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

[DogNo1]

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.

[cncltd1973]

13 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

"Move on"?

 

Certainly a welcoming tag-line.

 

Honestly who comes up with this idiocy?

Sounds like what police tell a crowd that gathers at an accident - move on, nothing to see here????. Unfortunate they don't run it by an english speaker before they print it, but that would take a job away from a thai person????

[Seeall]

14 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Step by Step, doing the two step boot scooting boogie Pipat is.  He can attempt to take the steps, but he is not the one n control.  The man is just trying to justify his lofty position I do believe.  Not much for the Tourism minister to do with no tourism and the borders still sealed.....

Bubble with Mynmar?   lol.... do they even know about the c19?   nuts

[tomyami]

Fine reopen but since april you only vacinated 12% fully some with a low effacy one, where other countries have achieved 40-50% in that time frame and more.

Nobody will tour areas that dont have control phunket failed and samui never got going

vaccine certs to enter venues can only work on 70% and above.

Thailand and much of SEA is not deemed safe as a destination so well into next year before any real opening any speculating before is just distraction and saving face.

 

Edited September 6, 2021 by tomyami

[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.

[Sticky Rice Balls]

19 hours ago, smedly said:

If I was a genuine tourist in Phuket right now I would not be leaving my hotel and staying away from people as much as possible, for the simple reason vaxed or not if you return a positive covid test you life turns to into a living hell - I hope potential future foreign tourists understand that before they set foot in this covid ridden country - the risks costs and penalties are high. 

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

[Sticky Rice Balls]

17 hours ago, hotchilli said:

All having infection levels that are far from over and locals who are still un-vaccinated.

What's wrong with this man?

motives and agendas is usually the correct answer..esp in politics

[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...

[Sticky Rice Balls]

17 hours ago, hotchilli said:

You're taking in Hua Hin as-well then?

can only report from boots on the ground up here in CNX..if anyone down south wants to give a on scene update?

[Sticky Rice Balls]

2 minutes ago, drenddy said:

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

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

[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.

[Sticky Rice Balls]

4 minutes ago, drenddy said:

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

Agreed better than whats going on in the states ...Im tired of the politics and carrying the burden of the unvaccinated....Ive been long ready to get on a plane

but then will stress about the anti masker covidiots thru 6 airports....sigh

[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.