2 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Following the reopening, the government expects to earn 1.5 trillion baht from tourism in 2022, Mr Thanakorn said. 

Good to see government priorities.

it is not that thousands of people will find a job and be able to feed themselves or businesses will be able to keep doors open but how much money government expects to make ????

7 minutes ago, andy said:

Surely sanity has to prevail at some point?

apparently not, your post is correct - restrictions still apply

13 minutes ago, bolt said:

How can the costs be minimum 15,000 thb

That’s not correct, I’ve found a booking for 7 days on AGODA quarantine package for 7,800

 

This is a mess as usual

 

If it's fully paid, it doesn't say anything about a minimum. While if you only pay a deposit, it has to be atleast 15.000B.

Since there obvious are cheaper alternatives, the deposit thing doesn't really make any sense. 

8 minutes ago, andy said:

You beat me to it!

 

Seriously, I am begging, pleading for anyone to define exactly what "reopen" means.  My definition is buy a ticket, show your vax cert at check-in, fly into Thailand and go where you want.  This appears to be a far too simple and straightforward definition for those in power though...

 

Wife wants to go for a visit for 3 weeks or so.  Fully vaxxed, Thai passport, full insurance, has not been to Thailand since March 2020.  But she is not keen to be stuck in glorified "area" quarantine for 1/3 of her visit.  Surely sanity has to prevail at some point?

I agree. This is confusing.

 

So, a tourists has to stay at an AQ hotel. Can he go anywhere in Bangkok or Chiang Mai - like leave at 7am and return home at midnight doing whatever he wants?

 

If yes, then the AQ are basically meaningless. If no, then this is a quarantine, so stop saying Thailand is "open". It's not.

2 minutes ago, RotBenz8888 said:

If it's fully paid, it doesn't say anything about a minimum. While if you only pay a deposit, it has to be atleast 15.000B.

Since there obvious are cheaper alternatives, the deposit thing doesn't really make any sense. 

great if its true, but next meeting is tommorrow.

I expect November changes to be confirmed Monday 1st November.

we should be able to leave hotel during november and only check in 2 times per day, same as Sandbox

3 minutes ago, DLock said:

I agree. This is confusing.

 

So, a tourists has to stay at an AQ hotel. Can he go anywhere in Bangkok or Chiang Mai - like leave at 7am and return home at midnight doing whatever he wants?

 

If yes, then the AQ are basically meaningless. If no, then this is a quarantine, so stop saying Thailand is "open". It's not.

AQ is confiend to hotel room, so you CAN"T go out its not a Sandbox where as you can go out during the day, thats supposed to be November plans.

October is just a filler, November will be 5 Sandboxs types

1 hour ago, alex8912 said:

So if a "cluster" appears 10/30 or 10/31 then no opening 11/1?!!  That is exactly what the article says. Who the $&@" would book a ticket?

Can't wait to watch this disaster movie unfold.

Watch the smiles wiped off the Pattaya suitcase pinps who are bouncing all over youtube thinking the hordes are returning to their bars.

Priceless.

26 minutes ago, bolt said:

How can the costs be minimum 15,000 thb

That’s not correct, I’ve found a booking for 7 days on AGODA quarantine package for 7,800

 

This is a mess as usual

 

Can you please give me the name of the hotel, so I can check it out on Agoda?  Thanks for your help.

1 hour ago, TooMuchTime said:

COE requirements means 99% of people will just go somewhere else that has no hassle.

What does SHA mean?

34 minutes ago, Guderian said:

Please define "worsen" for us. As restrictions are lifted and people get out and socialise more the daily new case numbers are bound to rise quite significantly. Does that constitute "worsen"? How about the daily death toll attributed to Covid, only 84 deaths reported today, thankfully, but at what point is it regarded as having "worsened"? A woolly statement at best, providing an excuse for the politicians to do pretty much as they please. 

TIT, the "politicians" don't need any excuses...

27 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Spot on. Just look at other countries like Australia or New Zealand; almost hysteria because of a few hundred or even a few dozen new cases...

 

Then there is Thailand, where there was a similar hysteria about a year ago, when there were only few cases. Now it seems that no-one expects cases to drop much below the daily 10,000 new cases. 

 

Return to 'normal' now, and I wouldn't be surprised to see 15,000 or 20,000 daily new cases for the foreseeable future.

Oh come on.  Enough of the hysterics and alarmist reactions.  

44 minutes ago, Neilly said:

Only by TAT...everyone else can see straight thru it ????

Yeah only a third of the predicted number, which was pathetically low to begin with, is an abject failure in anyone's book.

Prayuth and his arselickers will continue to manipulate the figures to achieve the desired result.

Stable....at 10,000 a day.

 

Last year, they were shouting everyday: 25 case, locally transmitted ZERO,  imported 25.

3 minutes ago, abrahamzvi said:

What does SHA mean?

See him outside or...

Short hourly arrangement.

2 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

Exchange AQ to SAH+. The rest Will probably stay the same. 

I didn't get past #1 in the chart.  Likely the vast majority of potential tourists won't either.  They want just 1 requirement and only 1:  fully-vaccinated.  

