It’s official: Thai govt approves plans to re-open to foreign tourists

[Elkski]

So if a person travels to Phuket and his gf visits from BKk for some time then goes back to BKK how is this going to keep areas outside these test sand boxes safe?.  How is this idea of a test zone on Phuket acceptable?  Let's say over time the hospitals become overwhelmed in Phuket and they have to close travel again.  All those travel plans by how many thousands of people wasted.  This news would put a final nail in tourism for the foreseeable future. 

[VBF]

1 minute ago, stigar said:

im here as a tourist.Get 45 days visa exsemption from the embassy.I will extend my visa here for 2 more months i think.

That's the sort of timescale I usually enjoy.

Which embassy gives 45 days exemption?  I usually get a 60 day SETV and extend it for 30 

Oh and good luck to you, because I'm just not prepared to do quarantine ..... I shall wait

[stigar]

Just now, VBF said:

That's the sort of timescale I usually enjoy.

Which embassy gives 45 days exemption?  I usually get a 60 day SETV and extend it for 30 

Oh and good luck to you, because I'm just not prepared to do quarantine ..... I shall wait

The embassy in norway.They give online so we dont have to travel to the embassy.Just download passport,travelincurance ,tickets,and the confirmed booking at the hotel.The hotel requierd the same+the COE..incurance..adress in thailand..fit to fly..negative coronatest..fligthtickets..

I only had to pay 50% deposit to the hotel.The rest they charged me after i arrived.

[VBF]

2 minutes ago, Johnnyb2good said:

Mr Dave Sydney...seems to be the ONLY one in this thread who gets it. Bravo.

 

Thousands, indeed millions of us will never take the mRNA experimental gene therapy. I repeat, NEVER.
 

It is not a vax at all, it is not approved, it is not tested, and best if all it neither works nor is safe. So knock yourselves out.

 

If this soon (60/40) means we will be unable to travel, unable to work, unable to exist in society...then so be it. It’s been a good ride, a damn good right.

 

They can take it all. But they can’t take away our souls and our dignity as sentient, educated, spiritual beings.

Praise the Lord and pass the tambourine!!!  ????

Edited March 31, 2021 by VBF

[VBF]

1 minute ago, stigar said:

The embassy in norway.They give online so we dont have to travel to the embassy.Just download passport,travelincurance ,tickets,and the confirmed booking at the hotel.The hotel requierd the same+the COE..incurance..adress in thailand..fit to fly..negative coronatest..fligthtickets..

I only had to pay 50% deposit to the hotel.The rest they charged me after i arrived.

Fair play to you...... have a great trip!  ????

[polpott]

Just now, VBF said:

Praise the Lord and pass the tambourine!!!  ????

Believes in god but not in science. Where does TV get them from? 555

[GeilGeilertzen]

After songkran its back to start. Loads will have covid.
 

Thais have no plan to not drink and not be ba-ba ba-boh 

[VBF]

2 minutes ago, polpott said:

Believes in god but not in science. Where does TV get them from? 555

The Darwin Awards?

[Kadilo]

20 minutes ago, GeilGeilertzen said:

 

.........and not be ba-ba ba-boh 

????

[desert dueller]

2 hours ago, zzzzz said:

people still need to do 14-day quarantine if they arrive from 1st April onwards. Please note, this is nothing to do with citizenship. It’s for anyone travelling to #Thailand from these countries.

Well, Dr Congo should be safe. He can vaccinate himself and issue his own certification accordingly.

[Miami007]

The government does not understand that reducing the quarantine to 7 days is NOT OPENING to tourists.

First, if there is a need for a quarantine to begin with, why reduce to 7 days?  that would be detrimental for public health

If there is no need for a quarantine, why have 7 days?

 

Countries will need to realize that quarantines are deal-breakers for the majority of tourists (different from returning residents, foreign home owners, snowbirds, workers moving to Thailand).  Typical tourists will not spend 7 days or 10 days or 14 days in quarantine before starting their vacation.

 

Tourism business will return when foreign tourists will be allowed to enter and travel throughout the country without quarantine (either restricted to vaccinated or negative tests).  All other Schemes/ plans etc have not worked so far and will not work.  I work in the hotel industry and it is very clear what consumers are willing to do for a vacation and what not.

Other destinations will open to vaccinated people - they will get the tourists.  

 

Phuket's plan has at least a chance to get some people after July - more than today, but still a fraction of 2019 (as China is not allowing their people to leave and return freely).  Personally, I would wait until July 5 to consider booking a trip to Phuket as many things can change between now and July 1.

[Miami007]

4 hours ago, Kadilo said:

They will carry on with some degree of hoop jumping until they have milked every available baht from the lovesick foreigners who can’t wait to get back to their teeraks. No one else is gonna suffer quarantine however they try and glam it up. 

Once they realise that the neighbouring countries are opening up they will about turn and do some serious cringeworthy face saving  to entice expats and tourists back. 

 

 

Vietnam will remain closed for some time but once Bali and the Philippines open, Thailand better wake up...

