Save our Sandbox! MoPH send crisis team to Phuket as migrants blamed for infections

[webfact]

File photo: REUTERS

 

Ministry of Public Health official Kiatphoom Wongjarit admitted that a special team had been sent to Phuket after infections on the sandbox island hit 200 a day. 

 

He blamed the infections on migrant workers who have come into the province to work causing the spread in communities where they live.

 

He was quick to point out that foreign tourists were NOT to blame as they are tested before arrival and during their stay.

 

He said out of 30,000 visitors under the Phuket sandbox reopening only 89 had tested positive for Covid-19.

 

The special team will be focusing their efforts on restoring confidence of Phuket residents and foreign tourists who were not expecting their holiday island to have Covid. 

 

They will also be ensuring that the elderly, pregnant women, those with underlying health conditions as well as the migrant workers get vaccinated. 

 

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[Eibot]

Lack of restrictions and people living their lives more or less normally due to being vaccinated (and rightfully so), brings many infections. Vaccinations don't stop the spread but only prevents most severe cases. And we see this back in severe cases (hardly any). 

Time to let green patients quarantine at home, open the schools and let the tourist have their holiday. Only let fully vaccinated people on the island and monitor hospitalization of people with symptoms instead of solely infections. 

This has to be approach if they want to open Thailand next month. They seem scared and are still focused on X amount of cases found in X area. This approach only works pre-vaccines. We are past that.

With vaccinations you walk on the line of not overwhelming the healthcare system and without destroying the economy. Time to show some balls. 

[RichardColeman]

I'm confused. I thought all tourists were tested and ALL people entering the province - so how come the migrant workers weren't ? They cannot spread it if they were tested and found on  entry. Just possible blame game to me

[ChipButty]

Why blame it on the migrant workers? most have not been able to get on the island for a while without proof they live here, The last person I know to get infected was Thai and that was last weekend, then in Rawai the authorities lock down the gypsy village infact they have boarded the place up so nobody can leave, They are Thai arn't they? 

[richard_smith237]

12 minutes ago, webfact said:

He blamed the infections on migrant workers who have come into the province to work causing the spread in communities where they live.

And how do those ‘migrant’ scapegoats workers get onto the island while unvaccinated and untested?

 

Someone is letting them through. Who is really to blame ????? We all know the answer, those taking money to allow them on to the Island and those people are most certainly Thai’s in a position of (relative) power. 

 

As always, migrant workers are the focus of blame and the utter hypocrisy continues. 

 

 

 

[Will B Good]

So tourists, whom they are desperate to attract to the Island are tested to death, but migrant workers are allowed to just swarm in with no testing at all......is that correct?

[smedly]

3 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

As always, migrant workers are the focus of blame and the utter hypocrisy continues. 

Thais rarely accept blame for anything - it is infantile, from RTA's to vaccine procurement there is always something or someone to blame - in Phuket the buck stops with the Governor, he is ultimately responsible for everything that goes on - no one else

[smedly]

1 minute ago, Will B Good said:

So tourists, whom they are desperate to attract to the Island are tested to death, but migrant workers are allowed to just swarm in with no testing at all......is that correct?

they insist on testing the most unlikely source for the virus - fully vaccinated foreign tourists - I think they found a total of 3 out of 30,000 that were not infected through community spread in Phuket - I said weeks ago covid was rampant on the Island 

[ikke1959]

As usual not "us" buth  "they"... Bad vaccination program that promised more than it really does is one of the reasons I believe.. 2 jabs Sinovac are working na 60 days only for 50 % or less, Besides, Thailand is not clear that 1  jab is NOT vaccinated, but only 2 jabs will give some protection after 2/3 weeks.. The Sandbox opened too soon as they will do with the rest of the country. They still say that 70% of the population will be vaccinated, but only so far not even 20% of the people had 2 jabs... There is still a long way to go but with the manipulated numbers nobody knows the truth and than there will be problems..... caused by....... not  "us"

[Tropicalevo]

43 minutes ago, webfact said:

infections on the sandbox island hit 200 a day. 

That is what happens when you carry out proactive testing.

The more that you test, the more cases you find.

[ChipButty]

15 minutes ago, smedly said:

community spread in Phuket - I said weeks ago covid was rampant on the Island 

Im with you on that, I hear the stories from locals where I live

[stevenl]

Agree, it is migrant workers who arrived from other parts of Thailand who are to blame. They flocked back and employers were demanding staff. 

Imo these migrant workers are mainly Thai.

[stevenl]

26 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

So tourists, whom they are desperate to attract to the Island are tested to death, but migrant workers are allowed to just swarm in with no testing at all......is that correct?

