Thailand may INCREASE quarantine for some travellers

[KhaoYai]

The case of the South African variant was discovered in quarantine which shows that quarantine is working.  Although there is emerging evidence that the variant displays some resistance to vaccines and spreads more readily, I haven't seen anything that states the infection lasts longer.  Why would extending quarantine make any difference?

 

The variant is already present in several other countries so with Thailand's 'porous' borders, the South African variant may well arrive in the country before too long - quarantine won't stop that.

 

They'd be better off spending their time on getting the vaccination programme going.

[BernieOnTour]

11 hours ago, ukrules said:

They're even quarantining people in hotels in the UK now due to this new African variant, British and Irish people only - if you're not British or Irish, forget about entering the UK from Africa  - it's not happening.

 

Interesting...

First, we had the dangerous UK mutation, coming from that “terrible” country, which was so impudent to leave the “wonderful” EU with its Brexit.

 

Now, we have the dangerous Southafrican mutation, coming from a continent, where there’s only light lockdown (South Africa, Kenia) or even no lockdown (Tanzania, Zanzibar, Madagascar).

 

... by the way, if one would check the viral genome data bases, he would find out:

In the meantime, we have now more than 7000 mutations !

 

What next, with 7000 mutations?

- The Wales mutation, the Northern Ireland mutation, the Paris mutation, the Canary islands mutation, the Florida mutation, the South Dakota mutation (no lockdown), the North Dakota mutation (lockdown) ???

[KhaoYai]

36 minutes ago, Kalasin Jo said:

Thai nationals are required to take a PCR test with negative result not more than 72 hours before an international flight arriving in Bangkok.... not by the Thai government but by the airlines, including Thai International repatriation flights

My wife flew home to Thailand on a repatriation flight with Thai Airways and I can assure you she was not required to provide a negative Covid 19 test. On repatriation flights only Non Thai nationals have to have a test. Both Thai and Non Thai nationals have to provide the worthless 'Fit to Fly' letter.

Edited February 16, 2021 by KhaoYai

[FarFlungFalang]

2 hours ago, Jonathan Swift said:

Please enlighten us as to how the process could have been made any faster here or anywhere else in the world, given that these vaccines have already been created and tested in record shattering time. And would you also include your own plan for mass distribution to tens of millions of people? If you think it's so easy to do maybe you should volunteer instead of complaining. 

Didn't Thailand decline India's offer of 2 million doses of the Astra Zeneca vaccine not long ago?Accepting that offer would have made the process fast by a long shot.

[high plane drifter]

Vaccin does not protect you from having covid or spreading it.

 

20 days quarantine  ,,,another way to get your $$$$

[D M G]

12 hours ago, madmitch said:

There's a Brazilian variant which is present in Portugal.

 

Not sure whether an extra week in quarantine will make any difference.

 

Sounds like Thailand will still be quarantining when the rest of the (vaccinated) world might start to cautiously open.

Thailand will really have a problem if the Eskimo strain gets in from the North Pole.  Then it's curtains.

[SupermarineS6B]

13 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

you see how this will go on for a very long time. 

 

2023...

They're loving it, it's just another excuse they needed to weed out all those pesky farangs.....    I wonder if they'll be so picky with the Chinese ?     Stupid question ? 

 

[SupermarineS6B]

2 hours ago, BernieOnTour said:

 

Interesting...

First, we had the dangerous UK mutation, coming from that “terrible” country, which was so impudent to leave the “wonderful” EU with its Brexit.

 

Now, we have the dangerous Southafrican mutation, coming from a continent, where there’s only light lockdown (South Africa, Kenia) or even no lockdown (Tanzania, Zanzibar, Madagascar).

 

... by the way, if one would check the viral genome data bases, he would find out:

In the meantime, we have now more than 7000 mutations !

 

What next, with 7000 mutations?

- The Wales mutation, the Northern Ireland mutation, the Paris mutation, the Canary islands mutation, the Florida mutation, the South Dakota mutation (no lockdown), the North Dakota mutation (lockdown) ???

Hey you missed out the Sukhumvit mutation......  Don't short change the superior beings........ 

[onthedarkside]

An all caps "shouting" post, a conspiracy post and a post with a profanity term have been removed.

 

[Stuart G]

13 hours ago, ukrules said:

 

The African variant is a little too different to the other variants and there are questions about the vaccine efficacy but no real evidence yet - it's panic.

 

They're even quarantining people in hotels in the UK now due to this new African variant, British and Irish people only - if you're not British or Irish, forget about entering the UK from Africa  - it's not happening.

