Thailand seeks to slash quarantine period for visitors

[Carrbhoy]

3 minutes ago, alyx said:

Sincerely nobody will be able to answer that ( and I am not only referring to this forum)

This being said I would not hold my breath if I had already got the COE as it seems to be your case

I was hoping someone could recall how this was applied when similar changes were introduced previously. They either adjusted existing bookings or they didn't. I'm confident someone will be able to clarify.

 

Now, whether they are applied consistently if approved this time around - I agree, nobody with any confidence, will be able to answer that.

 

[alyx]

Reflecting on the earlier post mentioning Greece and the border opening

(Not sure whether I can post this) link https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/greece-expected-to-reach-e12-billion-in-revenues-from-this-years-tourism/

but Greece is clearly the winner having balanced pros and cons and gone forward with their plan and stuck to it

If only that would serve as an example to follow

[Destiny1990]

I can enjoy Southern Europe without any PCR  testing, without useless face-masks, without quarantines, without visas, with sun lotion, without night curfew, with the bars, restaurants all normally back open, with alcohol, and without corvid insurances. Goodbye!!

[zzaa09]

1 hour ago, ukrules said:

In that case Thailand will never return to 'normal'...one day they will give up on all this nonsense, I doubt it will be any time soon.

 

Or when the profit schemes become weary.

[sirineou]

These officials who come up with these schemes to revitalize tourism , They need to do what they propose at least once themselves, not have their secretaries  do it for themselves,  but do it once themselves. Go to the US and then try to come back , and after you do it, ask yourself. 

If I was a tourist with a three week vacation from work,  would I do it?

We Just came back from the US last May. The hoops we had to jump troughs to get here were numerous and frustrating. Trying to get our health insurance to issue a letter that we are covered for covid in Thailand, Then the letter getting rejected because it did not say "Minimum $100K coverage" then I had to argue with them before they relented.  "It says unlimited, last I checked Unlimited was more than $100K"  ,

Vaccine certificates to qualify for 7 day quarantine, , then we got the COE and we had the ASQ booked for 7 days, for an arrival on May 7th if I remember correctly. Then they announced  that they are changing things and anyone arriving after  May 6th will have to do 14 days quarantine. So we had to change our departure date to an earlier one to get in before May 6th. 

Because no FN way was I sitting in a room for 14 days.

but to do that we had to change our COE, , finally we got that done , Now we had to find a place for the PCR test that would give us the results in 24 HRS.  We made it by May 4th and did only 7 days quarantine , but it was nerve wrecking and expensive. 

Does anyone believe any tourist on their right mind will go though that ?

Now we need to go to Europe to take care some personal business and we are afraid we will have to jump through similar hoops to get back again,

Are you kidding me? 

 

 

[CartagenaWarlock]

3 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Only until 70% of the population if vaccinated with an ‘effective’ vaccine (i.e. not Sinpharm / Sinovac, but with Pfizer, Moderna - vaccines of >90% efficacy) 

A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published Tuesday found a hefty drop in effectiveness against infection from the delta variant from Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Among a group of thousands of healthcare workers, the vaccines fell from being 91% effective at preventing infection to 66% after delta became the dominant variant.  

https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/08/25/vaccine-protection-wanes-within-six-months-of-second-covid-shot-study-warns-but-theyre-still-effective-against-delta/?sh=30284e645a80

[Carrbhoy]

4 minutes ago, sirineou said:

These officials who come up with these schemes to revitalize tourism , They need to do what they propose at least once themselves, not have their secretaries  do it for themselves,  but do it once themselves. Go to the US and then try to come back , and after you do it, ask yourself. 

If I was a tourist with a three week vacation from work,  would I do it?

We Just came back from the US last May. The hoops we had to jump troughs to get here were numerous and frustrating. Trying to get our health insurance to issue a letter that we are covered for covid in Thailand, Then the letter getting rejected because it did not say "Minimum $100K coverage" then I had to argue with them before they relented.  "It says unlimited, last I checked Unlimited was more than $100K"  ,

Vaccine certificates to qualify for 7 day quarantine, , then we got the COE and we had the ASQ booked for 7 days, for an arrival on May 7th if I remember correctly. Then they announced  that they are changing things and anyone arriving after  May 6th will have to do 14 days quarantine. So we had to change our departure date to an earlier one to get in before May 6th. 

Because no FN way was I sitting in a room for 14 days.

but to do that we had to change our COE, , finally we got that done , Now we had to find a place for the PCR test that would give us the results in 24 HRS.  We made it by May 4th and did only 7 days quarantine , but it was nerve wrecking and expensive. 

Does anyone believe any tourist on their right mind will go though that ?

Now we need to go to Europe to take care some personal business and we are afraid we will have to jump through similar hoops to get back again,

Are you kidding me? 