Quarantine will be a non-starter for substantial tourism numbers. period.

[Miami007]

6 hours ago, madmen said:

Is that a trick question? 600k Dead in USA. 

You bet they know better! 

what does the number of dead people from Covid have to do with the approval of the Moderna/ Pfizer etc vaccine?

Pfizer is approved in Thailand and the USA.  the question was why Moderna is approved in USA/ EU but not Thailand.

 

[peter48]

So when will remainder of Thailand open to  vaccinated foreigners from Europe etc who do not want to go to Phuket or wait until 2022. By  this summer millions of Farang will be vaccinated (indeed in UK by May/June) and they will flood into Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus  or Turkey whom are willing to take vaccinated  Tourists desperate for sun and sea. Hope Thailand moves quicker. 

[roo860]

2 hours ago, lkv said:

 

Stockholm syndrome.

Is he in Stockholm?

[Kadilo]

1 hour ago, Miami007 said:

Vietnam will remain closed for some time but once Bali and the Philippines open, Thailand better wake up...

Quarantine will be a non-starter for substantial tourism numbers. period.

You think they would have learned already any form of quarantine is a non starter for tourists. 2-3 weeks holiday and a week of it stuck on a glorified open prison watching telly and waiting for the day they tell you you can exercise in the yard. Yippee. 
 
If you got a few months to burn then fair enough if you want to take a hit but your average tourist won’t give this a second glance reduced or not. 
 

Add Malta now to Spain, Turkey and Greece happy to take vaccinated tourists with no jail time. Maybe not number one choice for many normally but compared to what’s on offer here at this time it looks fine for a couple of weeks in the sun without all the bull once travel starts again. 

Edited March 31, 2021 by Kadilo

[irishman25]

11 hours ago, Peter parker said:

I am confused they state fully vaxed people quarantine reduced to 7 days not 14. From the first of April. Then further down it states from the first of April Quarantine to be reduced from 14 to 10 days? Which will it be then? Just my few bahts worth on international travel, I and many here in Australia feel the Government will attempt to halt all international travel for as long as possible, in a attempt to force us to spend our hard earned money here. 

yes I agree, trying to understand what they are saying is confusing and it means   different to everybody who reads it? TIT   

[yogavnture]

so if i want to go to an upscure place like some town just south of surat thani.  cant i just go to phuket and then take bus to other areas.  what stops me from doing that.  or beggining next month if im fully vaccinated i can go to anyplace with a 7 day quarantine.  how will that work

[yogavnture]

14 minutes ago, irishman25 said:

yes I agree, trying to understand what they are saying is confusing and it means   different to everybody who reads it? TIT   

im confused as well.  why not just go to phuket with no restriction and then take a bus to krabi or ferry over to krabi from phuket.  what stops me from doing that

[Rocking Robert]

12 hours ago, internationalism said:

without a full vaccination program, that is a death sentence for tens of thousands. This would shut down public health system in those regions, as well as domestic tourism.

 

There are now many new strains, more dangerous than this from wuhan, to which thai probably were immune.

The first wave caused the strain from Italy, in March.

The second wave in december from myanmar workers came from virus from bangladesh

Wow we need to put you in charge

[yogavnture]

3 hours ago, Johnnyb2good said:

Mr Dave Sydney...seems to be the ONLY one in this thread who gets it. Bravo.

 

Thousands, indeed millions of us will never take the mRNA experimental gene therapy. I repeat, NEVER.
 

It is not a vax at all, it is not approved, it is not tested, and best if all it neither works nor is safe. So knock yourselves out.

 

If this soon (60/40) means we will be unable to travel, unable to work, unable to exist in society...then so be it. It’s been a good ride, a damn good right.

 

They can take it all. But they can’t take away our souls and our dignity as sentient, educated, spiritual beings.

no VACCINE NO TRAVEL YOUR CHOICE

[Rocking Robert]

8 hours ago, DjSilver said:

What about all those foreigners who doesn't want to go to a whore and prostitution place like Pattaya or Phuket? Since 99 % of all foreigners who ho there only want to buy sex and also 99 % of all women working there only sell sex in one way or another. I rather stay in Bangkok, since it is the best place in Thailand.

I noticed you did not mention the lady boys sweet thing

[taxin]

12 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

 

Get the Thais all vaccinated and then start to talk about opening up, otherwise this is a disaster waiting to happen.

 

They have already started, well they are about to start in Phuket, first 100,000 doses arriving in April.
 

 

[Toby1947]

Who gives a toss, until quarantine is abolished all together tourist will no be travelling in droves. Back to the drawing board 

[Rocking Robert]

5 hours ago, Elkski said:

 

With all this confusion and ever changing situation all around the World who is going to risk booking a trip to Thailand?  

#1 Delta and I suspect many airlines just removed the suspension on change fees. Delta ended  on bookings March 31. 

#2 70% vax rate in Phuket is a pipe dream as there are to many anti vax people not to mention the sinovac is only 50% effective this 70% number doesn't mean much.

