Expert warns of high chance of wider COVID-19 outbreak during Songkran

[webfact]

Travellers went through COVID-19 screening process before entering to the Mo Chit Bus Terminal on 9 April 2021.

 

Thailand’s new COVID-19 infections are expected to increase rapidly during the two weeks following the Songkran holidays, especially now that the UK strain of the virus is spreading, according to Dr. Prasit Watanapha, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital, speaking during a recent live interview with Thai PBS World.

 

High chance of wider spread during Songkran

 

“Right now it’s not a good time to have this UK strain” he said.“Because of the Songkran festival, we can expect people to travel from one province to another, and we will see a lot of people enjoy going to entertainment complexes, as happened this week. So there’s a higher chance that there will be a wider spread of COVID-19. “

 

In light of the recent outbreak, Dr. Prasit reiterated that, right now, it is not safe to travel back to home provinces, as he explained how infected cases, especially asymptomatic ones, can put their families at high risk.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/expert-warns-of-high-chance-of-wider-covid-19-outbreak-during-songkran/

 

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2021-04-10

 

 

[petermik]

Well I,m shocked to learn that...I could never have imagined that it would increase due to folk moving across the country.

[ezzra]

How did we go from almost Covid free few months back to this calamity and a mayhem of a  situation where Covid in now everywhere that i'll never understand...

[RichardColeman]

Two weeks from now, Songkran will be the final nail in tourism to Thailand 2021. Then alot of the Thais that went home for Songkran will be moaning they've got no job and money

[petermik]

7 hours ago, ezzra said:

How did we go from almost Covid free few months back to this calamity and a mayhem of a  situation where Covid in now everywhere that i'll never understand...

Amazing Thailand....????

[brewsterbudgen]

Not sure you need to be an "expert" to predict this.  There's a global pandemic and like every country, Thailand is affected.  Fortunately even with the predicted post-Songkran wave, the numbers are likely to be far lower than many other nations.

[Oldie]

They can't stop Songkran anymore. They had bad luck that now all this happens. But wait and see if Amazing Thailand will be amazing again. We don't know it yet. 

[ezzra]

2 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Two weeks from now, Songkran will be the final nail in tourism to Thailand 2021. Then alot of the Thais that went home for Songkran will be moaning they've got no job and money

IMHO and it sound far fetched and un doable, Songran should be canceled or restricted to the each province with no outside visitors maybe, just maybe, less people will die this way...

[ThailandRyan]

Can It be said that Thailand was ripe for a disaster or is that a little too much at this time since the band-aid has not been pulled off all the way.

[MasterBaker]

you mean "after Songkran"?

[PatOngo]

1 hour ago, petermik said:

i'll never understand...

It's Thailand, don't even try! ????

[Aomelia]

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

How did we go from almost Covid free few months back to this calamity and a mayhem of a  situation where Covid in now everywhere that i'll never understand...

Songkran Stupidity 

[Cake Monster]

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

How did we go from almost Covid free few months back to this calamity and a mayhem of a  situation where Covid in now everywhere that i'll never understand...

It is what Covid does.

And aided and abetted by many idiots in charge of policy decisions, and the Thai publics ability to be blinded by the tradition of Songkran, there you have it.

[Cake Monster]

2 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Can It be said that Thailand was ripe for a disaster or is that a little too much at this time since the band-aid has not been pulled off all the way.

I dont know about a disaster, but a fall was inevitable.

The partial removal of the Bandaid has revealed an ugly wound.

Question now is will it turn into an ugly infection filled mess when the Bandaid is fully removed.

 

[Moti24]

So many experts in Thailand that I've lost count!

 

Only a couple of days ago, Anutin declared that travel will not be banned during Songkran because people have already made their travel planes.  Well, I made my travel plans last year to return to Thailand, but was stuck in The UK for 8 months; but I lived.  I had no complaint with Thailand closing the borders to protect The Kingdom from the virus.  However, it seems that Thai holidays are now more important than protecting people from this same virus; there can only be one outcome, and nobody needs a crystal ball to work that one out.

 

 

[ikke1959]

Even a kid would know that there are much more cases after Songkran. It is told on this forum so many times, but the Government doesn't care. Too much money involved for them in hotels, transport business and petrol stations. Time to earn more money. and after that we can sell more Covid tests and  vaccins.. Big business and the ordinary people?? who cares... low educated and not willing to protest... so easy peasy

[Caldera]

It doesn't take an expert to see, just looking at the daily updates, that this outbreak is much more aggressive than anything seen last year. Yet the government is much more reluctant to impose a proper lockdown. I think this inaction will backfire big times.