 

 

Thanks for this info. So when the earlier changes got introduced, the changes (albeit increased no. of days) got applied to existing bookings. In your case, this would have increased your ASQ from 7 to 14 days.

 

My situation is the reverse of that. I have an ASQ booking based on the current rules which is of course 14 days - I'm wondering if the proposals get approved whether this will be reduced to 7 days (vaccinated / recent RT-PCR test etc).

 

Previously, this would have increased the ASQ revenue - my situation would reduce this so not sure if the changes will be applied consistently. Be interesting to see what happens!

 

[tomacht8]

Next week everything will be changed again. Do those responsible even know their own current rules themselves? The whole thing is only half clear. Will the Phuket sandbox now also be abolished? 7 days forced quarantine, locked up  in the hotel room for vaccinated people also for Phuket and Koh Samui?

[martin81]

41 minutes ago, Carrbhoy said:

Thanks for this info. So when the earlier changes got introduced, the changes (albeit increased no. of days) got applied to existing bookings. In your case, this would have increased your ASQ from 7 to 14 days.

 

My situation is the reverse of that. I have an ASQ booking based on the current rules which is of course 14 days - I'm wondering if the proposals get approved whether this will be reduced to 7 days (vaccinated / recent RT-PCR test etc).

 

Previously, this would have increased the ASQ revenue - my situation would reduce this so not sure if the changes will be applied consistently. Be interesting to see what happens!

 

When I arrived in start of April the actual quarantine period ( 7 nights ) was only determined when I arrived. It said 10 or 14 days on the Coe but as I was vaccinated ended up with only 7 nights after document check at BKK airport.

[Destiny1990]

51 minutes ago, sirineou said:

These officials who come up with these schemes to revitalize tourism , They need to do what they propose at least once themselves, not have their secretaries  do it for themselves,  but do it once themselves. Go to the US and then try to come back , and after you do it, ask yourself. 

If I was a tourist with a three week vacation from work,  would I do it?

We Just came back from the US last May. The hoops we had to jump troughs to get here were numerous and frustrating. Trying to get our health insurance to issue a letter that we are covered for covid in Thailand, Then the letter getting rejected because it did not say "Minimum $100K coverage" then I had to argue with them before they relented.  "It says unlimited, last I checked Unlimited was more than $100K"  ,

Vaccine certificates to qualify for 7 day quarantine, , then we got the COE and we had the ASQ booked for 7 days, for an arrival on May 7th if I remember correctly. Then they announced  that they are changing things and anyone arriving after  May 6th will have to do 14 days quarantine. So we had to change our departure date to an earlier one to get in before May 6th. 

Because no FN way was I sitting in a room for 14 days.

but to do that we had to change our COE, , finally we got that done , Now we had to find a place for the PCR test that would give us the results in 24 HRS.  We made it by May 4th and did only 7 days quarantine , but it was nerve wrecking and expensive. 

Does anyone believe any tourist on their right mind will go though that ?

Now we need to go to Europe to take care some personal business and we are afraid we will have to jump through similar hoops to get back again,

Are you kidding me? 

 

 

Doesn’t sound like an holiday anymore instead that process resembles more like a mental torture to me. Gosh remembering the good old days were i was complaining about the complexities and confusions about the TM30 obtaining. Well I ain’t coming i rather sit outside in the cold snow freeze to death in Europe.

[JerseytoBKK]

Latest on vaccines and therapeutics:

 

There are currently over 120 Covid vaccines in trials around the world. Next year the Covid/Flu vaccine market will be worth between $500 Billion and $1 Trillion. Many companies rushing to get a piece of the action. The new vaccines might be better then the first ones on the market in that they are broader spectrum and geared towards variants and might provide longer term efficacy which seems to be an issue with the early vaccines.

 

This one just reported 2 days ago. Global study, 30,000 participants. Tested against all the latest variants and results are very impressive. Against ALL variants, 83% efficacy against moderate to severe and 100% efficacy against hospitalization and death.  

 

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/covid-19-vaccine-developed-by-clover-biopharmaceuticals-using-dynavaxs-cpg-1018-adjuvant-meets-primary-and-secondary-efficacy-endpoints-in-global-phase-23-trial-301382650.html 

 

Also over 80 therapeutics in trial. That is where the governments should have focused their energies on but a potential $500 Billion payday buys lots of scientists, politicians and reporters. 

 

There are multiple drugs in final stages of testing that cut the risk of death by 80-100%. Also cut the days spent in hospital by over 50%. Also drugs that reverse long term Covid symptoms. Unfortunately many small drug companies (bio-techs) don't have the financial or operational abilities to see their drugs (molecules) through to successful rollout. This is where governments should direct their resources to help these companies. Get Covid, take an pill and 2-3 days later you're OK with no hospital visit necessary. 

