated are International travellers, the rest may be controlled at a more local level by individual companies. 

 

Many schools already check vaccination records (my Son’s international school did).

 

We may just see anywhere where there is some level of control that Vaccine ID (proof of vaccination) is required, anywhere else, in every day life / every day domestic movement the requirement to prove vaccination is simply too complex and clumsy to handle effectively, some places may try then give up.

[jobsworth]

This vaccination is unlike any other.

It is not just the dead virus so as to produce antibodies.

It modifies your DNA and is the first of a whole new line of treatments.

We don't know what much of our DNA does.

 

[Jeffr2]

8 minutes ago, jobsworth said:

This vaccination is unlike any other.

It is not just the dead virus so as to produce antibodies.

It modifies your DNA and is the first of a whole new line of treatments.

We don't know what much of our DNA does.

 

Some of the jabs are like this, others do it the old fashioned way, dead viruses.  The Chinese jab is one that does this.

 

There are some 300 jabs on the horizon, and the ones already out will be modified to be a single jab, and be able to be stored at "normal" temps.  The J&J is one and should be out in a few months.

 

Things are going to be changing a lot in the future.  Hopefully for the better!

 

Australia has already said they won't open international travel this year, and Qantas has said a vaccine will be required if you want to fly with them.

 

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/overseas-travel-for-australians-is-unlikely-this-year-even-with-coronavirus-vaccinations

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-55048438

 

 

 

 

[Skypirate]

Covid positive in OCT 2020

4 Covid neg tests since then

2 Vaccine injections (MOD)

 

I have yet to see any local or international travel restrictions relaxed on my behalf.  However, I am anxiously awaiting any progress on it.  If and when that evolves, I am somewhat intrigued has how it will be administered.  Certainly a local immunization card won't be accepted.

 

[millymoopoo]

On 1/23/2021 at 7:44 PM, KhaoYai said:

Several travel companies and airlines have stated that they plan to introduce a requirement that customers must have been vaccinated against Covid 19

QANTAS, when resuming international flights, plans to only accept passengers who have a vaccination certificate, or as they put it a 'vaccination passport'.

Australians have a vaccination register (Australian Immunisation Register) part of Medicare, this shows all vaccinations, not just covid19, e-copies of this may be part of the 'passport', or the register may be linked (uploaded) to the chip inside passports.

The Australian government (Immigration & border security) will most probably require proof of vaccination from incoming passengers once the border is open. No vaccination, no entry.

Do not be surprised if most other countries will follow suit.

It will never return to pre corona virus normal.

Did the world return to pre 9/11 normal after 9/11.?

[Jeffr2]

15 minutes ago, millymoopoo said:

QANTAS, when resuming international flights, plans to only accept passengers who have a vaccination certificate, or as they put it a 'vaccination passport'.

Australians have a vaccination register (Australian Immunisation Register) part of Medicare, this shows all vaccinations, not just covid19, e-copies of this may be part of the 'passport', or the register may be linked (uploaded) to the chip inside passports.

The Australian government (Immigration & border security) will most probably require proof of vaccination from incoming passengers once the border is open. No vaccination, no entry.

Do not be surprised if most other countries will follow suit.

It will never return to pre corona virus normal.

Did the world return to pre 9/11 normal after 9/11.?

Well put.  Travel was totally different after 9/11.

[CygnusX1]

Some expert virologists think that there’s no proof that any of the vaccines will actually prevent people from catching and transmitting the virus, but will only reduce the severity of symptoms. If that’s the case, and I hope it’s not, then vaccinated people could conceivably be more likely to transmit the virus, as they’d be more likely to have only mild symptoms, and hence less likely to self isolate.