Private sector skeptical over lockdown success, without mass screening, vaccinations

[snoop1130]

Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) chairman Supant Mongkolsuthree / Photo from Supant Mongkolsuthree Facebook

 

Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) chairman Supant Mongkolsuthree has expressed doubt that the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA)’s decision to tighten lockdown measures in 13 “Dark Red” provinces will successfully contain the rapid surge in COVID-19 infections.

 

Pointing out that the new restrictions will cause damage to the national economy, estimated at about 100 billion, instead of between 50-60 billion baht as earlier projected, he said that the increasingly restrictive measures must be complemented by an acceleration in active screening, including the widespread use of antigen test kits and mass vaccinations, without which the enhanced lockdown is bound to fail.

 

The FTI chairman also voiced his disagreement with the idea of adopting the Wuhan lockdown model in Bangkok, noting that such a drastic measure will bring the entire production sector to a complete halt, which will devastate the economy “because there won’t be any engine to drive it.”

 

Full Story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/private-sector-skeptical-over-lockdown-success-without-mass-screening-vaccinations/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2021-07-20

 

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[RandolphGB]

Thailand can’t afford to do a Wuhan. China could.
 

The economic impact will be felt for years to come. 

 

 

[ukrules]

Vaccinating everybody is the first step so they can forget about any kind of resolution of the issue until that's done.

 

Maybe by early next year things will be better if they can get their hands on enough vaccine.

 

The only other thing that can save them now is a new variant which is very mild and grants complete immunity to all other variants but I wouldn't hold my breath on that one, the 'emergence' of something like that could be years away and when it does come they will likely lock it down to the point of extinction because people will still test positive. I call this the old fashioned way...

 

[Caldera]

China could lock down Wuhan in such a dramatic fashion because it's just one big city there of many big cities. And because Chinese people are incredibly disciplined, so they could keep it quite short.

 

Thailand only has Bangkok in roughly that category, the economic fallout for the whole country would be devastating. And Thai people are natural born lawbreakers, the government has tried and failed to make them wear helmets when riding motorcycles for as long as I've been here.

 

Ultimately they can only hope to flatten the curve a little bit, this lockdown won't be a success story either way.

[ArcticFox]

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) chairman Supant Mongkolsuthree has expressed doubt that the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA)’s decision to tighten lockdown measures in 13 “Dark Red” provinces will successfully contain the rapid surge in COVID-19 infections.

As long as member of the FTI are profitable during the 'emergency' do they really care that small businesses are again, and again called unessential and "covid spreaders" and forced to close.  All that wealth transfers to corporate interests and probably FTI members.  Just destroy average Thais.  Maybe they'll die off and stop producing carbon then Thailand will have a larger amount of carbon offsets to use in 2025 without the useless eaters.  That sound about right?

I personally find the closures of small businesses abhorrent and amoral.  But the filthy rich and their friends run the show.  Right into the ground...

[ArcticFox]

1 minute ago, Caldera said:

And Thai people are natural born lawbreakers, the government has tried and failed to make them wear helmets when riding motorcycles for as long as I've been here.

Honestly.  No joke.  Every single motorcycle rider I've seen without a helmet is wearing a mask.  To the person.  See.  Thais love the law!

[impulse]

Lockdowns only delay the inevitable.  Unless you have a sealed bunker with a lifetime supply of food and water, you'll eventually be exposed to the bug.

 

The objective is to delay the infection until people get vaccinated.  That's what's not happening.

 

The race now is between vaccines and natural immunity.  Even with a 1% death rate, natural immunity means 650,000 deaths in LOS.  Hopefully, vaccination will win the race.  But I'm not betting.

 

[RichardColeman]

Is anybody else's facebook littered with dead Thais in the street and on the sidewalk today ? 

[ArcticFox]

3 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Is anybody else's facebook littered with dead Thais in the street and on the sidewalk today ? 

Facebook gets maybe 15 minutes of my time a week to check in with family.  Other than that - I don't use it any more.  It was at one time useful.  It isn't anymore.  It can go join MySpace for all I care.

[tingtong]

2 hours ago, ArcticFox said:

Honestly.  No joke.  Every single motorcycle rider I've seen without a helmet is wearing a mask.  To the person.  See.  Thais love the law!

 

The law of economics and social shaming, they obey .

 

No helmet: 400 thb ( or 10 squats? ????)

 

No mask: up to 20.000 thb fine and risk of media shaming and in-person angry comments.

 

 

[todlad]

The general lockdown model that I see is to keep people from moving around and socialising. That works. Until, of course, the clowns in society and the anti vaxxers take to the streets, having listened to some bogus mumbo jumbo. You will have seen people carrying signs declaring My Body, My Choice with respect to mask wearing.

Then there is the problem of the mass movement of people from infected areas to other parts of the country: we have seen this at least twice in the last year or so.

