Can Quarantine be Reduced?

[jing jing]

Here's my situation, no doubt shared by quite a few others:

 

I'm fully vaccinated.  Got my COE from RTC Los Angeles in mid-September, designated quarantine period no less than 14 days per COE, and arrived at ALQ hotel on 21 September.  Am scheduled for release on 6 October.

 

Now that the required  quarantine period for vaccinated travellers has been reduced to 7 days as of 1 October, it stands to reason that I should be eligible for release on 1 October as I'll have completed 9 days of quarantine by then.

 

Does anyone have knowledge or experience from the last time quarantine was reduced to 7 days, of whether those already in quarantine might benefit from the reduction as well?  The COE states that final decision on quarantine period is made by the Communicable Disease Control Officer (at the airport I surmise), but each subdistrict has their own Public Health Officer with authority as well.

 

Is there any hope of a sentence reduction for those of us already incarcerated?

[Olav Seglem]

I  am in same situation as uou, arriving sept 25.

Reducing period  would be the natural ting to do, should go without saying in most of the world.

Have been seeking info, nothing to be found, only about new arrivals.

Hotel (luxor, nortraburi) are of course not interestet helping.

Have emailed thai embassy norway and norwegian embassy, bangkok for advice, no answer yet..

[DrJack54]

2 minutes ago, Olav Seglem said:

Reducing period  would be the natural ting to do, should go without saying in most of the world.

How do you work out "natural thing to do"

Why not changes apply to any arrivals on and post October 1.

In otherwise not retrospective.

[Olav Seglem]

3 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

How do you work out "natural thing to do"

Why not changes apply to any arrivals on and post October 1.

In otherwise not retrospective.

Maybe example better:

Went into quarantine 25.9

7 days will be october 3.

After new rules is effective.

So then we should be able to leave ????

[richard_smith237]

To answer that question we can look back to the April 1st change in duration of quarantine. 

 

At the time (previously to April 1st) the requisite duration of Quarantine in ASQ was 15 nights (14 full days). 

 

New regulations stipulated that from April 1st - Quarantine (ASQ) was 7 days for vaccinated and 10 days for unvaccinated arrivals (from specific countries / non-red zone). 

 

This took effect from 1st of April. 

Thus:

Vaccinated Arrivals entering ASQ on 1st April or later Quarantined for 7 nights. 

Non Vaccinated Arrivals entering ASQ on 1st April or later Quarantined for 10 nights. 

 

Vaccinated Arrivals entering ASQ on 31st March ore earlier Quarantined for 14 nights. 

Non Vaccinated Arrivals entering ASQ on 31st March ore earlier Quarantined for 14 nights.

 

This created a situation whereby due to the 1st April rule change those arriving from 28th / 29th / 30th / 31st quarantined for longer than those arriving on 1st April. 

 

i.e. the rule was not flexible to cover those ‘overlapping’ the regulation change. 

 

 

Whether or not this same issue will occur with the Oct 1st and Nov 1st regulation changes is yet to be confirmed. 

 

It would be daft to have a vaccinated individual enter Bangkok ASQ on 31st Oct and has to remain in his hotel room and cannot be released until 15th Nov meanwhile someone who arrives a day later has free roam over Bangkok (and has to stay in the SHA+ hotel, if thats still a requirement then). 

Edited September 29, 2021 by richard_smith237

[DrJack54]

12 minutes ago, Olav Seglem said:

Maybe example better:

Went into quarantine 25.9

7 days will be october 3.

After new rules is effective.

So then we should be able to leave ????

Not being a S.A but I'm guessing you leave on the basis they decide upon.

They could argue that you "signed up" to 14 and 14 it is. Maybe crazy yes.

Time will tell. 

[sirineou]

Had a similar situation when we came here last May , We were working with the Washington DC Embassy. 

We gat  gotten our CoE for a 7 day quarantine  to arrive May 7 th, . Then they changed the requirements  to, 14 days  if arriving after May 6th . so instead of changing our ASQ to a 14 day, we changed our travel date to arrive before May 6th and beat the deadline. 

All that was required was an amended CoE . 

Simply change your travel plans to after October 1st  , change your airline ticket, and request an amendment to your CoE. 

Our CoE was changed to reflect the earlier arrival,(in your case later arrival)    in one day. 

Edited September 29, 2021 by sirineou

[BritTim]

8 hours ago, jing jing said:

Is there any hope of a sentence reduction for those of us already incarcerated?