[Carrbhoy]

9 minutes ago, martin81 said:

When I arrived in start of April the actual quarantine period ( 7 nights ) was only determined when I arrived. It said 10 or 14 days on the Coe but as I was vaccinated ended up with only 7 nights after document check at BKK airport.

Very useful Martin - thank you.  Had you paid for more than 7 days? If so, did you get a refund from the hotel? Any issues?

 

I'm actually feeling quite hopeful my 14 days will be reduced........no doubt be dashed by Friday afternoon but in the meantime I'll stay overly optimistic!! It's a laugh this malarkey.....

 

[asiasurfer]

4 hours ago, Gold Star said:

Once out of quarantine, can’t go to a bar,  must be back before curfew, can’t wear sunscreen so can’t go out doing things in the sun during the day, why come at all?

And don't even think about writing a bad review or picking up a sea cucumber... ????

Edited September 23, 2021 by asiasurfer
Spelling

[cclub75]

The scenario is now very clear  : small changes, but nowhere the so called "grand reopening".

 

10 days quarantine for unvaccinated visitors and 7 days for vaccinated visitors... equal to = no tourists at all.

 

It will only be beneficial for... expats (like ASQ and the so called Phuket Sandbox scheme). We are going to save 4 days. Great. ????

 

The suicide continues, unabated.

 

It's fascinating, from an intellectual point of view. But of course, it's tragic for millions of thai people.

 

[JerseytoBKK]

30 minutes ago, Carrbhoy said:

Very useful Martin - thank you.  Had you paid for more than 7 days? If so, did you get a refund from the hotel? Any issues?

 

I'm actually feeling quite hopeful my 14 days will be reduced........no doubt be dashed by Friday afternoon but in the meantime I'll stay overly optimistic!! It's a laugh this malarkey.....

 

I arrived on April 1st, which is the day the new program started. At the first processing stop received general paperwork with a 14 day stamp. At the 2nd stop they reviewed my vaccine cert and changed the quarantine period to 7 days. Took an extra day before the hotel officially received the info about 7 days. Anantara Riverside issued a refund within 2 days of me checking out of the hotel. Part of the new rules back then were that the hotels were required to refund any differences.

Edited September 23, 2021 by JerseytoBKK

[smedly]

5 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand's disease control committee has proposed a halving of a two-week hotel isolation requirement for vaccinated arrivals

more evidence they are totally clueless 

[Carrbhoy]

19 minutes ago, JerseytoBKK said:

I arrived on April 1st, which is the day the new program started. At the first processing stop received general paperwork with a 14 day stamp. At the 2nd stop they reviewed my vaccine cert and changed the quarantine period to 7 days. Took an extra day before the hotel officially received the info about 7 days. Anantara Riverside issued a refund within 2 days of me checking out of the hotel. Part of the new rules back then were that the hotels were required to refund any differences.

Thanks for confirming - this rings a bell now. Fingers crossed the proposals are agreed and applied in the same way this time.

 

[JerseytoBKK]

3 minutes ago, Carrbhoy said:

Thanks for confirming - this rings a bell now. Fingers crossed the proposals are agreed and applied in the same way this time.

 

Fingers crossed here also. I had to return to the US 5 weeks ago but will return to Bangkok in 2 or 3 weeks. Hoping for 7 days in Hua Hin but will take 7 days in Phuket. No way I'm going to do 14 days confined to a hotel room in Bangkok. 14 days roaming Phuket or doing a 7+7 is the limit for me. One good thing is that most people in the Phuket Sandbox are loving the much less crowded places. 

[Carrbhoy]

3 minutes ago, JerseytoBKK said:

Fingers crossed here also. I had to return to the US 5 weeks ago but will return to Bangkok in 2 or 3 weeks. Hoping for 7 days in Hua Hin but will take 7 days in Phuket. No way I'm going to do 14 days confined to a hotel room in Bangkok. 14 days roaming Phuket or doing a 7+7 is the limit for me. One good thing is that most people in the Phuket Sandbox are loving the much less crowded places. 

Each to their own - there were a number of factors I weighed up & ASQ was less Risky / easier to travel onwards to Chiang Mai so I decided to just take the hit and do Bangkok ASQ. Hopefully this can be reduced to 7 days following agreement of these proposals. Refund is an added bonus.

 

[alyx]

1 hour ago, Carrbhoy said:

Very useful Martin - thank you.  Had you paid for more than 7 days? If so, did you get a refund from the hotel? Any issues?

 

I'm actually feeling quite hopeful my 14 days will be reduced........no doubt be dashed by Friday afternoon but in the meantime I'll stay overly optimistic!! It's a laugh this malarkey.....

