New Quarantine Rules a Disappointment

[rastlin]

Having recently completed the 2 series vaccine series in the U.S., suffice it to say I was very disappointed in the new quarantine rules recently released.  As I understand the rules:

 

-Fully vaccinated travelers *within 3 months*=7 day quarantine.

-Fully vaccinated travelers *done 3 months prior or more*=10 day quarantine.

-Non vaccinated travelers with negative test=10 day quarantine.

-14 day quarantine if from Africa.

And before I start complaining, I understand:

-This is Thailand

-Their country, their rules. (see above)

-There is understandable reluctance regarding new strains and the remote possibility of someone vaccinated still being dangerous.  And of course, a government would want to protect its citizens.

 

But geez....

Where does this whole 3 month rule on vaccinations come from?  Are they serious?  Unless someone books a trip right after immunization (and most tourist plan international trips more than 3 months in advance) it is a 10 day quarantine.

Why would the rule treat unimmunized tourists the same as immunized greater than 3 months?  There is no doubt some risk-reduction benefit to being vaccinated!

And where does the 7 day quarantine come from anyway?  Why not 3?  Or 8? Or 1?

 

Like I said, Thais can (and will) do whatever they like.  But until they waive the quarantine requirement they can forget about most tourists.  Being locked in some roach motel for 7-10 days (and do they actually lock you in?  If so, what if there is a fire?) is not how any tourist is going to want to start a holiday. Tourists will just go to one of the ever growing list of countries welcoming in vaccinated tourists.

Hopefully, once these rules fail to generate significant increase in tourism (yacht quarantine, you gotta be kidding) they will relax the rules further.  I understand it is a risk-reward situation.  And I also understand maybe they want to wait a while and make sure the vaccines really do work.  But the evidence grows clearer every day that vaccination works.

A tourist boom awaits Thailand as soon as they get rid of that dratted quarantine.

Lets hope it happens soon!

[richard_smith237]

Don’t worry about it too much... It will change again tomorrow, and again after that with the next announcement. 

 

And.. are the announcements you read even official ? - it seems every announcement is made by some politician, doctor, business man, tourism authority etc just spouting off to the media claiming a moment in the spotlight without any official or legal backing... 

 

It’s almost as if the people making these announcements are doing so to influence any official policy change if or when it comes. 

[richard_smith237]

36 minutes ago, rastlin said:

Being locked in some roach motel for 7-10 days (and do they actually lock you in?  If so, what if there is a fire?)

Its not that they lock you in, they have to lock the roaches out !!! 

 

That can’t have been a serious question, right ?????

[onebir]

58 minutes ago, rastlin said:

Why would the rule treat unimmunized tourists the same as immunized greater than 3 months? 

The vaccines haven't been around that long, I guess they're just making a worst case assumption.

What about the 14 days for travellers from Africa, when only SA has a big problem...?

[KhaoYai]

I think more details will become available shortly.  They are unlikley to attract many tourists whilst they have any form of quarantine and even less if the 3 month rule is as was stated in the original announcment on Thaivisa. That won't work for many people, they don't get to choose when they get vaccinated. 

I've had my first dose, my second is in May so as I understand it (according to the announcment), I would have to travel before August/September.  I don't think anybody knows how long a vaccine gives protection yet and my government at least, has not stated how often people will have to be vaccinated in the future.  I can't just roll up at my doctor's and demand another vaccination because I need to travel (yet) and I don't think anybody can. 

The whole thing is up in the air at the moment but its clear the application of the 7 day quarantine as reported so far, won't do much to help Thai toursim.  I'm hoping for more favourable news when the details are released.

A note of caution - according to my wife there's been quite a backlash against Chan-o-Cha's announcement, including some from doctor's groups in Thailand.  I doubt that will make hime change his mind on 7 day quarantine completely - he's not known for listening to public opinion but it could affect the 'small print' when it becomes available.

[KhaoYai]

36 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

And.. are the announcements you read even official ?

The announcment was on Thaivisa, from Reuters and quoting the Thai Deputy Prime Minister/Health Minister.

Edited March 10, 2021 by KhaoYai

[rastlin]

29 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Its not that they lock you in, they have to lock the roaches out !!! 