[Excel]

5 hours ago, petermik said:

Well I,m shocked to learn that...I could never have imagined that it would increase due to folk moving across the country.

Thailand has done it and become "The Hub of stating the obvious"

[unblocktheplanet]

Why the <deleted> didn't this expert speak out a month ago, or even a week ago, along with a hundred other docs?

 

Songkran travel is not "bad luck", it's criminal irresponsibility by govt.

[PatOngo]

13 hours ago, Caldera said:

It doesn't take an expert to see, just looking at the daily updates, that this outbreak is much more aggressive than anything seen last year. Yet the government is much more reluctant to impose a proper lockdown. I think this inaction will backfire big times.

Quick, quick, shut the gate..............the horse has bolted!

[PatOngo]

11 hours ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Songkran travel is not "bad luck", it's criminal irresponsibility by govt.

Maintaining the status quo! ????

[Jeffr2]

18 hours ago, ezzra said:

How did we go from almost Covid free few months back to this calamity and a mayhem of a  situation where Covid in now everywhere that i'll never understand...

My sentiments exactly.  And now, looks like the only jab we'll have is AZ (June) and the Chinese one until probably next year.  Both seem to be OK against the UK variant, but not the South African variant.  Only AZ works with the Brazilian variant.  Ugh.

 

Makes your head spin how fast things change.  Especially with newer, and deadlier, variants being discovered.

 

https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-19-vaccines-efficacy-variants-south-africa-uk-brazil-2021-3

 

 

 

 

[KannikaP]

24 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

Maintaining the status quo! ????

COVID all over the world!   LOL

[cyril sneer]

Most will already have herd immunity by now, so don’t expect the numbers to be too high

 

Even if they are high, these numbers will get hidden anyway

[Misterwhisper]

The gravest mistake this government has made in a long string of avoidable mistakes is NOT to have canceled Songkran; especially under the aspect that the supposedly more contagious UK variant of the virus is known to have entered the kingdom at least 2 months ago.

 

As half the nation is moving about, this virus is going to spread like wildfire. And no 14-day closure of entertainment places will change that. 

 

This mistake is going to cost the country dearly, I fear.

 

My maid and her entire family went on the road yesterday, traveling back to their home province of Chantaburi. I asked her whether she was aware that she and her folks would actually have to undergo 14 days of quarantine upon arrival as per ministerial decree.

 

She answered, "don't worry about it, we're only visiting family," missing the entire point and proving her ignorance. And unfortunately, there are millions over millions of other dumbbells that have the same mindset.

[ParkerN]

18 hours ago, ezzra said:

How did we go from almost Covid free few months back to this calamity and a mayhem of a  situation where Covid in now everywhere that i'll never understand...

 

In order to understand that, first you will need to understand the Thai culture as it applies to the Thai pooyay and the Thai education system as it applies to understanding the Thai pooyay (there isn't any). Then the 'cause and effect' relationship will be much clearer.

Edited April 11, 2021 by ParkerN

[ParkerN]

Just now, cyril sneer said:

Most will already have herd immunity by now, so don’t expect the numbers to be too high

 

Even if they are high, these numbers will get hidden anyway

 

1. Incorrect, and I predict disastrously so.

 

2. Correct

[trainman34014]

On 4/10/2021 at 1:19 PM, Oldie said:

They can't stop Songkran anymore. They had bad luck that now all this happens. But wait and see if Amazing Thailand will be amazing again. We don't know it yet. 

It's going to be an amazing <deleted>'s muddle for a long time to come !

[fondue zoo]

 

The other issue, stated months ago, is that the more people the virus infects the higher chance of it mutating again.

 

 

[superal]

9 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

The gravest mistake this government has made in a long string of avoidable mistakes is NOT to have canceled Songkran; especially under the aspect that the supposedly more contagious UK variant of the virus is known to have entered the kingdom at least 2 months ago.

 

As half the nation is moving about, this virus is going to spread like wildfire. And no 14-day closure of entertainment places will change that. 

 

This mistake is going to cost the country dearly, I fear.

 

My maid and her entire family went on the road yesterday, traveling back to their home province of Chantaburi. I asked her whether she was aware that she and her folks would actually have to undergo 14 days of quarantine upon arrival as per ministerial decree.

 

She answered, "don't worry about it, we're only visiting family," missing the entire point and proving her ignorance. And unfortunately, there are millions over millions of other dumbbells that have the same mindset.

Your opinion is correct bar the " dumbbells " phrase , because the majority of Thai folk are kept in their place by poor education , misinformation and the lack of information . Some might say it borders on a crime the way the less well off are treated by their own government .  The Thai government should be running a covid education campaign on national TV .