Image: Anutin Charnvirakul. Reuters file photo

 

People travelling domestically during the upcoming Songkran holiday will not be required to quarantine.

 

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Thailand’s Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul said  that anyone returning to their home province for Songkran does not need to quarantine. 

 

This includes anyone travelling from Bangkok, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan and Nakhon Pathom, which are expected to shortly be formally confirmed as so-called ‘Red Zones’ by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

 

There are also no plans to lockdown any province, Mr Anutin told PPTV.

 

Mr Anutin said that it was tradition that people should want to return home to make merit with family. 

 

However, people should refrain from large gatherings or engage in activities that could increase the risk of the virus spreading, the minister said.

 

The only people required to undergo quarantine are those who test positive or those deemed by health officials to be ‘high risk’.

 

The news comes as Thailand has reported an increase in COVID-19 cases in recent days.

 

On Tuesday, it reported 250 new cases, most of which were linked to a cluster found at entertainment venues in Bangkok.

 

As a result of that cluster, almost 200 bars and pubs have been ordered to close for the next 14 days.

 

In other provinces cases are also on the rise, with health officials in Chonburi reporting 23 new cases on Tuesday, while officials in Hua Hin reported 6 new cases, which is the largest number of new cases for several months.

 

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Sheesh, the concrete guy again. Is that the big I'm going to make a lot of money smile?

7 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Mr Anutin said that it was tradition that people should want to return home to make merit with family. 

 

However, people should refrain from large gatherings or engage in activities that could increase the risk of the virus spreading.

I would imagine that every one of the thousands of public busses they travel on could be classed as a "large gathering", that could increase that risk !

We now have limited outbreaks in Bangkok, starting this weekend the masses begin to travel.

 

Despite their efforts at contact tracing I doubt they will manage to locate them all before Songkran.

 

I know for sure that many of the Thais with plenty of money like to come to Hua Hin, they rent large party type houses, some of them bring whole teams of uniformed chefs and waiters to cater to their needs - I've seen them.

 

I'm sure they also travel to many other places in Thailand.

 

He's making a mistake here, it will spread and this is the perfect time for it to spread.

 

this is a profound error

 

he is now putting the whole country at severe risk of massive spread and a future country wide lockdown - there can be only one explanation for this blatant foolishness - a national lockdown is what they want

Please folks I am telling you it's okay to travel 

We will deal with the fallout afterwards

30 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

or engage in activities that could increase the risk of the virus spreading, the minister said.

such as breathing or talking ? more special insight from this guy, nauseating

If you've got it, spread it! ????

I doubt we'll experience a serious "wave" of cases, but it's the over reactions after the event I'm fed up with.

The rest of the country will suffer "lockdown restrictions" & school closures as a result of this.  <deleted> stay in your local area for the holiday period!  A repeat of NY is on it's way ????

and a few hours later the very same day.. Buri Ram provincial governor signs a 14 day quarantine for people coming from Red areas. 

27 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

and a few hours later the very same day.. Buri Ram provincial governor signs a 14 day quarantine for people coming from Red areas. 

But, but, but, that's Anutins Hometown.  Will they at least be getting some free green bud to help them get through the stress of missing Songkran by being stuck in Quarantine.   

He won't be smiling so broadly later when the figures for infections rise into their thousands per day....and it is going to happen !

1 hour ago, LivinLOS said:

Buri Ram provincial governor signs a 14 day quarantine for people coming from Red areas.

 

The Buriram governor has always instigated strict controls at the earliest opportunity.

 

I suggest that the Buriram governor should be elevated into high office.

 

 

It must have been about this time last year ,when they shut down all the pubs bars etc in Bangkok ,and all the workers went back home to Issan ,tv showed Morchit ,the Northern and NE bus station full  of people travelling ,just like Songkran and the New year ,and then no new cases were recorded in Issan 

Same with the new year the Bangkok exodus  no new or very few cases reported. 

The government are thinking the same again ,and of course they are thinking about the money that will be spent during the holiday ,helping to regenerate the economy 

1 hour ago, LivinLOS said:

and a few hours later the very same day.. Buri Ram provincial governor signs a 14 day quarantine for people coming from Red areas. 

Finally some sense from an official in this madness. Good call Thatchakorn Hatthathayakul. He was also instrumental in the previous outbreak in helping to keep the virus away from Buri Ram. 

 

In the absence of CCSA and Anutin taking the right decisions then its down to individual Province governors to impose their own restrictions. I sincerely hope Phuket will take a similar approach and impose a 14 day quarantine from those in red zones at the least. The thought of throwing away the road map plans to open up because of a lack of restrictions and p$ss poor decisions in the short term is mind blowingly stupid.