 

Why would you wait for Friday afternoon ? ???? 

[smedly]

5 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Common sense would see the following... 

 

- Vaccinated arrivals no quarantine 

- Pre-flight PCR test requirement

- Arrival PCR test requirement (24 hr home / hotel quarantine until negative result is known)

 

Only until 70% of the population if vaccinated with an ‘effective’ vaccine (i.e. not Sinpharm / Sinovac, but with Pfizer, Moderna - vaccines of >90% efficacy) 

 

- Non vaccinated individuals (with out a medical certificate that they have a vaccine allergy etc) still quarantine (thats their choice). 

 

 

 

 

100% agree

[chalawaan]

Slash it to nothing. And even then, you'll need tourist areas to be EXACTLY run as they were pre pandemic, no masks either. People vacation to get away from their Covid troubles, not to be forced to double down on them! Ya bobble-headed nu-nu's!

[DoctorB]

4 hours ago, kimamey said:

Whilst it may not be perfect it's possible to live without alcohol. I had my last drink in Rayong before flying back to the UK just over a year ago and I'm still alive. Unless lack of alcohol causes an enlarged prostate I've had no ill effects. I'd be more worried about workers effected by people not going out to eat because they can't have alcohol. Having said that I'm not sure if an alcohol ban is really needed. The usual reason given is that there are some people who drink more than they can handle and then act irresponsibly.

 

You can use sunscreen just not with certain ingredients and I suspect most reputable brands don't anyway. Nivea is ok. 

Of course it's possible to live without alcohol but the choice should be yours. The link between alcohol induced bad behaviour and Covid is tendentious in the extreme; virtue signalling par excellence.

[chalawaan]

6 minutes ago, DoctorB said:

Of course it's possible to live without alcohol but the choice should be yours. The link between alcohol induced bad behaviour and Covid is tendentious in the extreme; virtue signalling par excellence.

Plenty of illicit drug users doing their thing out there, and they as a group have not been identified as a risk cohort, so why should boozers be persecuted?

And by the by, now the beer brigade know what it feels like to be arbitrarily criminalised for making a personal adult choice! 

[yogi yogi]

if i come for one month holiday then only half of it is ruined.  seems fair...i think people are gonna start to get angry about this.  yes the covid is thier, but heck im from usa and we have been getting same or more covid numbers for a year.  most of us are over it. we dont wear masks, and dont want to discuss it anymore.  we need to move on before mental illness is permanent.  this continual posponement by thai authoritys is gonna start to get blowback as can the thais go thru a second year with no tourists.  can it survive that.  hotel owners must be bitching big time to govt.  tourists dont just show up on the first day its reopened.  they need time to prepare.   so if they open up nov 15 then dec 15 tourists might start to come.  

Edited September 23, 2021 by yogi yogi

[yogi yogi]

Just now, chalawaan said:

Slash it to nothing. And even then, you'll need tourist areas to be EXACTLY run as they were pre pandemic, no masks either. People vacation to get away from their Covid troubles, not to be forced to double down on them! Ya bobble-headed nu-nu's!

yes , in usa we dont have many rules around, yet covid is high here. bottom line is most people here dont want to discuss covid anymore.  i went to europe this summer and other than wearing a mask in shops it seemed normal.  but thais think that we will fly half way around the earth for strict rules like we lived thru here already for a year?  u are right,  that we want to relax and get away from covid that is on all the news shows 24/7 for a year now in usa. at some point the thais have to trade some covid cases uptick in exchange for tourist industry survival. !!!  i really think that many tourists wont come at all because of fear of theft or robbery as the locals have no money?

[DonniePeverley]

So this is still ASQ ?

 

Richard Barrow on twitter seems to think 7 days refers to staying in an area (like the Sandbox) - not ASQ. 

[Carrbhoy]

1 hour ago, alyx said:

Why would you wait for Friday afternoon ? ???? 

Is the proposal not being considered tomorrow? I assumed we would know the outcome tomorrow and as I’m in the U.K. and 6 hours behind, that would be Friday afternoon my hopes would be dashed!

 

I actually think the proposal will be approved. If so, it makes sense (I know it’s Thailand!) to follow the same approach as before so apply to existing ASQ reservations and instruct ASQ hotels to issue a refund.

 

That would be an unexpected result!! We’ll see.......

[The Cipher]

Quote

Get Covid, take an pill and 2-3 days later you're OK with no hospital visit necessary. 

So kinda pretty much exactly the same as now, except you would also take a pill for some reason.

 

Just kidding-ish. A genuine cure for Covid would be a positive development.

[RichardColeman]

No point in halving quarantine. They aint coming in numbers with a days quarantine , let alone 7 !