Foreigners stranded in Thailand due to COVID-19 can now stay until end of July

[NanLaew]

20 hours ago, SouthernMan3 said:

Here's the BIG question: When and where will vaccines be available for us X pats here ???

 Based on discussions with certain hospital staff and people who work with government departments, I would expect to see the large private hospitals in Bangkok commence selling Covid vaccinations within the next couple of months.

[Wongkitlo]

16 hours ago, dogfish180 said:

https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/travel-restrictions

 

As I said, nobody is "stranded"

Posting an excerpt saying people must quarantine means nothing. Australia has caps on arrivals which makes it expensive for the airlines to fly in 30 people per flight instead of the usual 200+. Airlines sell seats to the highest bidder. If you can not afford to pay you must wait so you are stranded.

[Wongkitlo]

2 hours ago, loong said:

Thank you for clarifying.
I must admit that I thought that there were still restrictions at the border crossings.

When I did my 90 day the immigration office was packed with Asians getting the covid extensions.

I have some Laos friends and it surprises me that they have been lying to me when they claim that they cannot return home for a visit.

Maybe they meant that if they returned home for a visit, it would be too difficult for them to come back to Thailand.

It is another part of the problem. Even if it is possible to leave it may he harder to return. Many have family in Thailand and are used to going back and forth from Australia to be with family in both countries. Knowing that if you leave your wife or child  you  do not know how long till you will be able to see them again is a very sad situation.

[NanLaew]

10 hours ago, Wongkitlo said:

Posting an excerpt saying people must quarantine means nothing. Australia has caps on arrivals which makes it expensive for the airlines to fly in 30 people per flight instead of the usual 200+. Airlines sell seats to the highest bidder. If you can not afford to pay you must wait so you are stranded.

Thus the myth of airlines acting like highwaymen is perpetuated by people who aren't really all that interested in going home.

 

Last summer, when getting a repatriation flight to Australia was REALLY DIFFICULT, my friend got bounced of three BKK-HKG-SYD flights over about two months but he didn't ever need to pay over the odds. No money was taken where he needed to wait for a refund. It was quite well organized and there was no airline mafia raping wallets.

 

So try harder or stop gurning.

[Wongkitlo]

12 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Thus the myth of airlines acting like highwaymen is perpetuated by people who aren't really all that interested in going home.

 

Last summer, when getting a repatriation flight to Australia was REALLY DIFFICULT, my friend got bounced of three BKK-HKG-SYD flights over about two months but he didn't ever need to pay over the odds. No money was taken where he needed to wait for a refund. It was quite well organized and there was no airline mafia raping wallets.

 

So try harder or stop gurning.

He must have been lucky. I have a voucher for close to $800 which I can't get money for. I had a Cathay Pacific flight and they refunded quickly after they cancelled it but there was about 40 AUD in bank charges and currency fluctuations. I  contacted Cathay recently and their next flight was July for 1500 aud economy. My last Cathay one they cancelled was only 700 AUD. Doesn't it seem obvious to all you saying it is easy to get to Australia that if it was as you say, the embassy would not be organizing flights. If people can just get on a plane as you all say, why would an Embassy bother organizing a weekly repat flight. I have heard the archaic term 'gurning' but it more describes what you are all doing. The original  post is about visa extensions. You are the ones pushing the "you should go home.  You have had your chance " Don't you have anything better to do.

Edited April 3, 2021 by Wongkitlo
Edit

[Percy P]

On 3/31/2021 at 7:31 AM, Enzian said:

I'm not "stranded" in Thailand, it's just that my home state of CA still has almost 200 new dead every day and I'm over 80. Same with my favorite place, Italy; getting worse not better there.

Same with many long stay people. I'm English and dread having to go back there . At the moment England has a quarantine period . How does one get back into Thailand and they themselves have a quarantine period.

[Percy P]

On 3/31/2021 at 8:14 AM, lanng khao said:

I've just had a 60 day extension on my non o, it said I have to leave the country by the 9 th of June, can I extend that now  in may to stay till end of July?.

