Thailand aims for wider tourism reopening from October

[wealthychef]

If there is one thing I can count on, it's that the government will miss its rollout target!  555 

[Jeffr2]

A great read.  Shows how corruption is fueling the recent waves here in SE Asia.  Sucks.

 

https://southeastasiaglobe.com/mekong-region-covid/

 

As virus cases explode, why has the Mekong region success story ended?

The Mekong region countries were until recently heralded as exceptional cases in controlling the spread of Covid-19. But recent weeks have seen cases explode across Cambodia, Thailand and Laos, leaving Vietnam on high alert and observers asking what's gone so wrong

Edited May 8, 2021 by Jeffr2

[robsamui]

1 hour ago, Jeffr2 said:

An interesting article:

 

https://www.reuters.com/breakingviews/thailand-previews-difficult-life-without-tourists-2021-05-06/

 

Thailand previews difficult life without tourists

Thailand already suffers from the “middle-income trap”, and signs of stagnation are increasing. The poverty rate has been rising since 2015 per World Bank data. Tourism pads such traps by creating jobs for low-skilled people, but it doesn’t upgrade their skills much. Nor do hotels, restaurants and massage parlours generate much innovation. In Thailand, tourists also support darker industries: prostitution and narcotics.

Short article and right to the point - the world is noticing what's happening in Thailand.

Thailand's biggest problem (apart from Loss of Face) is that the administration is still unable to realise that there's 200 other countries out there. They are so wrapped in their own little universe that the people running the country have never even thought that many other nations are now beginning to see through their bluster, and won't let their citizens visit Thailand - not for a very long time to come, anyway!

Edited May 8, 2021 by robsamui

[pseudorabies]

The Washington Post is running a story about what is currently happening in the Seychelles.  Despite a vaccination rate of 60% they are seeing an outbreak that, on a per capita basis, is worse than India's.  This outbreak coincides with their opening the country to tourism.  The vaccines they used were Sinopharm (60%) and AZ-Serum Institute of India.  I hope the Thai government is paying attention and doesn't just dismiss this out of hand.

 

Why the world’s most vaccinated country is seeing an unprecedented spike in coronavirus cases

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/05/06/seychelles-vaccines-covid-cases/

 

While there are many issues to consider here - vaccine effectiveness, quality of the vaccine, what percentage of those who are sick were unvaccinated/vaccinated completely and how sick they are, etc. this is an informative lesson for what might be ahead for Thailand.  Hopefully the government can change its spots, learn from this and make whatever adjustments need to be made.  Yeah.... Call me naiive.

[klauskunkel]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

an official said on Friday

That made it official..., but only for Friday.

[desert dueller]

5 hours ago, ukrules said:

Mark my words, this is simply not going to happen but even if they do attempt it in one way or another then we have what they're now calling 'green lists'.

 

The UK released its first green list today, it's short and only contains a handful of countries.

 

Portugal and Israel are the notable destinations.

Most of their green list countries are still closed for tourist arrivals, especially UK passport holders, amongst them Portugal, Australia and NZ.

[Eric Loh]

Thailand aims for wider tourism reopening from October
The caveat is that it is a moving target and will move in October.

[fulhamster]

1 hour ago, JayClay said:

 

I'm willing to bet that, unlike a lot of members of the TV posse, the majority of Thais have probably long since forgotten the remarks to which you refer...

A friend recently had to go up to the village, when he got out of the car all the locals ran away screaming "Covid, covid, disease"

Wonder who told them that ?

[Jeffr2]

10 minutes ago, pseudorabies said:

The Washington Post is running a story about what is currently happening in the Seychelles.  Despite a vaccination rate of 60% they are seeing an outbreak that, on a per capita basis, is worse than India's.  This outbreak coincides with their opening the country to tourism.  The vaccines they used were Sinopharm (60%) and AZ-Serum Institute of India.  I hope the Thai government is paying attention and doesn't just dismiss this out of hand.

