13 minutes ago, 2long said:

When they mentioned wristbands, we all laughed.

But they didn't make clear the imprisoning of fellow travellers, separation of families and all at the (uninsured) cost of the tourists.

I REALLY want the borders open, but what they're doing now will make things worse.

Don't forget to mention that microwaves are not made for drying cats ???? 

What did this "tourists" think what will happen when they get detected positive ?

What they think will happen if they came in close contact to a positive ?

They took the risk ...

 

5 hours ago, Rookiescot said:

Actually I would stop the tourists but keep it open for people who live here returning from overseas.

Two weeks stuck in a hotel room must be an absolute nightmare.

its a nightmare  now the 4 th time  and now no  outside after 7 days  for air 

 

Survey:  Is it time to abandon the Sandbox concept?

 

An excellent example of a loaded question/comment.

 

This is not the way to conduct balanced surveys.

An off topic troll post has been removed

Although I don’t want to wade into all of the Delta variant debates, it was always a bad idea.  
 

1.  The governor of Phuket recently made a comment about not being able to adequately staff the land checkpoint.  It was an off handed comment but how the heck do you have a sandbox with a porous border?  
 

2.  Allowing unvaccinated children into Thailand just makes zero sense. 

3.  This sandbox has nothing to do with average Thai people.  It’s all about the businesses and landlords.  It’s a Thai version of a corporate bailout with the locals being used as guinea pigs. 
 

4.  There are still tons of unvaccinated people in Phuket.  Anybody not registered as a resident isn’t eligible to get vaccinated.  That means a lot of people on tourist visas have been unable to get vaccines.  Recently, when they opened up registration for people to get vaccines, so many people tried to access the website they crashed it.  That means a lot of people are still unvaccinated.  That 70% number they’re quoting is not accurate.  
 

5.  There was never a published plan on how they will react if things go wrong.  Like, how do they shut down the sandbox?  How do they handle a sudden surge in infections?  How do they handle a sandbox passenger testing positive?  I’ve had better backup plans for small software deployments than the Phuket government seems to have for a major medical emergency.   
 

6.  Most of the new cases they’re seeing in Phuket are coming from Thais who are coming to Thailand from southern provinces.  Yet, there are no plans to address this.  Goes to my point #5 about not having a backup plan.  
 

7.  Possibly yet another extension of #5, the plans Phuket and TAT proposed last year (and we’re shot down by the CCSA) were so monumentally ill conceived that it’s hard for me to trust anyone in decision making in either of those two entities.  It was clearly apparent then that they didn’t care about the health of anybody and only cared about tourist revenue which makes me believe that the current plan is the absolute minimum they had to do to get the CCSA blessing and not the best that could be done.  
 

 

12 minutes ago, Robs5ct said:

Don't forget to mention that microwaves are not made for drying cats ???? 

What did this "tourists" think what will happen when they get detected positive ?

What they think will happen if they came in close contact to a positive ?

They took the risk ...

 

Sadly, many of these people are idiots.  And so are many expats living in Thailand.  
 

Go on Facebook groups, even today, and see the number of expats thinking it might be a good time to fly down to Phuket with the kids for a relaxing weekend.  
 

Or the expats that ask whether the bars on Bangla are open.  
 

Many of these people are too dumb to understand the risks.  They come from nanny states that would stop them from harming themselves so they think that if something is possible, it must be safe.  
 

These don’t sound like people that can properly weigh risk and make intelligent decisions.  

6 hours ago, Rookiescot said:

Actually I would stop the tourists but keep it open for people who live here returning from overseas.

Two weeks stuck in a hotel room must be an absolute nightmare.

And random. Why plug the arrivals by air, but keep border crossings like a block of Emmental?

Maybe it's time to abandon the entire concept of this virus being a pandemic and getting on with our lives?

53 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Oh dear. You don’t trust facts that go against the version of reality you have chosen to believe in. 

Your studies aren't facts, rather papers likely sponsored by Big Pharma.

I quoted you facts from Israel: double-jabbed patients, whose number grows by the day. 

 

We'll just have to  wait a few months to find out who between us eats crow. 

5 minutes ago, toolpush said:

Maybe it's time to abandon the entire concept of this virus being a pandemic and getting on with our lives?

So Covid is nothing, it's not a pandemic, and the lack of vaccines here in Thailand mean nothing.  So you want the bars to open, and you want to be able to go out and party with the boys and let the world just get on with infecting itself and letting people die, really?  Are you that selfish, or is this just a trolling post.

Edited July 11, 20214 yr by ThailandRyan

Just now, aBigSmile said:

Your studies aren't facts, rather papers likely sponsored by Big Pharma.

I quoted you facts from Israel: double-jabbed patients, whose number grows by the day. 

 

We'll just have to  wait a few months to find out who between us eats crow. 

Yeah sure, your reality is the only one and your claims about Israel are the only facts eh. 
 

Let me see, Baa Baa Baa…is that bleating in the right key?

Not yet.  If I come back after my USA Vaccination trip I will opt for BKK ASQ.  At least in ASQ you know what will happen:

 

1) If I test positive then I go to the hospital

2) If someone in the hotel tests positive and I am not positive then I just stay holed up in my room

3) If someone on the same flight tests positive and I am not positive then I get to "enjoy" my room.  

 

ASQ sucks but at least I won't get the "someone in your flight tested positive so you will have to leave your sandbox hotel and go to a Quarantine Hotel".  

 

 

13 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

So Covid is nothing, it's not a pandemic, and the lack of vaccines here in Thailand mean nothing.  So you want the bars to open, and you want to be able to go out and party with the boys and let the world just get on with infecting itself and letting people die, really?  Are you that selfish, or is this just a trolling post.