Yes

[starky]

On 4/1/2021 at 3:56 PM, Konini said:

 

I'm not sure what figures these are, but Victoria hasn't had any international arrivals (apart from crew on cargo flights) since the little oopsie on Feb 5th.  They will resume next week.  800/week to start then back up to 1,100/week.  From memory QLD are capped at 500 per week at the moment, NSW 1,500 and a few hundred in WA and SA.  Flight crews have to go into the hotels too, so there's a lot of the spaces taken before you start with passengers.  I can't be bothered looking for numbers of completed quarantines, you have your mind made up.

 

Pretty lucky that you got to Thailand though.  Twice.  Written permission from Border Control before you're allowed to leave the country, and they weren't letting people leave to visit dying parents or attend their funerals last year, I think they eased up on it a bit now because of the outcry, but going on your jollies isn't a permitted reason to leave Australia at the moment. 

 

I'm really not sure I'd boast about it though.  A second hand story here, I don't know this person.  A relative of a close friend stuck in UK tried to get back for his terminally ill father's last weeks towards the end of August last year.  NBG.  He stayed on the list trying to get back for the funeral.  NBG.  He's still on the list trying to get back just to be  with his mum.   He lives and works in UK, just wanted to see his dad before he died then back to UK, now just want to give his mum a big hug and back to UK.  But he couldn't, because all the flights he booked were cancelled or he was bumped (still trying to get refunds for some of the flights by the way; fortunately he is in a position where he could keep putting flights on his credit card without worrying about when he'll get refunded so he has enough money to book another, and after the first couple of failures he's been booking business class direct with airlines not from agents).  He was cancelled and bumped because the airlines couldn't take him.  The airlines couldn't take him because there were no places in quarantine.  You seem to have had two places he could have had.

Yeah mate that little oopsie on the 5th was why Vic dropped down to half what they had in Jan. And those little figures are available from the Australian Bureau of Statstics who I don't think are well known for telling porkies ..... abs.gov.au 

[starky]

On 4/1/2021 at 2:50 PM, Wongkitlo said:

I am sorry if you are getting frustrated. If you will post something that seems far different from people's experiences you must expect replies questioning your opinion. If you can afford the money for business class  great for you but not everyone can. I read a message from an elderly gentleman  last week who had finally been accepted for the $1100 embassy flight after trying since Xmas.  Even if it was 5600 arriving at Brisbane  in 28 days it is still impossible to believe. You are still claiming that  28% percent of all international  arrivals to Brisbane in February are coming from BKK. I know it is April Fools day but I thought you are being serious.

 

And still you doubt the figures? Lol what a pork chop . That is the official count from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. They are the arrival numbers internationally by state, no correspondence to be entered into. Never once made a claim about what percentage come from Bangkok in fact I said the complete opposite.  Actually I said I wouldn't be surprised but I have no way to confirm or deny. 

   If you want to have a debate work on your reading comprehension.  Or just say I'm a broke I got no family and friends that can help me out so I'm hanging in Thailand till things improve. 

Edited April 3, 2021 by starky

[starky]

On 4/2/2021 at 1:33 PM, Wongkitlo said:

It is another part of the problem. Even if it is possible to leave it may he harder to return. Many have family in Thailand and are used to going back and forth from Australia to be with family in both countries. Knowing that if you leave your wife or child  you  do not know how long till you will be able to see them again is a very sad situation.

How would you not see them again? I've got a wife and 2 children here and managed to come and go 2 times in the last 6 months. How can you support a family in Thailand if you don't have the ways and means to come up with enough money to get a flight home. If ya that broke you won't have to pay for your quarantine or you can pay it off over a year.  Yes many have families but many also have the means to support them

[Wongkitlo]

3 hours ago, starky said:

How would you not see them again? I've got a wife and 2 children here and managed to come and go 2 times in the last 6 months. How can you support a family in Thailand if you don't have the ways and means to come up with enough money to get a flight home. If ya that broke you won't have to pay for your quarantine or you can pay it off over a year.  Yes many have families but many also have the means to support them

I don't support a family. My wife has her own money. I wasn't even  particularly applying it to myself. I was just saying it adds another complexity to the situation, if you read the post I was commenting on.. Anyway I wrote " not know how long till you see them again. You chose to read it as ' not see them again'

Edited April 3, 2021 by Wongkitlo
Edit

[Wongkitlo]

4 hours ago, starky said:

And still you doubt the figures? Lol what a pork chop . That is the official count from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. They are the arrival numbers internationally by state, no correspondence to be entered into. Never once made a claim about what percentage come from Bangkok in fact I said the complete opposite.  Actually I said I wouldn't be surprised but I have no way to confirm or deny. 

