The mass exodus continues: Friendship Highway jammed as Bangkokians "flee Covid"

[webfact]

Picture: Daily News

 

Thai media Daily News reported that Bangkokians were "fleeing Covid" in the capital heading out to the provinces. 

 

They concentrated their story on the Mittraphap Road (Friendship Highway) heading to the north eastern region or Isaan. 

 

They said that the road had been jam packed since Friday with police reporting that some drivers who decided to park and sleep in their cars by the roadside having to be moved on to alleviate matters.

 

Particularly bad was the stretch from KM 32 to 56 in the Pak Chong area where cars came to a standstill.

 

Police took the step of opening an extra lane on the inbound section to try and get things moving. 

 

The exodus was ahead of this week's long Songkran holidays in Thailand and comes amid fears that the large movement of people will spread Covid-19.

 

Daily News said that the police were insisting that everyone wear masks. 

 

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[bluesofa]

3 minutes ago, webfact said:

reported that Bangkokians were "fleeing Covid" in the capital heading out to the provinces. 

"fleeing Covid"    An interesting concept. It does seem a popular idea.

[VocalNeal]

12 minutes ago, webfact said:

amid fears that the large movement of people will spread Covid-19.

 

I think this is a given.

[Excel]

10 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

"fleeing Covid"    An interesting concept. It does seem a popular idea.

More like Bangkokians taking covid to their elderly relatives.

[Walker88]

Assuming the virus is spread consistently, people 'fleeing Bangkok' means Bangkok is slightly safer than it was last week, and will maintain that advantage (over itself had there been no Songkran exodus), because those who get sick while away will likely remain away while they recover.

 

Thus, there are fewer existing infection in Bangkok, and the infected who went home are more likely to stay home.

 

Obviously that's no reason to let down one's guard in Bangkok, but might allow opportunity for mitigation efforts to gain control over the spread in the big city.

[mickymouse1]

FLEEING  or taking C19 with them?

I thought it the usual Songkran traffic and exodus!!!

[ddotmark]

I suspect this travel Exodus out of Bangkok is going to cause "herd infections" vs "herd immunity". Sad????

[d2b2]

Just before a tsunami roils in,  all the water recedes leaving an extremely low tide. This pretty much describes where Thailand is currently in their third wave of Covid 19.

[choudens]

1 hour ago, Excel said:

More like Bangkokians taking covid to their elderly relatives.

Hope they will reach their destination before 9 pm!

[RichardColeman]

Headline : The mass exodus continues: Friendship Highway jammed as Bangkokians "flee Covid"

 

More Apt headline : The mass exodus continues: Friendship Highway jammed as Bangkokians "spread Covid"

[ezzra]

My grim predilections for this Songran: 200+ road casualties and deat, untold number of injuries and god only knows how many new infections all over the country even in places where Covid wasn't there until out of town visitors came calling...

[KhunBENQ]

I find this sensational headline just ridiculous.

"Bangkokians" fleeing from Covid. Nonsense.

This is not the class of Bangkokians that flock to Pattaya on weekends or patronize Bangkok hiso clubs where a drink would cost them a daily wage.

And it's surely not limited to people from Bangkok.

Those people go on a home visit to see their families as every year on Songkran.

They come from all over eastern seaboard (down to Rayong), from industrial parks around Ayutthaya etc.

 

[KhunBENQ]

45 minutes ago, ezzra said:

200+ road casualties and deat,

200 dead? That would be a new low for the whole period.

But look at the first reported day: 25 dead, that's much lower than on an average day (60 to 80). Creeping traffic coming to standstills helps.

This year you could count the whole period from Sat 10 to Sun 18. A full nine days.

Less than 450 would be good.

[thurien]

3 hours ago, choudens said:

Hope they will reach their destination before 9 pm!

why 9 pm? something sleezy on the telly?

[JulesMad]

So these bloody 'fleeing Bangkokians' are exporting the virus all over Thailand.... Well done, idiots!
STAY HOME!!!

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai media Daily News reported that Bangkokians were "fleeing Covid" in the capital heading out to the provinces. 

Spreading it north... 

[Caldera]

That can only end in tears.

[Excel]

3 hours ago, JulesMad said:

So these bloody 'fleeing Bangkokians' are exporting the virus all over Thailand.... Well done, idiots!
STAY HOME!!!

Bangkokian super spreaders.

[spidermike007]

8 hours ago, d2b2 said:

Just before a tsunami roils in,  all the water recedes leaving an extremely low tide. This pretty much describes where Thailand is currently in their third wave of Covid 19.

Don't buy into the nonsensical narrative. This is NOT a 3rd wave. The 2nd wave never ended. This is a huge bump of the 2nd, Pratin (Prayuth and Anutin) created Samut wave. Never forgive. Never forget Samut. 

[mlmcleod]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai media Daily News reported that Bangkokians were "fleeing Covid" in the capital heading out to the provinces. 

This headline is incorrect!  The correct headline is Bangkokians are "spreading Covid" to the provinces!

[hotchilli]

20 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai media Daily News reported that Bangkokians were "fleeing Covid" in the capital heading out to the provinces.

Some are fleeing Covid, and a percentage are spreading it... best of luck Thailand.

[4MyEgo]

20 hours ago, Walker88 said:

Thus, there are fewer existing infection in Bangkok, and the infected who went home are more likely to stay home.

 

If you read the news up here, that isn't the case, there have been people who have come from Bangkok after being tested, and not waiting for the results, and I would hope that the normal procedure after being tested would be explained, i .e. stay home until the results are in. But nope they got on planes, drove to their villages, stopping on the way to eat, shop etc and then come here and spread it before the results are in, phone call 3 days later, Um you have Covid, make sure you continue to self quarantine, too late the cats out of the bag, been to restaurants, drinking with friends family etc, from what the wife has told me is that Thai's are all for themselves, well if the above is a classic example I have to agree with her.

 

Expect things to get much much worse, we thought of cancelling our holidays, but if they are all coming up this way, we are going on holidays away from them, probably less likely to get it there than here, who knows, place your bets, suffice to say we are damned if we stay and damned if we go, life goes on or it doesn't, eventually it doesn't and what is life without taking chances.

[metisdead]

Some troll posts and replies have been removed. 

[adexbe]

so finally ? do we know if most Thai travelled or not ?

Just to know how much they have spread the covid...