There is virtually no hope. The reduction in vaccination requirements is not for the benefit of the foreigner. It is an attempt to stimulate future demand to help the hospitality industry. They already have their claws into you, so there is no motive for them to throw you a present.

[treetops]

4 hours ago, sirineou said:

Simply change your travel plans to after October 1st  , change your airline ticket, and request an amendment to your CoE.

They're already here and in quarantine.

 

[bbko]

Late March/early April of this year I did my visa and CoE paperwork with the Thai Embassy in Los Angeles and booked my BKK ASQ hotel for the required 2 weeks.  When I landed on May 1, I checked in the hotel and showed them my CDC card showing I was fully vaxed, they told me I only had to stay 7 days and refunded me the difference on my check out.

[EricTh]

@jing jing

 

The staff have to follow the COE that you signed up for but you can request the quarantine staff for a reduction.

 

 

 

Edited September 29, 2021 by EricTh

[HeijoshinCool]

13 hours ago, jing jing said:

Is there any hope of a sentence reduction for those of us already incarcerated?

.

No.

[sirineou]

4 hours ago, treetops said:

They're already here and in quarantine.

 

Should have read more closely . . I see it now, ":released" not arrived October 6th 

Then early release Not going to happen I am afraid. 

[jing jing]

12 hours ago, BritTim said:

There is virtually no hope. The reduction in vaccination requirements is not for the benefit of the foreigner. It is an attempt to stimulate future demand to help the hospitality industry. They already have their claws into you, so there is no motive for them to throw you a present.

That, I'm afraid, is the long and short of it.

[problemfarang]

With all respect to people... there is a pandemic going on.. and you know or not but covid is a very dangerous one and its no joke. 

 

With that been said, i understand people want to travel or else but i cannot understand why trying to avoid the rules given by the country or your own country just to protect you and other people... To be honest i still want 14 days back. Staying in a hotel room is boring, yes no doubt. But better than dying or killing other people. You have vaccinated or not, i know at least 2 cases vaccinated 2 times and still got covid. in 1 case the whole family. other case lost the father and the rest of the family is trying to survive. I cannot understand why people cant see the truth that these 2 examples could be you or someone you love. There are many nurses got covid even though they had 3 doses. 

 

Again with all respect and not trying to start an argument but i do believe instead of avoding things just you will feel better or more comfy, we should obey the rules and be safe. 

 

thanks

[DrJack54]

5 minutes ago, problemfarang said:

.. To be honest i still want 14 days back. Staying in a hotel room is boring, yes no doubt. But better than dying or killing other people.

Thats your opinion and possibly shared by others.

Personally my thinking is that fully vaccinated folk also showing negative test before and after flight should not require quarantine. 

 

[BritTim]

28 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Thats your opinion and possibly shared by others.

Personally my thinking is that fully vaccinated folk also showing negative test before and after flight should not require quarantine. 

It is a really tough call. It depends on a country's priorities.

 

Countries with an elimination strategy (such as China) and bearing in mind the Delta variant, seem to need a 21-day quarantine for the unvaccinated. For those who are vaccinated, the data is less clear. However, it is known that fully vaccinated people undergoing a 7-day quarantine with negative tests on day 1 and day 5 are not completely safe. Occasionally  breakthrough infections can develop at least up to day 10 leading to major outbreaks if the individual is circulating in the community.

 

Most countries (including Thailand) have now switched to a containment strategy. This accepts the reality of a few hundred thousand Covid cases a month (a third of whom will suffer from long Covid of greater or lesser severity) and a few thousand deaths a month. This is felt to be a necessary sacrifice in order to limit damage to the economy (and indirectly the wellbeing of citizens). Against that argument are figures that show countries with an elimination strategy performing better economically than those with a containment strategy.

 

Countries pursuing a containment strategy might as well loosen border restrictions, especially for fully vaccinated individuals. If you want to pursue elimination, strong border controls, including for those who are vaccinated, unfortunately seem still to be necessary at the current time.

[Bkktodd]

7 hours ago, problemfarang said:

With all respect to people... there is a pandemic going on.. and you know or not but covid is a very dangerous one and its no joke. 