   If you want to have a debate work on your reading comprehension.  Or just say I'm a broke I got no family and friends that can help me out so I'm hanging in Thailand till things improve. 

I was questioning your claim that 400 people fly onto Brisbane per week from  BKK if you bother actually reading. You posted " I just flew from Bkk to Brisbane direct for 2700 business class. There were also plenty of people in Economy 80 people on my flight 5 times a week apparently.". That is 1600 people for February. From BKK. Out of a total of 5600 arrivals that is 28% so you care trying to tell us that 28% of all arrivals come from Thailand.  You are claiming it but it is very hard to believe. 

[NanLaew]

On 4/3/2021 at 9:36 AM, Wongkitlo said:

He must have been lucky. I have a voucher for close to $800 which I can't get money for. I had a Cathay Pacific flight and they refunded quickly after they cancelled it but there was about 40 AUD in bank charges and currency fluctuations. I  contacted Cathay recently and their next flight was July for 1500 aud economy. My last Cathay one they cancelled was only 700 AUD. Doesn't it seem obvious to all you saying it is easy to get to Australia that if it was as you say, the embassy would not be organizing flights. If people can just get on a plane as you all say, why would an Embassy bother organizing a weekly repat flight. I have heard the archaic term 'gurning' but it more describes what you are all doing. The original  post is about visa extensions. You are the ones pushing the "you should go home.  You have had your chance " Don't you have anything better to do.

 

My mate wouldn't consider himself lucky or that his escape from Phuket was easy. Nobody has. However, he was VERY motivated to leave despite having lived in Thailand for the best part of the last twenty years. Motivation is important.

 

Another mate who managed to get back into Australia from Europe just before the lockdown last March now has his immigration status filed as a FIFO worker and has departed Australia to go back to work. He thought he was lucky when he got home just before the quarantine and flight caps started last year. Now he's just motivated to get back to work.

[NanLaew]

On 4/3/2021 at 1:22 PM, Percy P said:

Same with many long stay people. I'm English and dread having to go back there . At the moment England has a quarantine period . How does one get back into Thailand and they themselves have a quarantine period.

 

AFAIK, "dread" isn't a legal immigration status anywhere.

 

UK citizens returning from Thailand need to quarantine for 10-days where they live. They do not need to do it in a dedicated quarantine hotel.

 

They also need to pre-book their Covid-19 tests (2) before entering the UK.

 

Re-entry to Thailand is getting easier with very efficient online procedures for booking all that's required. Restrictions on the types of visa and/or extension that are allowed to enter or re-enter has been relaxed significantly.

[Wongkitlo]

11 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

 

AFAIK, "dread" isn't a legal immigration status anywhere.

 

UK citizens returning from Thailand need to quarantine for 10-days where they live. They do not need to do it in a dedicated quarantine hotel.

 

They also need to pre-book their Covid-19 tests (2) before entering the UK.

 

Re-entry to Thailand is getting easier with very efficient online procedures for booking all that's required. Restrictions on the types of visa and/or extension that are allowed to enter or re-enter has been relaxed significantly.

Is pretty easy to check these things. No one can leave UK till May at the earliest but they are saying they will probably extend the exit ban. Quarantine is 10 days in a hotel- not at home.

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, Wongkitlo said:

Is pretty easy to check these things. No one can leave UK till May at the earliest but they are saying they will probably extend the exit ban. Quarantine is 10 days in a hotel- not at home.