#3 documented cases of vaccinated people testing positive are happening. So risk of  expensive hospital stay is real. How long would this be?https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/small-number-of-fully-vaccinated-people-in-washington-test-positive-for-covid/

#4 airfare is a good 50-70% higher than 18 months ago.  I've been looking recently and have 11 trips last 5 years for comparison. 

#5 vax rate of all countries is still so low so travel on long  international flights  through multiple airports is a risk. 

#5 CDC is worried about spike #4 in USA.  This is with a 20% vax rate.   Currently travel to or through most   all foreign countries is not advised. Local travel is discouraged. Currently Thailand is level 3 as of 3/1/21.    https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/thailand-travel-advisory.html

#6. Does Thailand ever hold steady on any idea long enough to trust things won't change. 

#7. Vax cards like the one I got for my J&I is a simple, easily forged paper slip. Who could verify these.  I was told to add my name later.  I could have made a copy of this document and sell it for anyone to put their name on it.  I think there will be so many counterfeit cards found in the next few months that they will all be worthless.  Most countries including USA are probably not keeping electronic records.  

I believe this woukd be a terrible experiment to do on Phuket.  Why don't they try this in BKK?  Because that's where all the HISO shelter in their hiso air purified abodes. 

I’m from the USA I got a vaccination card and there is a link a safe.cdc.gov. Put in the information they text you a code you enter the 6 number code. Then it shows you all your vaccination information

[Rocking Robert]

The link  is vsafe.cdc.gov

[lkv]

1 hour ago, roo860 said:

Is he in Stockholm?

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_syndrome

 

That's my view on quarantine, and people saying it's awesome.

[connda]

5 hours ago, brain150 said:

Taken straight from the CDC homepage: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/eua/index.html

 

It is important to note again that although CDC’s VIS Code Set files are used to convey the codes for EUA Fact Sheets for Recipients and Caregivers, these Fact Sheets are distinct from VISs. VISs will become available when there are licensed COVID-19 vaccines.

 

 

There is NO licensed Vaccine !!! They all have emergency allowance only !!! Means: they are not tested efficently !!! Risk your life but don't tell others to do so !

 

My freedom does not stop where your fear starts !

 

So what do you do when Thai immigration gives you the choice between taking an experimental vaccine under duress so you can remain in Thailand with your family - or being kicked out.  Of course, now you can't board a plane because you don't have an experimental vaccine in your system. 
So, what's next - life time incarceration in a Immigration Detention Center? Swim? At the end of the day you'll be forced to take it or you'll be jailed until you do.  Rather biblical, don't you think? 

[sirineou]

38 minutes ago, connda said:

So what do you do when Thai immigration gives you the choice between taking an experimental vaccine under duress so you can remain in Thailand with your family - or being kicked out.  Of course, now you can't board a plane because you don't have an experimental vaccine in your system. 
So, what's next - life time incarceration in a Immigration Detention Center? Swim? At the end of the day you'll be forced to take it or you'll be jailed until you do.  Rather biblical, don't you think? 

If you cannot get on a plane because you are unvaccinated , how are all those unvaccinated tourists that need to do the 10 day quarantine get here. Slow boat from China? 

[connda]

5 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

Why are the antivax/vaccine refusal/believer squad being allowed to turn a thread about opening Thailand up into yet another argument about vaccines?

An open forum for the exchange of ideas in the public domain, even if you disagree.  Btw, I'm not antivax.  Get rabies shots annually.  I am pro-safety.

Not keen on experimental vaccines at all. It makes all takers into human lab rats.  It's unethical and violates the The Nuremberg Codes accepted by signatories of the Geneva Convention regarding human testing.  But a fully tested and vetted vaccine with years of test data and proven safety and efficacy.  That's different.  But that is not what is being rolled out.  But they are the experimental vaccines that will be expected that every tourist (and Thai) have injected.  I see that as problematic. If you want to have freedom to travel (by commercial carrier or to enter a sovereign country) you need the vaccination.  If you don't want an experiment vaccine, then you're being force to take it under duress.  However, the first point of the The Nuremberg Codes is - "1.  The voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential."  Implied: No coercion. No doubt legal scholars will be addressing this shortly.  Virtually all governments are telling their public to get ready to have corporations supply the coercion.  No vaccine, no shopping.  No vaccine, no traveling.  No vaccine, no job.  Etc.
The only vaccines out there using thoroughly tested (Inactivated) vaccine technology is Sinovac's Coronavac and a candidate being tested by one of Thailand's universities (there may be others in the pipeline that I'm unaware of).  Everything else has been rapidly developed in the last 8 to 10 months and are now being injected into a public of human guinea pigs. No vaccines in history have been rolled out with such limited testing. Tourists are required to get the virus to enter, but Thais will be pushed to do the same. 
It's worth discussing.  Thailand is a signatory of the Geneva Convention and therefore under the auspices of the The Nuremberg Codes.
Just saying...this may heat up and get interesting over the next months, especially once the governments finally encounter that segment of their populations who do not want to engage in the experimental use of these new vaccine technologies.