Tourism minister pressing ahead with "Step by Step" reopening of Thailand

[shdmn]

5 hours ago, DoctorB said:

What is really stupid is crashing the economy and making people destitute, in a country without an effective social security system, for what is, for most people, a relatively mild illness, with a death rate on a par with influenza. Infectious it may be, but it's not Ebola or the Black Death. 

Don't worry, the same people beaking off about "buh it's too early to open" will be the same ones beaking off about that.  They will never missing and opportunity to hypocritically whine about Thailand.

Edited September 6, 2021 by shdmn

[hotchilli]

19 hours ago, webfact said:

Step One is over and done with - the pilot to open Phuket Kof Samui and other southern island areas and resorts

That's one way of putting it....

[hotchilli]

19 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand's minister for tourism and sports Pipat Ratchakitprakan is pressing ahead with PM Prayuth Chan-ocha's 120 day reopening masterplan.

 

It's up on October 15th but that won't stop the reopening juggernaut that is now being called "Step by Step" according to Thai business media

Didn't Prayut only last week walk-back the opening date due to the high infection rates?

[drenddy]

We all know...They are clueless and <deleted> scared about Covid.Their policies are made up of copying other more advanced countries in the area, such as South Korea or Singapore.

 

But even so, their level of greed and arrogance towards tourists is astonishing.

Coming up with the same BS...Thinking that any tourist will come as long as COE, quarantine(even within the so called sandbox), 3 PCR at own expenses, are in place, is just offending and I just don't comprehend, why there is no established paper or journalist who can tell them, stop this BS.

[zzaa09]

6 hours ago, DogNo1 said:

Herd immunity is a fiction.  It is not possible.  Vaccinating the entire population of Thailand would protect them from severe illness and hospitalization if their vaccinations were up-to-date.  By the time that the authorities get everyone vaccinated, those who were vaccinated early on will be needing boosters.  COVID is destined to be an endemic disease with everyone needing periodic vaccinations.  The supply of vaccine throughout the world needs to be greatly increased.

And then there is the 98.5 percent of those that have been infected that have recovered - be it the initial virus or Delta or whatever. 

 

[zzaa09]

22 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Didn't Prayut only last week walk-back the opening date due to the high infection rates?

Give 'em a week. 

 

[nattaya09]

42 minutes ago, zzaa09 said:

And then there is the 98.5 percent of those that have been infected that have recovered - be it the initial virus or Delta or whatever. 

 

Likely also that for the 1.3M documented cases, there are at least twice that many undocumented cases that were mostly asymptomatic which further drives the true mortality rate down

Edited September 6, 2021 by nattaya09

[hotchilli]

12 hours ago, Stocky said:

That'll be one step forwards, two steps back.

I'm trying my best to envisage the step forward.

[drenddy]

6 minutes ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

This! Why I refuse to do the sandbox--Id be too paranoid to enjoy it anyway...

Imagine you turn out positive 1-2 days before return flight....Nice thought...

[drenddy]

Just now, Sticky Rice Balls said:

has crossed my mind..... ????

It would only cost at least 14 days unpaid extra holiday + ASQ/hospital....Peanuts...Better than being stucked in rainy Europe.

[drenddy]

3 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

their song American Idiot was applauded and many stood up.  Guess it's still relevant today....lol. 

Should be USA's national anthem....

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and replies about Biden and the USA have been removed.

[crazykopite]

The PM announced that the country would open up fully in October I’m holding him to his word and if that’s the case  that should mean no sandbox, no quarantine , no being in bed by 9 pm ,no bars closed the list is never ending December is the highlight of the holiday season due to Christmas and New Year meaning January will be to late and a lot more businesses and jobs will be lost .

[Will B Good]

1 minute ago, crazykopite said:

The PM announced that the country would open up fully in October I’m holding him to his word and if that’s the case  that should mean no sandbox, no quarantine , no being in bed by 9 pm ,no bars closed the list is never ending December is the highlight of the holiday season due to Christmas and New Year meaning January will be to late and a lot more businesses and jobs will be lost .

Good luck with that.

 

I reckon still no legal bars, bed by 10pm and sandboxes ,pretend ones at least.