 

That can’t have been a serious question, right ?????

Actually, it was.  My friend told me "he heard" the room door AND windows were locked during the quarantine period so the quarantined tourist could not sneak out.

My first thought was "no way" but this is Thailand.  These types of worries-true or false-don't increase the desire for tourists to come visit the land of smiles. 

[richard_smith237]

14 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

The announcment was on Thaivisa, from Reuters and quoting the Thai Deputy Prime Minister/Health Minister.

You mean Anutin... who’s been making various announcement throughout... There was also an announcement about Golf Quarantine, Yatch Quarantine and Area Quarantine... 

 

Anutin’s announcements probably hold more water, however, if this were official there would be a definite start date of such a policy - currently the ‘improved’ quarantine may start in April or May...

 

Its a step in the right direction, but for now like many of Anutin’s other announcements, it means nothing until we actually see something more definitive.

 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

19 minutes ago, rastlin said:

Actually, it was.  My friend told me "he heard" the room door AND windows were locked during the quarantine period so the quarantined tourist could not sneak out.

My first thought was "no way" but this is Thailand.  These types of worries-true or false-don't increase the desire for tourists to come visit the land of smiles. 

 

Nothing like perpetuating complete bo!!o<ks !!!! 

 

Anyone is physically ‘free’ to walk out of quarantine at any time, the security and staff will try to stop you but there is not much they can do. The police will probably be called. In effect you would be a fugitive and would most likely compromise your status in Thailand. 

 

So... No you are not ‘locked in’ your rooms. 

 

It was reported that the windows and some balconies in some of the hotels were locked. Some hotels also only unlock the balcony after the first test. 

 

[JensenZ]

2 hours ago, rastlin said:

A tourist boom awaits Thailand as soon as they get rid of that dratted quarantine.

Lets hope it happens soon!

 It has never been better without hundreds of tourist buses jamming all the roads in Pattaya. I'm not looking forward to the boom. 

[sammieuk1]

Any rules seem to emanate from Dr Young using google but of course won't apply to our friends from China ????   

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

Thailand rules follow strictly the WHO reccomendations.

The only difference between Thailand and the U.S. is that the U.S. - and U.K. - never followed

the sceintific common reccomendations, and you see the results .

[KhaoYai]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

You mean Anutin... who’s been making various announcement throughout... There was also an announcement about Golf Quarantine, Yatch Quarantine and Area Quarantine... 

No, he has made some proposals - most have come from the TAT but this was an actual announcement. Quote:

“Foreigners travelling to Thailand with vaccination certificates in accordance with the requirements of each brands, will need to quarantine for only seven days,” Anutin said, referring to the doses needed to be effective.

Note, WILL not MAY or COULD.

 

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

1 hour ago, onebir said:

What about the 14 days for travellers from Africa, when only SA has a big problem...?

acctually SA does not have a big problem. Mexico was never closed, not lockdowns and not airports, and the numbers there are not so bad. maybe worth it considering the damages and deaths that lockdowns cause.

as for africa, nobody really knows what is going there, besides rumors about the south african variant, and thai never had too much patience for politically correctness.

[Mitkof Island]

Its all about $$$$$ nothing to do with really protecting the population. The chosen hotels, insurance companies, etc are laughing all the way to the bank. They are going to drag this out until there are no longer any suckers willing to jump all the hoops and with cash to burn. Why do you need a $2,000 quarantine hotel room for two weeks? Foreigners will just go elsewhere and many expats trying to return will say screw this <deleted>, moving on.

[stament]

4 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

No, he has made some proposals - most have come from the TAT but this was an actual announcement. Quote:

“Foreigners travelling to Thailand with vaccination certificates in accordance with the requirements of each brands, will need to quarantine for only seven days,” Anutin said, referring to the doses needed to be effective.

Note, WILL not MAY or COULD.

 

So no official update yet then?

[LennyW]

Not official yet and unlikely to be, more likely October.

[travelerjim]

14 hours ago, rastlin said:

Having recently completed the 2 series vaccine series in the U.S., suffice it to say I was very disappointed in the new quarantine rules recently released.  As I understand the rules:

 

-Fully vaccinated travelers *within 3 months*=7 day quarantine.