I van only answer yes. Because a person can only say "woke" things on this forum, I cannot explain my position.

The risk presented by vaccinated people who test negative before flying & on arrival is minimal and more significantly, it’s less than the risk the local population present to the Sandbox arrivals.

 

Nothing is water tight, but Sandboxers present far less risk to Phuket than other possible sources such as laborers sneaking in, domestic tourists and personnel delivering good from the mainland.

 

 

2 minutes ago, toolpush said:

I van only answer yes. Because a person can only say "woke" things on this forum, I cannot explain my position.

Explain away

Totally preposterous scheme, when full lockdown and closure of the country are well overdue. 

1 hour ago, digibum said:

2.  Allowing unvaccinated children into Thailand just makes zero sense. 

Which countries are vaccinating children under ten?

It started with 7 days, then 14, meaning they wanted to save(?) Phuket, while, at the same time, experimenting this type travel.

The problem was : they are scientifically clueless, extremely cautious, naive and arrogant at the same time, greed, scientifically clueless, extremely catious, naive and arrogant at the same time, greed, I think thats enough...

 

IMHO, open the country to fully vaccinated tourists, with 1-2 preflight PCR test, no quarantine.

Giving the situation in Thailand, it's them taking the risks, I mean, does anyone really believe daily figures are real and not (much) higher?

Edited July 11, 20214 yr by drenddy

Myself I've always been a fan of the Swedish model. 

Might be time......two kids on a Myanmar flight (didn't know there were any) tested positive.......

7 hours ago, champers said:

It has only been up and running for just over a week. There have been a few issues to sort out but nothing major or catastrophic. Islands would seem to be the best location for sandboxes for now.

A few issues...

 

Like jailing a dozen people who thought they were coming to Thailand for a holiday. Instead they PAID to be jailed. With them now being in jail for a week we have not heard of one incident of those individuals having covid.

 

Only the one person.

 

Issues....

Edited July 11, 20214 yr by kynikoi

Regrettably there wasn't a 'no to none of the above'

 

The sandbox concept is a good idea, but, the authorities must not lose their nerve when infections spike.  This they could avoid by stopping the testing with kits that aren't fit for purpose with too many false positives showing in asymptomatic people.  asymptomatic transmission doesn't happen.

 

In my opinion - bourne out by the Great Barrington declaration the vulnerable should have been isolated and the rest of us allowed to get on with our lives thus increasing herd immunity and the financial devastation wreaked upon the world should never have happened.

 

phuket sandbox was the right concept / time / place attempting / trialing essential tourism restart.

abandon it for what alternative ? none.

uncrowded resorts & beaches & authentic thai food / temples are sufficient for some family tourists

failed largely because of excessive testing & tracing in phuket; many “lesson learned” ......

thais sufficiently vaccinated in phuket

hungary and serbia are not “western countries”. 

 

42 minutes ago, Nurseynutcase said:

Regrettably there wasn't a 'no to none of the above'

 

The sandbox concept is a good idea, but, the authorities must not lose their nerve when infections spike.  This they could avoid by stopping the testing with kits that aren't fit for purpose with too many false positives showing in asymptomatic people.  asymptomatic transmission doesn't happen.

 

In my opinion - bourne out by the Great Barrington declaration the vulnerable should have been isolated and the rest of us allowed to get on with our lives thus increasing herd immunity and the financial devastation wreaked upon the world should never have happened.

 

Another selfish individual who believes only they and their friends matter in this world, bravo.

Phuket has the alpha, beta and delta now and it has just been proved in South Africa that you can catch the beta and delta simultaneously.  The sandbox may go out in a blaze of glory and score another "hub" accolade being the first place to record patients with all three.

I read an article in a local online newspaper earlier today on how to potentially deal with the tricky situation of the people who tested negative, but were unlucky enough to be in a group, or in the vicinity of a sandboxer who tested positive and thereby transfered to ALQ. Covid related insurance will only cover the ALQ costs if you are positive. ALQ hotel costs in general seem to be much higher than SHA+ hotels, so even if SHA+ costs are refunded, you are still likely to end up out of pocket.

 

The author proposed the Phuket "guarantee" as an idea to try to turn the negative side of this publicity into something slightly more positive. The guarantee would ensure that with the exception of F&B there would be NO additional charges for ALQ should you have to transfer there.. I was thinking that that was may be a good proposal and went back later to read the article again only to find it had been removed, possibly along with the author, for suggesting something that might be deemed a little sensible...

3 hours ago, digibum said:

Sadly, many of these people are idiots.  And so are many expats living in Thailand.  
 

Go on Facebook groups, even today, and see the number of expats thinking it might be a good time to fly down to Phuket with the kids for a relaxing weekend.  
 

Or the expats that ask whether the bars on Bangla are open.  
 

Many of these people are too dumb to understand the risks.  They come from nanny states that would stop them from harming themselves so they think that if something is possible, it must be safe.  
 

These don’t sound like people that can properly weigh risk and make intelligent decisions.  

Obviously what's needed is less idiots and more people like yourself. 

7 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Ah huh…

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/10/public-alarm-grows-at-boris-johnsons-plan-for-covid-freedom-day?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

interesting poll on that link. 43% of people said they would continue to wear a face mask in a bar or pub. Not quite sure how that would work.....

13 minutes ago, sungod said:

interesting poll on that link. 43% of people said they would continue to wear a face mask in a bar or pub. Not quite sure how that would work.....

They are very simple to remove when necessary, I believe instructions are available for those less technically inclined…

Stupid idea, we don't want foreign tourists until all Thais have been vaccinated.