Opinion: The right thing to do

[webfact]

 

By Cod Satrusayang

 

The government’s decision to temporarily scrap test-and-go and cut down on new year celebrations has been met with derision from many sectors.

 

After two years of the pandemic, economic collapse, and personal hardships, it is completely understandable why the country is facing collective pandemic fatigue.

 

But if we rewind back to just April of this year when the government was roundly criticized for not shutting down the country for Songkran we can remind ourselves why being cautious is probably the right move.

 

Full story: https://www.thaienquirer.com/36073/opinion-the-right-thing-to-do/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Enquirer 2021-12-24

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[OneMoreFarang]

Isn't it obvious? 

For some people they do too much. For others they do not enough.

And in a month or two all will know that they should have done it differently.

TiT - and not only in Thailand.

[Tropicalevo]

58 minutes ago, webfact said:

But if we rewind back to just April of this year when the government was roundly criticized for not shutting down the country for Songkran

This was not the prime reason for the current wave of Covid infections which started in April.

The start of it all was the fact that HiSo's and government leaders were not following guidelines and going to private entertainment places.

THEN Covid starting travelling.

Have those owners and patrons of the entertainment places been gaoled yet?

(Rhetorical question.)

[Pouatchee]

4 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

The start of it all was the fact that HiSo's and government leaders were not following guidelines and going to private entertainment places.

Have the HiSo's and gvt leaders been jailed yet?

[Gsxrnz]

A well written, grammatically near perfect piece of propaganda as ever I have seen.

[fangless]

7 minutes ago, Gsxrnz said:

A well written, grammatically near perfect piece of propaganda as ever I have seen.

What a shock! Propaganda from a Military controlled Government!

[finnsk]

If all the flight compagnies, who are flying to LOS, where more responsible about controlling for covid, it should not be necassary to make this close down for tourists.

 

An example: A couple from Scandinavia want to have their Cristmas and new year in LOS, they take all the tests before and have all the quality vax, when they enter the plane to LOS, every thing should be ok. When they arrived in LOS they get tested positive ............, where do they get infected ? 

 

I will not make a lot of conspirations theories, but who is making a lot of dirty money on the covid positive tourists, when they arrive in LOS ?

 

When they arrived in Thailand they get placed/isolated in an overpriced state quaratine hotel, that was ok with them, they do not have any symptoms, but understand the situation, after a few days they get forced to move to a private hospital, where they can spread the infection and get bankrupt, that is not ok. One of the couples is a leading scribent on one of the biggest breakfast papers in scandinavia, he is writing very angry, he is now becomming an negative salesman for LOS with more than 500.000 daily readers.

 

They understand how to take care of the COVID and tourist buisness in lo.........

 

 

Edited December 24, 2021 by finnsk

[Letseng]

2 minutes ago, fangless said:

What a shock! Propaganda from a Military controlled Government!

Better propaganda like this than what the west does: nothing, let everybody gett infected, masks are a nuisance etc.

[Bkk Brian]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

But if we rewind back to just April of this year when the government was roundly criticized for not shutting down the country for Songkran we can remind ourselves why being cautious is probably the right move.

 

Whether one agrees with the decision or not, the fact is that all they've done is limit the number of arrivals as Phuket Sandbox is still open and people arriving there can still be out in the community daily within hours of arrival, all they have to do is check back into the hotel every night.

 

So the risk is still there not only to Phuket but to the whole of Thailand if they infect others and they travel.

 

So either do it properly or don't do it at all.

[2long]

There appears to be quite a difference between 'Delta spreading among the mostly unvaccinated' and 'Omicron spreading among the mostly vaccinated (along with everyone having more experience)'

 

Open up, and let's see how fully vaccinated tourists keen to throw money around affect the country.

[Geoffggi]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

But if we rewind back to just April of this year when the government was roundly criticized for not shutting down the country for Songkran we can remind ourselves why being cautious is probably the right move.

All they have to do now is get do shut down & don't shut down in the correct order ................................LOL

[Oracle2022]

The problem for Thailand is the Sinovac vaccine is pretty useless and it was widely used in Thailand.

 

Now its proven to be ineffective against Omicron.

 

Thailand is therefore at danger from Omicron and so.......had to close again.

 

See the article below for comment on Sinovac and Omicron :

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-23/omicron-study-in-u-k-bolsters-evidence-of-lower-hospital-risks

 

I fear Thailand and other countries that used the Chinese vaccines are going to suffer very badly in January and February and March of 2022.  