 

Why the world’s most vaccinated country is seeing an unprecedented spike in coronavirus cases

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/05/06/seychelles-vaccines-covid-cases/

 

While there are many issues to consider here - vaccine effectiveness, quality of the vaccine, what percentage of those who are sick were unvaccinated/vaccinated completely and how sick they are, etc. this is an informative lesson for what might be ahead for Thailand.  Hopefully the government can change its spots, learn from this and make whatever adjustments need to be made.  Yeah.... Call me naiive.

It's being discussed here:

 

 

[fulhamster]

Tourists to Pattaya will need to have had their vaccines, as there are none available there, even for the locals

[desert dueller]

5 hours ago, ukrules said:

So what,  this is the list of places people from the UK are allowed to travel to :

 

• Portugal

• Israel

• Singapore

• Australia

• New Zealand

• Brunei

• Iceland

• Gibraltar

• Falkland Islands

• Faroe Islands

• South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

• St Helena, Tristan de Cunha, Ascension Island

 

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-57026936

 

If it's not on this list then you are not going there.

 

If they don't let them in then they will either go elsewhere or stay home. Not a big deal.

 

It is very notable that Spain is not on this list.

 

And your point is?

 

[Jeffr2]

1 minute ago, fulhamster said:

Tourists to Pattaya will need to have had their vaccines, as there are none available there, even for the locals

That's not true.  Jabs are being given.  Just not many.

[metisdead]

Some posts using trolling images have been removed. 

[johnarth]

I got to laugh people are saying anyone that is vaccinated is safe let them in, just what is going on here? it has been stated many many times that all a vaccine does is maybe stop the person who has it from getting sicker than they would if they did not have it that is it people wake up, I can not understand how people think the vaccine stops the virus, why do you think it is a crime to go public without a face mask?

[fulhamster]

8 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

That's not true.  Jabs are being given.  Just not many.

To the usual suspects ?

 

[charmonman]

2 hours ago, JayClay said:

 

I'm willing to bet that, unlike a lot of members of the TV posse, the majority of Thais have probably long since forgotten the remarks to which you refer...

I just spent 4 months in Bangkok and experienced no suspicion, hostility or other negative attitudes from Thais. In fact, I think the attitude to westerners is more friendly now because there are fewer of us. The latest outbreak is being largely blamed on hiso Thais partying in expensive clubs in Thonglor and Ekkamai, not on Farangs.

[Jeffr2]

2 minutes ago, fulhamster said:

To the usual suspects ?

 

they are doing front line workers first.  But I'm sure the hi so politicians are getting in there.  I've heard the police are also getting them, following that outbreak a few weeks ago.  Next up will be workers in the tourism biz.  Not many, but a few are being doled out.

[desert dueller]

12 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

That's not true.  Jabs are being given.  Just not many.

And for who, if you could enlighten us, please? Thai Airways staff? An airline that is bankrupt. Hotel staff? No guests here. Who else?

[fulhamster]

3 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

they are doing front line workers first.  But I'm sure the hi so politicians are getting in there.  I've heard the police are also getting them, following that outbreak a few weeks ago.  Next up will be workers in the tourism biz.  Not many, but a few are being doled out.

Sounds about right, but zero information being given to residents.

Most workers in Pattaya tourism are currently back in the villages, will be interesting how they will manage that

[Jeffr2]

1 minute ago, fulhamster said:

Sounds about right, but zero information being given to residents.

Most workers in Pattaya tourism are currently back in the villages, will be interesting how they will manage that

Information is out there, but it's in Thai.  What gets translated to English is minimal.

[sirineou]

3 minutes ago, johnarth said:

I got to laugh people are saying anyone that is vaccinated is safe let them in, just what is going on here? it has been stated many many times that all a vaccine does is maybe stop the person who has it from getting sicker than they would if they did not have it that is it people wake up, I can not understand how people think the vaccine stops the virus, why do you think it is a crime to go public without a face mask?

Even if vaccinated you should wear a mask. But you are very wrong about the risk vaccinated people present towards spreading covid 19..