 

With that been said, i understand people want to travel or else but i cannot understand why trying to avoid the rules given by the country or your own country just to protect you and other people... To be honest i still want 14 days back. Staying in a hotel room is boring, yes no doubt. But better than dying or killing other people. You have vaccinated or not, i know at least 2 cases vaccinated 2 times and still got covid. in 1 case the whole family. other case lost the father and the rest of the family is trying to survive. I cannot understand why people cant see the truth that these 2 examples could be you or someone you love. There are many nurses got covid even though they had 3 doses. 

 

Again with all respect and not trying to start an argument but i do believe instead of avoding things just you will feel better or more comfy, we should obey the rules and be safe. 

 

thanks

Wow profile name suits  you. I did 15day quarantine twice not fun. I disagree with you 100%. Why should i be (triple vaxxed with Pfizer)  willing to sit 7 days plus the 3 tests whilst a non vaxxed sits only 3 days longer?  It should be 7/14. When i arrive my condo unvaxxed farangs are freely swimming and frolicing about.  Hows that fair?  Yes vaxxed can get covid. But it shouldnt kill you if you live a healthy lifestyle. FYI Most dying or on incubator are the NON vaccinated.  

Edited September 30, 2021 by Bkktodd

[richard_smith237]

7 hours ago, problemfarang said:

With all respect to people... there is a pandemic going on.. and you know or not but covid is a very dangerous one and its no joke. 

 

With that been said, i understand people want to travel or else but i cannot understand why trying to avoid the rules given by the country or your own country just to protect you and other people... To be honest i still want 14 days back. Staying in a hotel room is boring, yes no doubt. But better than dying or killing other people. You have vaccinated or not, i know at least 2 cases vaccinated 2 times and still got covid. in 1 case the whole family. other case lost the father and the rest of the family is trying to survive. I cannot understand why people cant see the truth that these 2 examples could be you or someone you love. There are many nurses got covid even though they had 3 doses. 

 

Again with all respect and not trying to start an argument but i do believe instead of avoding things just you will feel better or more comfy, we should obey the rules and be safe. 

 

thanks

 

Are you suggesting that regardless of the rules we should all quarantine for 15 days anyway to protect our families ?

 

Problem farang indeed...  

 

Are you aware that rules change from 14 days to 7 days quarantine from 1st Oct, in the middle of the Ops stay?

 

He wants to know if the reduction in quarantine period will also apply to him has he overlaps the rule change?

 

It would make sense that as the Rule Change occurs on 1st October, at any time after the 1st of October anyone who has done 7 days quarantine can be released - that’s just common sense no contravention of rules. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DrJack54]

37 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

It would make sense that as the Rule Change occurs on 1st October, at any time after the 1st of October anyone who has done 7 days quarantine can be released - that’s just common sense no contravention of rules

I wouldn't say it makes common sense.

I can see it going both ways.

Time will tell.

[richard_smith237]

28 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

It would make sense that as the Rule Change occurs on 1st October, at any time after the 1st of October anyone who has done 7 days quarantine can be released - that’s just common sense no contravention of rules

I wouldn't say it makes common sense.

I can see it going both ways.

Time will tell.

 

Arrive on 30th September - leave ASQ on 15th October. 

Arrive on 1st October - leave ASQ on 8th 

 

Thats the potential situation and is not common sense. 

 

Common sense suggests anyone who arrives before the 1st Oct rule change remains in ASQ up to the day of regulation change for a minimum of 7 days. 

 

Of course, as you mentioned, time will tell and common sense most certainly does not prevail - as the April 1st rule change exampled. 

 

My friend arrived on March 30th and left ASQ on April 14th

I arrived on April 1st, due to the rule change I only had to stay 10 days in ASQ, I left on  April 12th and was in ASQ - which doesn’t make a lot of sense from the point of view of my friend. 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 30, 2021 by richard_smith237

[EricTh]

3 hours ago, Bkktodd said:

Wow profile name suits  you. I did 15day quarantine twice not fun. I disagree with you 100%. Why should i be (triple vaxxed with Pfizer)  willing to sit 7 days plus the 3 tests whilst a non vaxxed sits only 3 days longer?  It should be 7/14. When i arrive my condo unvaxxed farangs are freely swimming and frolicing about.  Hows that fair?  Yes vaxxed can get covid. But it shouldnt kill you if you live a healthy lifestyle. FYI Most dying or on incubator are the NON vaccinated.  

 

Yeah agree. 3 days difference isn't fair.

 

It should be 3 days for fully vaccinated and 10 days for non-vaccinated.