No, migrant workers are not allowed in like that. This was caused some time back when migrant workers were allowed in easily, either legally or otherwise.

[4MyEgo]

Nothing to do with Sinovac, so blame the migrants, and be careful not to blame the farangs as we need them to keep coming, as dirty as they are, we want/need their money.

 

During this pandemic we can change our opinions how and when we think it is right, dirty farangs spread it in one scenario, migrants in other scenario's, and let's not forget there is always the Burmese as a final draw card for other matters. 

[Bluespunk]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

He blamed the infections on migrant workers who have come into the province to work causing the spread in communities where they live.

Pesky foreigners...except for the rich ones who spend a lot of course-they're great.

 

So maybe pesky poor foreigners doing the low paid menial work...

[stevenl]

10 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Pesky foreigners...except for the rich ones who spend a lot of course-they're great.

 

So maybe pesky poor foreigners doing the low paid menial work...

Migrant workers doesn't mean foreigners.

[BobinBKK]

1 hour ago, RichardColeman said:

I'm confused. I thought all tourists were tested and ALL people entering the province - so how come the migrant workers weren't ? They cannot spread it if they were tested and found on  entry. Just possible blame game to me

Perhaps it's the flood of young unvaccinated sex workers "flocking" (I love that word 555) to Puke-et from all over this great nation we live in?

[Espanol]

44 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Agree, it is migrant workers who arrived from other parts of Thailand who are to blame. They flocked back and employers were demanding staff. 

Imo these migrant workers are mainly Thai.

Yes, but why not testing them?

[stevenl]

36 minutes ago, Espanol said:

Yes, but why not testing them?

They are now, but way too late. Just as they stopped domestic tourism way too late.

[Bluespunk]

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

Migrant workers doesn't mean foreigners.

i suspect when someone is blaming them for spreading covid , it does...

[Cake Monster]

2 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

I'm confused. I thought all tourists were tested and ALL people entering the province - so how come the migrant workers weren't ? They cannot spread it if they were tested and found on  entry. Just possible blame game to me

I am also confused, because I thought that all the Local population on the Isalnd had been Vaccinated ?

The crisis team should have gone in over a week ago, for what good they will do.

Cha - Cha Thailand. I guess too many Committees, Sub Committees and meetings were the issue for the delay.

[stevenl]

1 minute ago, Bluespunk said:

i suspect when someone is blaming them for spreading covid , it does...

Strange reasoning. They say 'migrant workers' you think 'foreigners', so migrant workers must equate foreigners.. And when questioned you refer back to migrant workers meaning foreigners in their minds.

[ChipButty]

5 minutes ago, Cake Monster said:

I am also confused, because I thought that all the Local population on the Isalnd had been Vaccinated ?

 

That was never the case I dont think they reached 70% double dosed

[Bluespunk]

Just now, stevenl said:

Strange reasoning. They say 'migrant workers' you think 'foreigners', so migrant workers must equate foreigners.. And when questioned you refer back to migrant workers meaning foreigners in their minds.

Nope, I was saying that when certain politicians refer to migrants they mean foreign migrants.

 

Hope that's clear to you.

[Cake Monster]

1 minute ago, ChipButty said:

That was never the case I dont think they reach 70% double dosed

My post contained a large dose of Sarcarm

[IamNoone88]

I said at the very beginning there are just too many moving parts to make the sandbox work. If its not the overseas restrictions on travel that will continue until critical mass returns in 2023/24, then it is the domestic caused issues. How do you think these migrant workers move around Thailand and into and out of Thailand? Just look at the fishing industry in Samut Prakan and the workers that were moved into the factories/boats without the cost of quarantine, causing huge outbreaks. That is all in the public domain. There is whole ecosystem that supports migrant workers that we don't see - yet we feel the efforts across our business and the broader economy until we end up where we are today.

[flyfrog]

The meaning of a sandbox is attract foreigners for holidays, so all 2 x vaccinated are welcome, with a 2 weeks beach quarantine, means NO migrant workers NO inland workers who are not vaccinated, that's the reason for the new infections, they will NEVER learn.

[findlay13]

Those bloody migrant workers AGAIN! ????

[Pattaya Spotter]

Who needs migrant workers right now...why are they even in Phuket ????

[taxin]

4 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

I'm confused. I thought all tourists were tested and ALL people entering the province - so how come the migrant workers weren't ? They cannot spread it if they were tested and found on  entry. Just possible blame game to me

Well they can’t blame it on the Thais who were sneaking onto the island with fake negative Covid test results, must blame the migrants.