The quote below is from the official US CDC website,

"The risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection in fully vaccinated people cannot be completely eliminated as long as there is continued community transmission of the virus. Vaccinated people could potentially still get COVID-19 and spread it to others. However, the benefits of relaxing some measures such as testing and self-quarantine requirements for travelers, post-exposure quarantine requirements and reducing social isolation may outweigh the residual risk of fully vaccinated people becoming ill with COVID-19 or transmitting the virus to others. "

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/fully-vaccinated-people.html

Does anyone have any numbers of how many fully vaccinated in quarantine in Thailand have developed Covid? I a, willing to bet NONE!!

This is just a political deflection by the Thai government to deflect attention from their failure to secure a vaccine and direct attention towards the dirty farangs.   

[newnative]

     The plan's not going anywhere with the 70% locals vaccinated requirement.  No way 70% will be vaccinated by October with the dismal vaccination track record so far.  I'll never, never understand the idea that Thailand could take its sweet old time with its vaccination program because its infections were low.   

    Maybe that would make a bit of sense if it was a closed country that NO international tourists visited.  It makes no sense whatsoever when you are a country with an economy 20% based on tourism and you need to get your citizens vaccinated before you can re-open.   From the first day vaccines were ready Thailand should have been laser-focused on obtaining as much product as it could as fast as it could--at whatever cost.  

     Here we are in May already.  Still no sense of urgency whatsoever. Maybe 1% vaccinated?  Plodding along in slow-motion.  All the eggs in the shaky, local AZ basket.  Approvals for new vaccines to be allowed to be imported still apparently need at least a month to review.  Why?  What's to 'review' when the vaccines have already been approved by other countries and used by the millions? And, why a month?  So some bureaucrat can show how important he is?  Madness. 

[Pattaya Spotter]

1 hour ago, Skeptic7 said:

I did quarantine in late January into February at The Solitaire Sukhumvit 11 and pretty much accurate description of my experience. 

Same time period...two at the Royal Benja, Bangkok, and can't remember the third. While not exactly pleasant, they all described being treated well and fed decently.

Edited May 8, 2021 by Pattaya Spotter

[Bobydog]

I may have missed it, but if all tourist still have to buy Covid 19 Insurance cover which I am presuming will still be in force while Thailand continues to deal with outbreaks,  then you can kiss goodbye to those Tourists above the age of 75 because there is no available cover above that age.

[RR2020]

5 hours ago, Flying Saucage said:

Europe makes quite a good progress with its vaccination campaigns, and it will open soon for vaccinated tourists without any restrictions.

 

Why?

 

Because on the one hand it becomes more and more clear that vaccinated people pose very little risk anymore for others. Numbers from Israel that the risk to infect others is reduce for more than 90%. So far, this seems to be the case even for the mutants.

 

On the other hand, these countries understand how important tourism is for their economy and also for the freedom of their people.

 

It's a good decision if Thailand does the same. Thailand people need the income from tourism. And vaccinated people neither pose a risk to Thais as high as unvaccinated locals pose a risk among each other, nor do infected people pose a relevant risk for vaccinated tourists anymore.

 

A rare case of a logical decision in Thailand, if this decision really will be made.

 

 

 

Here we go............ ME ME ME ME ME ME

 

"I am vaccinated and so I have a 90% less chance of killing people by spreading the virus to others.........so ME ME ME, I should be able to travel the world and infect people (sorry to you 10%) and potentially kill them as I have a vaccine............"

 

This is the pure hypocrisy.........I see it all the time now.

 

People who were screaming for lockdowns and masks.......now they have their jab demanding they can go anywhere as they are vaccinated and the risk to them is now very low...........what about the 10% you can infect and kill ?

 

Pure pure hypocrisy.

 

 

[fulhamster]

6 minutes ago, newnative said:

     The plan's not going anywhere with the 70% locals vaccinated requirement.  No way 70% will be vaccinated by October with the dismal vaccination track record so far.  I'll never, never understand the idea that Thailand could take its sweet old time with its vaccination program because its infections were low.   