-Fully vaccinated travelers *done 3 months prior or more*=10 day quarantine.

-Non vaccinated travelers with negative test=10 day quarantine.

-14 day quarantine if from Africa.

And before I start complaining, I understand:

-This is Thailand

-Their country, their rules. (see above)

-There is understandable reluctance regarding new strains and the remote possibility of someone vaccinated still being dangerous.  And of course, a government would want to protect its citizens.

 

But geez....

Where does this whole 3 month rule on vaccinations come from?  Are they serious?  Unless someone books a trip right after immunization (and most tourist plan international trips more than 3 months in advance) it is a 10 day quarantine.

Why would the rule treat unimmunized tourists the same as immunized greater than 3 months?  There is no doubt some risk-reduction benefit to being vaccinated!

And where does the 7 day quarantine come from anyway?  Why not 3?  Or 8? Or 1?

 

Like I said, Thais can (and will) do whatever they like.  But until they waive the quarantine requirement they can forget about most tourists.  Being locked in some roach motel for 7-10 days (and do they actually lock you in?  If so, what if there is a fire?) is not how any tourist is going to want to start a holiday. Tourists will just go to one of the ever growing list of countries welcoming in vaccinated tourists.

Hopefully, once these rules fail to generate significant increase in tourism (yacht quarantine, you gotta be kidding) they will relax the rules further.  I understand it is a risk-reward situation.  And I also understand maybe they want to wait a while and make sure the vaccines really do work.  But the evidence grows clearer every day that vaccination works.

A tourist boom awaits Thailand as soon as they get rid of that dratted quarantine.

Lets hope it happens soon!

You are ahead of the reality

NO CHANGE

JUST PROPOSALS

[treetops]

13 hours ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

Thailand rules follow strictly the WHO reccomendations.

WHO currently recommend "that people who are vaccinated should not be exempt from complying with other travel risk-reduction measures."

So this proposal certainly does not follow that, should it ever be implemented as reported.

Source:  https://www.who.int/news-room/articles-detail/interim-position-paper-considerations-regarding-proof-of-covid-19-vaccination-for-international-travellers

 

[KhaoYai]

2 hours ago, travelerjim said:

You are ahead of the reality

NO CHANGE

JUST PROPOSALS

Did you actually read the news release?

[natway09]

I understand where you are coming from but the world is in unchartered territory  here

so, yes they are being cautious which I cannot blame them for.

Travelling for 15 hours in a plane next to a person who has Covid & you could still be a carrier, so the need for isolation, as you know the jury is still out on this point

Why would you book into a dirty old hotel as there are many beautiful well kept, well maintained hotels to cater for you. 

 

[rioD]

20 hours ago, rastlin said:

Having recently completed the 2 series vaccine series in the U.S., suffice it to say I was very disappointed in the new quarantine rules recently released.  As I understand the rules:

 

-Fully vaccinated travelers *within 3 months*=7 day quarantine.

-Fully vaccinated travelers *done 3 months prior or more*=10 day quarantine.

-Non vaccinated travelers with negative test=10 day quarantine.

-14 day quarantine if from Africa.

And before I start complaining, I understand:

-This is Thailand

-Their country, their rules. (see above)

-There is understandable reluctance regarding new strains and the remote possibility of someone vaccinated still being dangerous.  And of course, a government would want to protect its citizens.

 

But geez....

Where does this whole 3 month rule on vaccinations come from?  Are they serious?  Unless someone books a trip right after immunization (and most tourist plan international trips more than 3 months in advance) it is a 10 day quarantine.

Why would the rule treat unimmunized tourists the same as immunized greater than 3 months?  There is no doubt some risk-reduction benefit to being vaccinated!

And where does the 7 day quarantine come from anyway?  Why not 3?  Or 8? Or 1?

 

Like I said, Thais can (and will) do whatever they like.  But until they waive the quarantine requirement they can forget about most tourists.  Being locked in some roach motel for 7-10 days (and do they actually lock you in?  If so, what if there is a fire?) is not how any tourist is going to want to start a holiday. Tourists will just go to one of the ever growing list of countries welcoming in vaccinated tourists.