 

Quarantining when you arrive in the UK

If you’re travelling to England you must:

• take 2 coronavirus (COVID-19) tests after you arrive in England - you’ll need to book these before you travel
• either quarantine in the place you’re staying or in a managed quarantine hotel for 10 days when you arrive in England

What you need to do depends on where you travel in the 10 days before you arrive in England.

If you travel in or through a country on the banned travel list (sometimes called the ‘red list’) in those 10 days you will need to quarantine in a managed quarantine hotel. If you do not travel in or through a country on the banned travel list in those 10 days you will need to quarantine in the place you’re staying.

 

https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control/self-isolating-when-you-arrive

[Wongkitlo]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

 

Quarantining when you arrive in the UK

If you’re travelling to England you must:

• take 2 coronavirus (COVID-19) tests after you arrive in England - you’ll need to book these before you travel
• either quarantine in the place you’re staying or in a managed quarantine hotel for 10 days when you arrive in England

What you need to do depends on where you travel in the 10 days before you arrive in England.

If you travel in or through a country on the banned travel list (sometimes called the ‘red list’) in those 10 days you will need to quarantine in a managed quarantine hotel. If you do not travel in or through a country on the banned travel list in those 10 days you will need to quarantine in the place you’re staying.

 

https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control/self-isolating-when-you-arrive

I read from an article from yesterday that says otherwise. From memory it was a few weeks ago that they introduced hotel quarantine a few weeks back. Regardless they said weeks ago that you can not leave UK for tourism or leisure purposes even though you say otherwise.

Edited April 5, 2021 by Wongkitlo
Edit

[NanLaew]

^    If one has a home in Thailand and valid long-stay Thai Immigration permission (visa and/or extension), then a UK departure will probably be permitted but the travel declaration still has to be submitted. You won't get past check-in without the approval. Although Thailand has re-enabled the 30-day visa-exempt entry (now 45-days incl. ASQ), most people using that will be considered to be short-stay visitors or tourists and travel permission is likely to be denied.

 

The article you read yesterday may well have said that all arrivals must quarantine but the .gov.uk website that I posted is the current current policy, ie. only those arriving in England from red-listed counties do the hotel quarantine.

Edited April 5, 2021 by NanLaew

[Konini]

11 hours ago, NanLaew said:

either quarantine in the place you’re staying or in a managed quarantine hotel for 10 days when you arrive in England

 

It's not quarantine if you're not being held under government supervision, it's self isolation and as has been proven time and time again in UK (and I imagine other countries) a lot of people self isolating willfully break the rules, and some do so accidentally.  I read somewhere last week that those self isolating at home can go out for essential shopping and outdoor exercise but must do it alone and avoid other people (honestly can't remember where I read it, in all likelihood it would be the Melbourne Age or the Guardian, although it could have been on the websites of either BBC or ABC).

 

Quite unbelievable really, but I don't read internet-only news sites or tabloid newspapers and I tend to trust the sources I'm getting my news from and only check elsewhere if something doesn't smell right.

 

The UK government are currently considering hotel quarantine based on the Australian system for everyone who arrives, but people are saying it's too hard because too many people.  More population means more hotels available, if the political will is there they can make it happen.  Covid has escaped the quarantine hotels several times in Australia, all of which are in the centre of the major cities.  Army barracks, mining encampments and even big holiday apartment/cabin/bungalow or  similar with live-in staff/nurses/doctor not going home into the community each night to spread any virus they may pick up would be much more suitable in my opinion.  Not too far from the nearest hospital just in case anyone becomes seriously ill or has an accident or emergency, with an ambulance on-site ready to race to the nearest hospital if required or even a helicopter if the site is deemed too far for an emergency ambulance to reach medical help.  We have a good sized army, navy and airforce.  We are not at war, there are a lot of defence personnel who are trained to do exactly what they are told, so if they were put to work running a quarantine facility, which really is  mainly about organisation and ensuring staff don't do stupid things which exposes them to the virus, they would be the perfect candidates.  What about using one of those cruise ships that are standing empty right now.  They have a lot of rooms with windows, no aircon to recirculate the virus and meals left out the door as they are in the hotels.  Even leaving an empty room between guests as they are now doing in the quarantine hotels would work if the ship were big enough, and I'm quite sure if the word was put out the cruise lines would be very willing to earn a bit of money, and along with the armed forces they are ideally qualified to take care of the catering with trained kitchen staff and waiters possibly on furlough who could get back to work.  All Australian major cities have a big port, no need to go out to sea, just tied up in the port would make an excellent quarantine station in my opinion.  Cruise ships are normally just huge petri dishes, but if controlled properly with no mixing of passengers I can't see why it wouldn't work.