 

Apparently Portugal is on the list of countries where it's present as well which means it's gained a foothold in mainland Europe.

 

I think that you are forgetting all the people illegally entering the UK every day. 

I doubt they are going to stay in a quarantine hotel.

[Stuart G]

12 hours ago, JonnyF said:

This is exactly the reason people won't be travelling en masse any time soon.

 

Book your flight, get your certificates, pay for quarantine etc. then a new strain or a new rule comes out just before you fly and you're locked up for 21 days instead of 14. Test positive for the SA strain and you might also end up in a private hospital for as long as some official decides is necessary. Thousand upon thousands of pounds down the drain.

 

Most people will decide it's not worth the risk. Certainly not for a holiday.

 

Maybe time for TAT to revise their worst case scenario down from 2 million?

 

 

I am not sure why they keep quoting 14 days?all ASQ hotel packages I have seen are 16 days.

So the 21 days,will more than likely be 23 day packages.

[Jiggo]

13 hours ago, Boomer6969 said:

Makes perfect sense. But yes with regards to tourism we are back to the fifties.

2 weeks in Bournemouth it is then. 

[Blumpie]

7 hours ago, brucegoniners said:

I'm looking at my watch to see how long it will be until they reverse course on this ridiculousness...

They never said it was going to happen.

Much like everything, they put out these stories to see the level of outrage and then reverse course, bonk themselves on the head, and gleefully forget what they even said.  As has been happening this entire pandemic.  

[Stuart G]

2 hours ago, FarFlungFalang said:

Didn't Thailand decline India's offer of 2 million doses of the Astra Zeneca vaccine not long ago?Accepting that offer would have made the process fast by a long shot.

Thailand could not accept a gift from India.

As it would be a loss of face for big brother China.

I think most Thais still believe Covid 19,did not come from there.

[Boomer6969]

8 minutes ago, Jiggo said:

2 weeks in Bournemouth it is then. 

Spent a week there, long time ago, for a Business Process Improvement seminar. Boom boomed one of the instructors who liked my French accent. So not so bad a place.

[josephbloggs]

26 minutes ago, Stuart G said:

Thailand could not accept a gift from India.

As it would be a loss of face for big brother China.

I think most Thais still believe Covid 19,did not come from there.

Utter nonsense.

[VBF]

4 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

I would like to but its not available in Thailand to watch

You need to use a VPN or Proxy to watch BBC outside UK

if you use Chrome browser try Browsec or Hola free VPN extensions - one or the other has a always worked for me

Edited February 16, 2021 by VBF

[koolkarl]

Just think, all you guys in Thailand will be stuck in Thailand choking on incredible air pollution

constantly coming from China with an added boost from the farmers burning their fields.

Lucky you.

[Bkktodd]

14 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

It's not about tourism at the moment, do you not get that?  No one is expecting tourists to do three weeks quarantine, this is about trying to protect Thailand from the virus.

Maybe Thailand should have thought about that when turning a blind eye to the local illegal immigration of COVID from Burma.  Amazing (corrupt) Thailand 

[Bkktodd]

1 hour ago, Stuart G said:

I am not sure why they keep quoting 14 days?all ASQ hotel packages I have seen are 16 days.

So the 21 days,will more than likely be 23 day packages.

Yup trust me. I spent 16 days/ 15 nights on San Quarantino.  First day is day Zero.  Doesnt count

Edited February 16, 2021 by Bkktodd

[sambum]

Not strictly on topic, but from TAT one year ago:-

 

"Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) cut its estimate for international arrivals to 33 million in 2020, while tourism businesses have been knocked hard by the Covid-19 spreading around the world."

 

I wonder how many times this figure has been "downsized" and what is the latest estimate, bearing in mind the latest suggestions re INCREASED quarantine for some visitors i.e.:-

 

"While Dr Apisamai didn’t state exactly which other countries are considered “high risk”, Thai news site Daily News, reported that the more contagious variant is prevalent in many European countries, including the United Kingdom, Belgium and Switzerland and has also been found in Australia and the United States."

 

(Note: Re the holiday entitlement of US workers - from Google:- "The number of days varies from employer to employer, but on average, US workers receive around 10 days of paid holiday each year. In addition, this holiday time is often accrued, which means that US staff will need to be working in their job for 12 months before they're entitled to 10 days of holiday." Which means that most Americans haven't even got enough holiday entitlement to spend in quarantine as it stands in Thailand, never mind if the requirement is increased!!!! )

[upu2]

15 hours ago, gunderhill said:

I  don't  think most Africans get even 1  day  holiday.