Hopefully, once these rules fail to generate significant increase in tourism (yacht quarantine, you gotta be kidding) they will relax the rules further.  I understand it is a risk-reward situation.  And I also understand maybe they want to wait a while and make sure the vaccines really do work.  But the evidence grows clearer every day that vaccination works.

A tourist boom awaits Thailand as soon as they get rid of that dratted quarantine.

Lets hope it happens soon!

The vaccinations do not provide immunity nor is it   a cure.  They do not even claim the vaccines do either.  Therefore vaccinated people remain just as risky as non-vaccinated people.  The only difference they claim is, vaccinations many lessen the severity of the virus if you catch it.

[rioD]

6 hours ago, travelerjim said:

You are ahead of the reality

NO CHANGE

JUST PROPOSALS

The U.S is the COVID capital of the world.  Just because you're vaccinated, you're still in the U.S were the virus is most prevalent. Your vaccinations do not mean you can't catch the virus, it may simply lesson the odds. You can still get it and spread it. You aren't immune and nobody ever claimed the vaccinations would make you immune if you paid attention. 

[richard_smith237]

18 hours ago, JensenZ said:

 It has never been better without hundreds of tourist buses jamming all the roads in Pattaya. I'm not looking forward to the boom. 

Better for you, but perhaps not better for many who are struggling through this depression. 

IF you love the quiet life so much, would it not be better not to live in a tourist hotspot ?

 

I wonder how much better it will get as more and more businesses fail and people start to get more desperate? 

 

Will we see more muggings, more confrontational crime, more burglaries ????

 

 

[tomazbodner]

20 hours ago, rastlin said:

Actually, it was.  My friend told me "he heard" the room door AND windows were locked during the quarantine period so the quarantined tourist could not sneak out.

My first thought was "no way" but this is Thailand.  These types of worries-true or false-don't increase the desire for tourists to come visit the land of smiles. 

You do understand what the purpose of quarantine is, right?

[Thai Visa Member 999999]

21 hours ago, onebir said:

The vaccines haven't been around that long, I guess they're just making a worst case assumption.

What about the 14 days for travellers from Africa, when only SA has a big problem...?

SA cases have plummeted. They're now down to ~870 cases and ~100 deaths per day.

[placeholder]

2 hours ago, rioD said:

The U.S is the COVID capital of the world.  Just because you're vaccinated, you're still in the U.S were the virus is most prevalent. Your vaccinations do not mean you can't catch the virus, it may simply lesson the odds. You can still get it and spread it. You aren't immune and nobody ever claimed the vaccinations would make you immune if you paid attention. 

It may simply lesson the odds? Really? May?

And yes you can still get it. But if you do get it, the odds are overwhelming that you won't need to be hospitalized and you won't die.

[Phillip9]

9 hours ago, Thai Visa Member 999999 said:

SA cases have plummeted. They're now down to ~870 cases and ~100 deaths per day.

But the AstraZeneca vaccine Thailand plans to use has been shown to be completely useless against the SA virus variant.  SA has already stopped using that vaccine entirely.  Thats the reason for the 14 day quarantine.

[Mitkof Island]

10 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

You do understand what the purpose of quarantine is, right?

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[owl sees all]

12 hours ago, rioD said:

The U.S is the COVID capital of the world.  Just because you're vaccinated, you're still in the U.S were the virus is most prevalent. Your vaccinations do not mean you can't catch the virus, it may simply lesson the odds. You can still get it and spread it. You aren't immune and nobody ever claimed the vaccinations would make you immune if you paid attention. 

Indeed.

The 'vaccines' have only been called such because under the emergency PREP (2005) act, trials could be skipped. However, these 'vaccines' must be labeled experimental until 2023, when - and if the trials on the general populas are deemed positive - the experimental label will be removed. The three western 'vaccines' AZ, PF and Moderna are experimental gene therapy. The new J@J 'vaccine' is a different method of altering DNA within the human body. I'm not clued up on what the Chinese and Russian jabs offer.

So! You take the jab; it offers no immunisationation and doesn't prevent either the recipient passing it on or getting it. It is said that it lessens the symptoms of a corona type 'bug'; if one is unfortunate to catch one.

There is a long way to go in this saga. It's only the end of the beginning. Perhaps Thailand's safety first approach is the right one for them.

Edited March 12, 2021 by owl sees all