 

Thailand will still be on most developed nations Red Lists, so no tourists are going to come here knowing they have a bill running into thousands to quarantine on return.

[ThailandRyan]

10 minutes ago, crazykopite said:

The PM announced that the country would open up fully in October I’m holding him to his word and if that’s the case  that should mean no sandbox, no quarantine , no being in bed by 9 pm ,no bars closed the list is never ending December is the highlight of the holiday season due to Christmas and New Year meaning January will be to late and a lot more businesses and jobs will be lost .

You might want to try a lawsuit against him for not living up to his words then.  The man has walked back his timeline while Pipat has walked it backwards, forwards and sideways...

[paulikens]

does that mean the bars will be opening on october 1st? cuz thailand you don't really expect tourists to come and have no nightlife open especially pattaya.   its bad enough now with all the hoops you have to jump through, let alone get here and have hardly anything open.   

[paulikens]

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

I'm trying my best to envisage the step forward.

@hotchilli you actually allow yourself to enjoy something???   cuz you seem scared of your own shadow.

[superal]

These are desperate times for Thailand because the government were slow out of the blocks to procure the vaccines . Could it be that because Thailand performed so well with the initial pandemic having little or no affect on the country that the same outcome would follow for future episodes ? Thailand is not alone as the UK thought that covid would be another sars and took no mitigating actions until into the catch up mode . But Thailand is a different ball game with the island of Phuket having a population of around 500,00 and 90% dependent on tourism . Not difficult to see a looming disaster and understandable why the government are coming up with new ideas to try to encourage tourism on the island . The sandbox plan was doable if managed correctly but was doomed from the start when to qualify to work in Phuket the minimum requirement was 1 jab of sinovac . Now there are around 200 covid cases a day in Phuket and coupled with fake vaccine / test certs the sandbox plan is sadly going towards the end date .Tourism to the whole of Thailand is looking bleak and the government need to take steps to respond .

[Will B Good]

2 minutes ago, superal said:

These are desperate times for Thailand because the government were slow out of the blocks to procure the vaccines . Could it be that because Thailand performed so well with the initial pandemic having little or no affect on the country that the same outcome would follow for future episodes ? Thailand is not alone as the UK thought that covid would be another sars and took no mitigating actions until into the catch up mode . But Thailand is a different ball game with the island of Phuket having a population of around 500,00 and 90% dependent on tourism . Not difficult to see a looming disaster and understandable why the government are coming up with new ideas to try to encourage tourism on the island . The sandbox plan was doable if managed correctly but was doomed from the start when to qualify to work in Phuket the minimum requirement was 1 jab of sinovac . Now there are around 200 covid cases a day in Phuket and coupled with fake vaccine / test certs the sandbox plan is sadly going towards the end date .Tourism to the whole of Thailand is looking bleak and the government need to take steps to respond .

I would agree.

 

And the single biggest problem I now see is Thailand increasingly being placed on other countries Red Lists. 

 

Once that happens all the tourists are lost.

 

No one is going to a sandbox and then pay thousands to quarantine back home.

[superal]

11 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

I would agree.

 

And the single biggest problem I now see is Thailand increasingly being placed on other countries Red Lists. 

 

Once that happens all the tourists are lost.

 

No one is going to a sandbox and then pay thousands to quarantine back home.

TAT must know this and nothing they can do about it except for the countries testing stats / reported cases and vaccine rollout to be believed by western governments . I am going to stick my neck out and forecast that the current covid trend continues in Thailand until next March when the hot weather and strong ultraviolet conditions prevail . The rainy weather and humidity are on the side of the virus . 

[Will B Good]

1 minute ago, superal said:

TAT must know this and nothing they can do about it except for the countries testing stats / reported cases and vaccine rollout to be believed by western governments . I am going to stick my neck out and forecast that the current covid trend continues in Thailand until next March when the hot weather and strong ultraviolet conditions prevail . The rainy weather and humidity are on the side of the virus . 

Out of their hands, very true.

 

Clamp down big time.... go on the green/amber list,  but no tourists will be interested .

 

Open up big time....go on the red list, no tourists period.

 

Rock and hard place.

[superal]

2 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

Out of their hands, very true.

 

Clamp down big time.... go on the green/amber list,  but no tourists will be interested .