I have suspicion, than those 850k vax in the government hospital fridges will be given to patients on basis who pays more gets them. 

They still have unused some 70k vax which came on 24.2.

 

1 hour ago, Bkk Brian said:

In the absence of CCSA and Anutin taking the right decisions then its down to individual Province governors to impose their own restrictions. I sincerely hope Phuket will take a similar approach and impose a 14 day quarantine from those in red zones at the least. The thought of throwing away the road map plans to open up because of a lack of restrictions and p$ss poor decisions in the short term is mind blowingly stupid.

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/events/weekend-party-event-in-phuket-reports-positive-covid-infection

6 minutes ago, WHansen said:

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/events/weekend-party-event-in-phuket-reports-positive-covid-infection

Yes I was just made aware of that, I just posted in the new thread here, its affected me personally actually. I had one of the attendee's a cashier to the party visit my house for 2 hours!

 

 

 

9 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

On Tuesday, it reported 250 new cases, most of which were linked to a cluster found at entertainment venues in Bangkok.

 

As a result of that cluster, almost 200 bars and pubs have been ordered to close for the next 14 days.

Be interesting to know exactly how many of those 250 people who were infected, actually die, as opposed to having say a bad cold or nothing. Whilst closing 200 bars and probably laying 2-3000 people off from work further.

I'm only pointing this out:

 

2 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

 

Be interesting to know exactly how many of those 250 people who were infected, actually die, as opposed to having say a bad cold or nothing. Whilst closing 200 bars and probably laying 2-3000 people off from work further.

I see your point.

 

But how do you value a persons life?

How many deaths are acceptable vs. loss of jobs?

 

10 hours ago, trainman34014 said:

He won't be smiling so broadly later when the figures for infections rise into their thousands per day....and it is going to happen !

Over a year already  and that has not happened yet. It might happen but then again it might not. 

13 hours ago, ukrules said:

We now have limited outbreaks in Bangkok, starting this weekend the masses begin to travel.

 

Despite their efforts at contact tracing I doubt they will manage to locate them all before Songkran.

 

I know for sure that many of the Thais with plenty of money like to come to Hua Hin, they rent large party type houses, some of them bring whole teams of uniformed chefs and waiters to cater to their needs - I've seen them.

 

I'm sure they also travel to many other places in Thailand.

 

He's making a mistake here, it will spread and this is the perfect time for it to spread.

 

Agreed, with the masses leaving BKK to hometowns for Songkran soon,  in 20 - 30 days time its quite probable to see many CV case reports from areas not mentioned before !  Yes a mistake and alarming thought.... 

Can't wait for the village to be inundated with the usual hordes of travellers from Bangkok and the South. A large number of families here have close ties to Sumat Sakon and surrounding areas.

Hope the Udon Thani public hospital is prepared for a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases. I believe we have zero at the moment

I ask:- Why hasn't the Songkran festivities been heavily curtailed as it was last year? The pandemic in Thailand is MUCH worse now than April 2020.

I'm going into self isolation!
Call me paranoid? = You betcha.

Is the virus variant still one of the early ones or has the P1 variant seen in Brazil now arrived here.  It would be nice to hear of what Variant is being found with these new cases here in Thailand.  Seems the largest majority infected now are Thais who were at entertainmentvenues in Bangkok and have since gone to other locations, well at least Phuket.  I hope today's news does not show another large number.  I do want to be wrong about the potential spread and this going exponentially large, but I don't see it occurring based upon what's being found in places outside of Bangkok. No I am not a fearmonger as I have been called by some folks, I am a pragmatic realist.  

related story:

 

Visitors to Buriram from high risk locations must quarantine for 14 days

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1212878-visitors-to-buriram-from-high-risk-locations-must-quarantine-for-14-days/

Like last year the provincial government in Buriram is getting ahead of the potential spread.  Hopefully people see what's happening and instead if traveling stay home.  I would gate to see more provincial lockdowns like last year.  So much for increasing tourism, it just won't happen anytime soon.  

12 hours ago, trainman34014 said:

He won't be smiling so broadly later when the figures for infections rise into their thousands per day....and it is going to happen !

Really

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

This includes anyone travelling from Bangkok, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan and Nakhon Pathom, which are expected to shortly be formally confirmed as so-called ‘Red Zones’ by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

Let the games begin... take the profit now and deal with the consequences later.

5 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

 

Be interesting to know exactly how many of those 250 people who were infected, actually die, as opposed to having say a bad cold or nothing. Whilst closing 200 bars and probably laying 2-3000 people off from work further.

Die are you kidding me I’m surprise if any of them even get sick