Agreed but I know quite a few expats who work in Africa on a 4/4 basis. It will cripple them.

[spidermike007]

DIt barely matters at this point. There is no international tourism to Thailand at this point, so the difference between 14 and 21 days might mean 3,000 tourists in 2021, instead of 4,100. And domestic tourism is dead, due to Prayuth and Anutin not taking any action at ground zero (Samut Sakhon) on day one. 

 

And am I the only one who is skeptical about the "Covid variants"?

[sirineou]

I have stopped even paying attention what government spoken say. 

A few months they announced  approval of  a reduction to 10 days, then it is still 14  really 16 days, then vaccinated people will be exempted  from quarantine,   now high risk countries subject to 21 days quarantine.  Next week tourist will be required to hop on one foot and whistle Dixie. 

I think they just like the sound of their own voice and whenever they see a microphone they run to it and make up  sh#t.   

[Jumbo1968]

15 minutes ago, sirineou said:

I have stopped even paying attention what government spoken say. 

A few months they announced  approval of  a reduction to 10 days, then it is still 14  really 16 days, then vaccinated people will be exempted  from quarantine,   now high risk countries subject to 21 days quarantine.  Next week tourist will be required to hop on one foot and whistle Dixie. 

I think they just like the sound of their own voice and whenever they see a microphone they run to it and make up  sh#t.   

Don’t mention 10 days the ASQ Hotels won’t like that, less revenue then they will still charge the same as for 15 days.

[Miami007]

16 hours ago, ukrules said:

 

The African variant is a little too different to the other variants and there are questions about the vaccine efficacy but no real evidence yet - it's panic.

 

They're even quarantining people in hotels in the UK now due to this new African variant, British and Irish people only - if you're not British or Irish, forget about entering the UK from Africa  - it's not happening.

 

Apparently Portugal is on the list of countries where it's present as well which means it's gained a foothold in mainland Europe.

 

It is in many countries in Europe - and the number of cases in South Africa is dropping like a stone :).  It is so highly contagious that new infections per day are back to November 2020 levels...  Just wondering why nobody is looking at these graphs.

BTW, the numbers in the UK look similar - even with the "highly contagious UK variant" - there will always be a mutation and new strain.  We either lock down forever or take some risk eventually before we destroyed the economy for everyone

[Miami007]

5 hours ago, BernieOnTour said:

 

Interesting...

First, we had the dangerous UK mutation, coming from that “terrible” country, which was so impudent to leave the “wonderful” EU with its Brexit.

 

Now, we have the dangerous Southafrican mutation, coming from a continent, where there’s only light lockdown (South Africa, Kenia) or even no lockdown (Tanzania, Zanzibar, Madagascar).

 

... by the way, if one would check the viral genome data bases, he would find out:

In the meantime, we have now more than 7000 mutations !

 

What next, with 7000 mutations?

- The Wales mutation, the Northern Ireland mutation, the Paris mutation, the Canary islands mutation, the Florida mutation, the South Dakota mutation (no lockdown), the North Dakota mutation (lockdown) ???

You may be joking, but the USA news yesterday spoke about 7 new variants found in the USA (for some reason named after birds). 

Anyone who looks at the new daily cases in the UK and South Africa can see a steep decline in countries with the "highly contagious" strains... sort of counter-intuitive that the cases fall, when this variant is sooo dangerous and infectious.

 

There will always be a variant to justify the next lockdown.  

 

[Miami007]

7 hours ago, Jonathan Swift said:

Each and every expert on this has already been saying for some time this is something that may always be with us, like the flu. Vaccines and protective measures will reduce the threat But it will likely never disappear. It is foolish for anyone to think otherwise

Unfortunately, there are many people and many governments who believe that "zero-covid" is possible through lockdowns etc.  The sooner everyone realizes that the virus will be here forever, the better as it will lead to workable solutions

[Miami007]

7 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

No need they are already vaccinating have you not noticed? https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations

5% is not something to be proud of... especially when the UK has 23% and Israel over 70%.  

[whaleboneman]

9 hours ago, Jonathan Swift said:

Please enlighten us as to how the process could have been made any faster here or anywhere else in the world, given that these vaccines have already been created and tested in record shattering time. And would you also include your own plan for mass distribution to tens of millions of people? If you think it's so easy to do maybe you should volunteer instead of complaining. 

Thailand vs Israel. Vaccination roll-out. Discuss.