7 minutes ago, Gerard052 said:

Can you please give me the name of the hotel, so I can check it out on Agoda?  Thanks for your help.

Lots of choices on AGODA Quarantine, I’m guessing the new AQ package includes the mandatory PCR tests (day 1 & day 6)

The PCR test cost approx. 2500-3,000 each, maybe less now.

 

Bangkok Quarantine AQ 7 day

NOVOTEL 7,800

 

Pattaya Quarantine AQ 7 day Still not showing up yet

 

Make sure its Quarantine package DON”T PAY unless your 1,000,000% sure you have everything sorted

1 hour ago, alex8912 said:

So if a "cluster" appears 10/30 or 10/31 then no opening 11/1?!!  That is exactly what the article says. Who the $&@" would book a ticket?

Yes, always a 'providing...' or 'as long as...'  or 'unless...'.   People can't plan that way.  Make it a firm opening with NO 'except for...' nonsense or don't open at all.  

5 minutes ago, RafPinto said:

Stable....at 10,000 a day.

 

Last year, they were shouting everyday: 25 case, locally transmitted ZERO,  imported 25.

Not quite what it seems.   Yesterday 10,817 positive by PCR test, but an additional 10,055 positive by ATK test, so a real total of 20,872.

13 minutes ago, Gerard052 said:

Can you please give me the name of the hotel, so I can check it out on Agoda?  Thanks for your help.

I would like to know too..sounds strange to me.Means i dont belive it.

Canceled my July trip, canceled my October trip and will cancel my January trip if I have a to quarantine and the country has not been fully open for at least 2 weeks.  

3 minutes ago, pagallim said:

Not quite what it seems.   Yesterday 10,817 positive by PCR test, but an additional 10,055 positive by ATK test, so a real total of 20,872.

Thats what my wife said yesterday..the real numbers is much higher and people now have to pay for testing.

An example of some of the SHA+ accommodation available under the Phuket Sandbox.   Might be of interest to those budget conscious.

Good luck with reopening Chiang Mai. There's just been a cluster with over one hundred cases in the largest market here (Gad meuang mai). Most food sellers around Chiang Mai will go early morning to buy fresh food there, before selling in other parts of the city.

The market is now closed, so we'll see how it goes for the next two weeks.

16 minutes ago, bolt said:

Lots of choices on AGODA Quarantine, I’m guessing the new AQ package includes the mandatory PCR tests (day 1 & day 6)

The PCR test cost approx. 2500-3,000 each, maybe less now.

 

Bangkok Quarantine AQ 7 day

NOVOTEL 7,800

 

Pattaya Quarantine AQ 7 day Still not showing up yet

 

Make sure its Quarantine package DON”T PAY unless your 1,000,000% sure you have everything sorted

'Sorted' as in being able to control the covid infection levels and hospitalisations in Thailand?

 

1 minute ago, SymS said:

Good luck with reopening Chiang Mai. There's just been a cluster with over one hundred cases in the largest market here (Gad meuang mai). Most food sellers around Chiang Mai will go early morning to buy fresh food there, before selling in other parts of the city.

The market is now closed, so we'll see how it goes for the next two weeks.

In korat the owner and his family of a shoppingmall didnt use masks...now 3 of this family get covid.The mall have to close down.

for me i think that tourist arrivals will be minimal[many people coming thru the sandbox are actually long term residents] until this nonsense stops,IE insurance,the hotel scam,the never ending redtape and the dodgy expensive testing.it must be like this for people to enter in large nos-fully vaccinated with a neg covid 19 test. pcr or rapid antigen.simple hassle free to a large extent.you can book a tckt get on the plane with a test in hand.i can travel to a multitude of destinations across the world tody without all this hassle and that no will grow as the time passes. by next mnth it will include the majority of tourist  destinations in Europe,the uk USA, mid east,some latam countries and so on.the hold out will be down under where things are very curious.their own citizens are having problems getting home.neighbouring asian countries will open soon that are tourist competitors as they have high vacc nos IE singapore,malaysia,cambodia and others will follow soon after.simply put who wants to put up with this nonsense. thailands not such a great draw is the true reality and when you double down with this type of expense and time wasting ....forget it.

1 hour ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Bars and clubs open and alcohol being served? 

No way. Bars are the sole cause of this so called VIRUS outbreak. Markets, being crammed on a bus full of workers of BTS/MRT, no drama, can't get it there. But in a bar you are dead. 

COE is just too too long for the average person to fall around with that and then waiting for approval Is BS Any people just go to other places I need to get rid of that COETIT

1 hour ago, jaiyen said:

But they forget that to get tourists in there have to be planes flying to make it happen ! Not many airlines flying right now or for a long time into the future

 

Quite right.  The rate of tourism recovery, world wide, is totally dependent on the availability of aircraft seats and many airlines have down sized,  scrapped old aircraft and cancelled their old route network, aka, BA, Eva Air and even Thai Airways.  It will take a good while, maybe up to 3 years for that pre covid  capacity to be replaced.