 

Open up big time....go on the red list, no tourists period.

 

Rock and hard place.

What countries apart from the UK have Thailand on their red list ?

[Will B Good]

4 minutes ago, superal said:

What countries apart from the UK have Thailand on their red list ?

Not definitive!

 

Plus, pretty sure many amber will soon be red.

[HaoleBoy]

They did a step by step evaluation for Phuket Sandbox.

Over 100 new positive Covid cases in 1 week then turn off the spigot of tourists coming in

Over xx new positive Covid cases in a Moo then lock the Moo down

. . .

 

Then they just threw those steps out the window and didn't care much.

 

As far as Phuket Hospitals up to 80% capacity, a large part of this is that 80% of new Covid cases in Phuket are asymptomatic yet put in hospitals.  Let them register, then home quarantine and you free up more beds in hospitals.

[sezze]

22 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

All of which would be a burden on local health services if dropped at this time. 

Some rules yes , others are just a another reason , nothing to do with covid . COE needed with full plan of what and where you stay ... what has that got to do with covid , since you did spend 2 weeks in quarantine ( this i can understand ), including several tests . After this period , why should they care or need to know ? I was looking again today to see if it is possible for me to come in October and every time i bounce back on 1 or another rule . I am fully vaccinated with Pfizer , even willing to spend 2 weeks inside room . For "sandbox" i need to install a app , but since data with my native phonecard would be crazy expensive i would need a Thai phonecard , which i cannot buy in 1st second ( used to do on arrival hall , which is behind immigration) . In standard ASQ i do not need the app since im in the room for 2 weeks , but they need to know a complete travel plan for after the 2 weeks , fully booked or on invitation with all needed papers .

I want to come , i can agree on some rules , like the 2 week thing ,and the tests , including the insurance , but all the rest is just control and nothing to do with covid .

[DogNo1]

COVID-19 is now an endemic disease meaning that there is no such thing as permanent immunity from it.  Yesterday on Youtube, There was a video featuring a healthy young doctor with no risk factors who contracted COVID, received two doses of Moderna and then got COVID again.  Recovering from the disease AND getting double vaccinated doesn't prevent you from getting COVID again, especially if it is a newer variant.  People who have recovered and/or have been doubly vaccinated can contract the disease again because antibody levels decrease over time.  Thailand has no choice but to doubly vaccinate everyone with an effective vaccine even if they have previously recovered from COVID.  Only then may it become an acceptable tourist destination again.  I think that all tourism will be down in the future.  The BIG question is what variants or new pandemics will appear in the future.  We may be wearing masks for the rest of our lives.

[Stargeezr]

I do not mind if Thailand is open to tourists from October onward, but I do hope that by December. 

or January, at least 50 percent of the adult population in Thailand will have had their second jab, and even some with a third booster.

  I have a few old friends that do not want to spend a frozen Winter in Canada.  So go with the step by step open method,  and

hopefully by January more people will only be mildly sick with COVID and the rest can get on with life.

   I would like to go to a tropical country to avoid the cold of Winter, but I am young enough that I will be waiting for at least

November 2022 before I get on a long flight to go anywhere.

Geezer

 

[rott]

On 9/7/2021 at 8:14 AM, drenddy said:

It would only cost at least 14 days unpaid extra holiday + ASQ/hospital....Peanuts...Better than being stucked in rainy Europe.

Speaking of "rainy", whereabouts in Thailand are you.? 

Edited September 9, 2021 by rott

[rott]

On 9/7/2021 at 4:22 AM, shdmn said:

Don't worry, the same people beaking off about "buh it's too early to open" will be the same ones beaking off about that.  They will never missing and opportunity to hypocritically whine about Thailand.

Beaking off - new one that, to me anyway. Sounds sort of Ruritanian. 

I look forward to some examples of this hypocritical whining, as and when they appear. 

[shdmn]

5 minutes ago, rott said:

Beaking off - new one that, to me anyway. Sounds sort of Ruritanian. 

I look forward to some examples of this hypocritical whining, as and when they appear. 

That's a pretty heavy lift.  It's just so hard to find whining in this thread and on this board.  Boy howdy you sure have me in a corner on that one.

Edited September 9, 2021 by shdmn