Having essentially self isolated in North East Thailand since March 2020, I appreciate the sentiments of this article more and more.

The villages are quiet, the towns are quiet and the cities are quiet. People are nervous. When there is a covid case within 20 km, the jungle telegraph beats loud. Everyone is on their guard.

Yet here we are, not only Thailand, either. Relatively high numbers of cases, highest number of deaths and the country is suffering socially and economically. 

The question is, are we suffering socially and economically disproportionately to the reality of the problem?

My two penn'orth, then, is this. 

Rather than a lockdown that goes deeper and wider every time, put measures in place that really work. Staying home helps, accepted. Wearing masks helps, accepted. Society must be ready to act against anyone not wearing a mask: resources and education are the key here. Tracking the spread of the disease helps: this is a problem in Thailand, so make that problem go away.

I have not seen anywhere in Thailand where they disinfect entire districts again and again. If it happens, good; if not, do it; your tracking tells you where this is most needed.

Businesses, families and individuals need to be able to feed themselves and to feel safe. This is a team effort and not something to be left to amateurs and the privileged few.

We see in many countries politicians taking the lead: rightly, they are the mouthpiece of their society. What is going wrong, however, is those unqualied politicians taking medical, ethical and structural decisions that are far better taken by their chief medical advisors, their scientists and others of that ilk.

I saw a graph yesterday showing the before mass vaccination death rates and the after mass vaccination death rates. Today's announcement of millions of doses ordered for Q4 of this year is a symptom of what can fairly be criticised here. It is not enough and it is late.

As and aside, sitting here in my humble abode as I do, I read a tweet from a well known Thai in which he lamented the possibility of a foreigner here being vaccinated before all Thai people have been. I responded by pointing out how compliant we generally are, complaining though we do. I then expressed my happiness that he had graduated with a Master's from a university in my country and which my government had paid for in full.

[overherebc]

8 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Is anybody else's facebook littered with dead Thais in the street and on the sidewalk today ? 

Just people posting rubbish.

Does anyone actually believe anything on facebook?

[unblocktheplanet]

I disagree completely with any notion Thais are more lawbreaking than anyone else. Driving laws excepted. But we know how to be a community, not like, for instance, Americans. I think Thais would fall in line. And I don't believe the economic impacts would be any more serious than what's going on right this minute. A hard lockdown, unfortunately, may be too late. Generals with no sense of direction, unwilling to give orders.

[SomchaiCNX]

13 hours ago, RandolphGB said:

Thailand can’t afford to do a Wuhan. China could.
 

The economic impact will be felt for years to come. 

 

 

Yes and nowhere I can file a complaint to recuperate all the losses due to this madness.

[steevjee]

12 hours ago, Caldera said:

China could lock down Wuhan in such a dramatic fashion because it's just one big city there of many big cities. And because Chinese people are incredibly disciplined, so they could keep it quite short.

 

Thailand only has Bangkok in roughly that category, the economic fallout for the whole country would be devastating. And Thai people are natural born lawbreakers, the government has tried and failed to make them wear helmets when riding motorcycles for as long as I've been here.

 

Ultimately they can only hope to flatten the curve a little bit, this lockdown won't be a success story either way.

The helmet issue only exists because the Government allow the Police to not enforce the law, people abide by the law if it is strongly enforced, same with a lockdown, no Police no abidance

[DefaultName]

Look around the world, all the countries that are coming out of this have high vaccine rates.  That's enough evidence for me.

[The Hammer2021]

17 hours ago, RandolphGB said:

Thailand can’t afford to do a Wuhan. China could.
 

The economic impact will be felt for years to come. 

 

 

It's started. The destruction has begun. There is no effective government here. 

[The Hammer2021]

14 hours ago, Caldera said:

China could lock down Wuhan in such a dramatic fashion because it's just one big city there of many big cities. And because Chinese people are incredibly disciplined, so they could keep it quite short.

 

Thailand only has Bangkok in roughly that category, the economic fallout for the whole country would be devastating. And Thai people are natural born lawbreakers, the government has tried and failed to make them wear helmets when riding motorcycles for as long as I've been here.

 

Ultimately they can only hope to flatten the curve a little bit, this lockdown won't be a success story either way.

17 hours ago, RandolphGB said:

Thailand can’t afford to do a Wuhan. China could.
 

The economic impact will be felt for years to come. 

 

 

It's started. The destruction has begun. There is no effective government here. 

[Autonuaq]

as long is the model to earn money from tourist like Thai do you can look around and see the impact at other countries with lock downs.

you have to reform the economic business model and apply to 80/20 rule.

 

also you when you not do the lockdown then accept you will have other problems the next 4 years. and probably not get any tourist due to this. that you will feel harder then just a lock down of 3 to 6 months

 

[metisdead]

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[Rimmer]

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