    Maybe that would make a bit of sense if it was a closed country that NO international tourists visited.  It makes no sense whatsoever when you are a country with an economy 20% based on tourism and you need to get your citizens vaccinated before you can re-open.   From the first day vaccines were ready Thailand should have been laser-focused on obtaining as much product as it could as fast as it could--at whatever cost.  

     Here we are in May already.  Still no sense of urgency whatsoever. Maybe 1% vaccinated?  Plodding along in slow-motion.  All the eggs in the shaky, local AZ basket.  Approvals for new vaccines to be allowed to be imported still apparently need at least a month to review.  Why?  What's to 'review' when the vaccines have already been approved by other countries and used by the millions? And, why a month?  So some bureaucrat can show how important he is?  Madness. 

"Maybe 1% vaccinated? "

 

Any guesses which 1%  ??

[Skeptic7]

17 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Same time period...two at the Royal Benja, Bangkok, and can't remember the third. While not exactly pleasant, they all described being treated well and fed decently.

Me too...everyone very nice and accommodations also...and good vegetarian food options for me.

 

Still doesn't discount @Captain Monday description as inaccurate. We were treated like lepers in solitary confinement. Staff in "haz-mat" suits, very limited outdoor access, NO SWIMMING. 

 

It was not unbearable by any means, but who would subject themselves unless absolute necessity. I HAD to get back and not leaving again. No one is gonna voluntarily do it repeatedly. Totally not worth it. 

[Pattaya Spotter]

5 minutes ago, Skeptic7 said:

Me too...everyone very nice and accommodations also...and good vegetarian food options for me.

 

Still doesn't discount @Captain Monday description as inaccurate. We were treated like lepers in solitary confinement. Staff in "haz-mat" suits, very limited outdoor access, NO SWIMMING. 

 

It was not unbearable by any means, but who would subject themselves unless absolute necessity. I HAD to get back and not leaving again. No one is gonna voluntarily do it repeatedly. Totally not worth it. 

I don't discount his account and I'm sure it's what he experienced...just saying it's not universal. The new quarantine rules are a little less strict I believe...can leave the room after 3 days or something (was 7 or 8 before) and some plans even say they can wander the hotel/resort. But sure, not ideal and only if one has family or business reasons for returning.

Edited May 8, 2021 by Pattaya Spotter

[Eric Loh]

22 minutes ago, RR2020 said:

 

 

Here we go............ ME ME ME ME ME ME

 

"I am vaccinated and so I have a 90% less chance of killing people by spreading the virus to others.........so ME ME ME, I should be able to travel the world and infect people (sorry to you 10%) and potentially kill them as I have a vaccine............"

 

This is the pure hypocrisy.........I see it all the time now.

 

People who were screaming for lockdowns and masks.......now they have their jab demanding they can go anywhere as they are vaccinated and the risk to them is now very low...........what about the 10% you can infect and kill ?

 

Pure pure hypocrisy.

 

 

Your concerns are merited but in all fairness the European Commission is studying the opening proposal with lots of caution which include threshold of Covid cases of countries being considered for entrance legibility. 
https://m.dw.com/en/eu-considers-lifting-entry-restrictions-for-vaccinated-travelers/a-57409554

[Jiggo]

6 hours ago, sirineou said:

First of all, I don't believe anything they say. Even when it is official, and you do everything they require, they can just retroactively change it. They are a bunch of clowns. 

    They announced 7-day quarantine for vaccinated people, and you could use the hotel facilities after the third day if tested negative,. So we said Ok, we can live with that. We jumped trough all the hoops , provided all the nessacery documents, Purchased an ASQ, and plane ticket  , got our CEO and packed our bags. Two days before departure, the announced," Ohh . we changed our minds, if you cant make it in by the 6th , now you have to do 14 days quarantine, and you cant leave your room" <deleted>!!!  Lucky for us we had the recourses to , in two days, change our travel plans get a new COE,  and come in before the 6th. But how about all the people who could not? 

Now they say October 1st no quarantine." Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me" 

Also you have to pay for 14 days quarantine regardless,  and wait for refund if you are on a 7 days...