 

14 days will just scare people off and almost none will come, 10 days maybe....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 30, 2021 by EricTh

[DefaultName]

That early release would be obvious and sensible.  In most countries.  Here, they'll take so long deciding on it that the full 14 days will be up before they do. 

 

Settle down, you're not going anywhere.  Sorry.

[jing jing]

I have an update:

 

 

[jing jing]

The management of my ALQ hotel just informed me as follows:

 

"The government announced that guest who arrived before announced can be quarantine 10 days even they had vaccinated"

 

It could have been better, but it certainly could have been worse; this trims 4 days off my quarantine period, and anyone who's done this before knows that's a big deal. 

 

Who says they never throw us furriners a bone?

[jing jing]

5 hours ago, Bkktodd said:

Wow profile name suits  you. I did 15day quarantine twice not fun. I disagree with you 100%. Why should i be (triple vaxxed with Pfizer)  willing to sit 7 days plus the 3 tests whilst a non vaxxed sits only 3 days longer?  It should be 7/14. When i arrive my condo unvaxxed farangs are freely swimming and frolicing about.  Hows that fair?  Yes vaxxed can get covid. But it shouldnt kill you if you live a healthy lifestyle. FYI Most dying or on incubator are the NON vaccinated.  

Lol I think you mean respirator not incubator, but I fully agree there is a huge difference between vaxxed and unvaxxed with regards to their respective threat to the public health.  Anyone who has witnessed the carnage being done in the USA by the 30-40% of the population who stubbornly refuse to be vaccinated will agree that those folks probably shouldn't be allowed to travel at all, but if they are, ought to be subjected to the strictest quarantine possible.

 

I say if fully vaxxed and tested within 72 hours of departure -- and then rapid tested again upon arrival at the travellers expense -- folks should not be required to quarantine at all.  Any still-unvaxxed travellers from Western countries need to do at least 15 days quarantine and probably ought to have their heads examined. 

[arithai12]

16 hours ago, problemfarang said:

With all respect to people... there is a pandemic going on.. and you know or not but covid is a very dangerous one and its no joke. 

 

With that been said, i understand people want to travel or else but i cannot understand why trying to avoid the rules given by the country or your own country just to protect you and other people... To be honest i still want 14 days back. Staying in a hotel room is boring, yes no doubt. But better than dying or killing other people. You have vaccinated or not, i know at least 2 cases vaccinated 2 times and still got covid. in 1 case the whole family. other case lost the father and the rest of the family is trying to survive. I cannot understand why people cant see the truth that these 2 examples could be you or someone you love. There are many nurses got covid even though they had 3 doses. 

 

Again with all respect and not trying to start an argument but i do believe instead of avoding things just you will feel better or more comfy, we should obey the rules and be safe. 

 

thanks

Also with respect, there may be a point in quarantining unvaccinated arrivals, but this thread is about the 7 days which applies to fully vaccinated people. Please explain how in your opinion to force 14 days quarantine, as you ask, on a person arriving fully vaccinated and with a negative test is a valid way to "be safe", while about 70% of Thais are not yet fully vaccinated and yet are completely free to move about.

 

HInt: in Phuket, almost all infections were from domestic visitors/workers, not from the quarantined Sandbox arrivals.

[sqwakvfr]

I am currently In Haneda Airport(another ghost town and the only place to buy water is a vending machine) waiting for my flight to BKK.  My arrival date is October 1, fully vaccinated with Pfizer as indicated on the COE and fully paid for 14 days in ASQ.  I wonder what will happen?  

 

1.  I do the full 14 days

2.  I do 10 days like an unvaccinated person

3.  I do 7 days.

 

??? or 555.  I have learned through experience never apply western logic to  anything related to Thailand.  

 

[Salerno]

5 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

I wonder what will happen?

Number 3.

[sqwakvfr]

Arrived at BKK from Tokyo on October 1 at 1530.  It was crowded at BKK because two flights from Tokyo landed at the same time.  Every single blue plastic chair was filled.  I was surprised to see many Japanese families with young children amongst the group of arrivals.  The wait was almost 90 minutes  before we were moved to the first station  The first station was the Health Ministry Desk.  I received my second Pfizer shot exactly 14 days ago.  I was then told "Ten Days" and told to move along.  My guess is one needs more than 14 days from the second shot to quarantine for 7 days.  Got to the hotel about an hour later.

 

Good luck to those who are coming later.