 

Off topic, but some may find this interesting.  The terrible outbreak in Melbourne last year has been traced to a family of 4 returnees placed in hotel quarantine.  The security guards caught the virus and the rest is history; thousands of cases and almost 700 - mainly elderly residents of aged care nursing homes - deaths.    One interesting fact to come out of this is something nobody - and I really mean nobody - had even considered. 

 

Security guards are, to put it bluntly, the bottom of the food chain in most countries I've lived in or visited.  Unskilled, no experience, very low minimum wage industry in countries that have different minimum wages for different jobs based on skill, danger etc.  In Australia, most of the bottom level  of security guards are recent arrivals with a lot of these being international students who are allowed to work so many hours per week to help support themselves.  The next biggest cohort are recent arrivals from developing countries, both migrated through regular channels like Mr K and myself did all those years ago and refugees  - a set number each year are accepted under international obligations.  Students and recent arrivals either arrive with or can later get a visa without much trouble for their fiance or wife.  It was this fact that nobody thought of. 

 

There were immediate concerns voiced because security guards often work part-time, very often are contracting, working for a labour hire company, not knowing if they would have work the next day or not (known as zero hour contracts in UK) and all earn so little they are likely to work for more than one labour hire company and are also likely to work at times as taxi or uber drivers or work for food delivery companies, all of which are jobs with possibly significant contact with the general public and made them bad choices to be working anywhere with the possibility of contracting Covid.  There were other concerns raised, some obvious and some not, but the real problem was not foreseen by anybody; their living arrangements.  Being low paid meant that these 'gig economy' workers often shared houses and flats, sometimes a lot of people squeezed in to share the rent.  A few people did raise this concern, that the security guards often lived in close quarters to taxi and delivery drivers.  But that wasn't the real problem.  Many of them (most if not all were male) lived with their wives or girlfriends, and a good number of them were refugees who came to Australia with their families and lived in what the authorities call multiple family households; they lived with their parents, perhaps grandparents, perhaps brothers and sisters, perhaps partners and children too.  To say this category were squeezed in tightly is an understatement, with 8, 9 or 10 people in one household not being unusual.  And here lies the problem; the wives, girlfriends, siblings, and parents if of working age were in the same boat as the security guards.  They were also unskilled, lacked experience or a work history and worked in similar 'gig economy' jobs.  The women very often work in the female equivalent of the security guard - aged care assistants.  The men brought Covid home with them and the women took it to the nursing homes, where it spread like wildfire.  Like the men, those working in aged care are all employed by labour hire companies, and like the men all are employed on a daily basis, finding out during the day if they are required to work tomorrow, and which facility they will be working in.  This made the spread of the virus around multiple aged care facilities so much faster.  Really obvious when you think about it, but so obvious nobody thought about it. 

 

A lot of very highly qualified people are kicking themselves for not piecing this together before it happened.  It was a case of people quite simply not thinking about it as a possibility, and I don't really blame them.  Part of my job back in the dark ages was to play devil's advocate and think of everything that could go wrong with and come up with every possible negative in relation a decision which was to be made, and I could come up with some really bizarre left of field possibilities.  On reflection, despite how obvious it is, I can honestly say I wouldn't have joined the dots.  

 

I say this without wishing to degrade those working as security guards or in particularly those in the aged care sector.  I know I couldn't do the job that those people do, and they have my full respect regardless of their citizenship, visa or immigration status.  These are the people who are or will be caring for our parents and one day, maybe us.