[Mavideol]

last night CNA Singapore news had a great investigative report about Thailand and it's poor ways of dealing with Covid all the people interviewed disagreed with governments poor actions

[Chris.B]

53 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

This was not the prime reason for the current wave of Covid infections which started in April.

The start of it all was the fact that HiSo's and government leaders were not following guidelines and going to private entertainment places.

...and I thought it was due to the immigrant workers in Samut Sakhon seafood market?

 

[Bkk Brian]

1 minute ago, Chris.B said:

...and I thought it was due to the immigrant workers in Samut Sakhon seafood market?

 

That was Alpha, delta came along later from Cambodia and surged the wave higher starting from Thonglor Bangkok

[Cake Monster]

32 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Whether one agrees with the decision or not, the fact is that all they've done is limit the number of arrivals as Phuket Sandbox is still open and people arriving there can still be out in the community daily within hours of arrival, all they have to do is check back into the hotel every night.

 

So the risk is still there not only to Phuket but to the whole of Thailand if they infect others and they travel.

 

So either do it properly or don't do it at all.

I read today in a Newspaper out of BKK, that many of the so called SHA + Hotels are being investigated for allowing Tourists to roam freely around Phuket, when they should be confined to the Hotel grounds Etc

There really is a need to close everything down, if the mandated rules are not followed or Policed.

Another typical Thai attitude of " The Law is for somebody else - not me "

[khunPer]

58 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

This was not the prime reason for the current wave of Covid infections which started in April.

The start of it all was the fact that HiSo's and government leaders were not following guidelines and going to private entertainment places.

THEN Covid starting travelling.

Have those owners and patrons of the entertainment places been gaoled yet?

(Rhetorical question.)

According to the news articles at that time, the VVIPs were visting the infected amusement establishments from 25th March till 5th April, Songkran began at April 13th with folks commuting a few days in advance; i.e. if the government had stopped the Song Kran festivities, and especially people travelling, the 3rd wave might have been better controlled. The knowledge about Covid-outbreak and VVIPs were in the news already April 10th so public known by that time,

 

The responsible managers of both night clubs in question - Krystal Club and Emerald Club - were quickly sentenced to two month in prison each, early in June.

????

[300sd]

10 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

That was Alpha, delta came along later from Cambodia and surged the wave higher starting from Thonglor Bangkok

I'll blame a wuhan bat, although it's not the bat's fault.

[khunPer]

15 minutes ago, Chris.B said:

...and I thought it was due to the immigrant workers in Samut Sakhon seafood market?

 

That was 2nd wave, which was just declared ended shortly before.

[khunPer]

53 minutes ago, finnsk said:

An example: A couple from Scandinavia want to have their Cristmas and new year in LOS, they take all the tests before and have all the quality vax, when they enter the plane to LOS, every thing should be ok. When they arrived in LOS they get tested positive ............, where do they get infected ? 

Incubation period might be up to three weeks for Omicron - according to Norwegian study - Delta is about two weeks. With a PCR test taken up to 72 hours before departure you might already be infected, or you can be infected between test and boarding the aircraft, if not from aboard the aircraft from other infected passengers. PCR test, isolation, and if negative permission to board, might make more sense, but might also not be 100 percent safe; only perfect safe guard seems to be the Down Under-method: "no entry"...????

[The Hammer2021]

1 hour ago, finnsk said:

If all the flight compagnies, who are flying to LOS, where more responsible about controlling for covid, it should not be necassary to make this close down for tourists.

 

An example: A couple from Scandinavia want to have their Cristmas and new year in LOS, they take all the tests before and have all the quality vax, when they enter the plane to LOS, every thing should be ok. When they arrived in LOS they get tested positive ............, where do they get infected ? 

 

I will not make a lot of conspirations theories, but who is making a lot of dirty money on the covid positive tourists, when they arrive in LOS ?

 

When they arrived in Thailand they get placed/isolated in an overpriced state quaratine hotel, that was ok with them, they do not have any symptoms, but understand the situation, after a few days they get forced to move to a private hospital, where they can spread the infection and get bankrupt, that is not ok. One of the couples is a leading scribent on one of the biggest breakfast papers in scandinavia, he is writing very angry, he is now becomming an negative salesman for LOS with more than 500.000 daily readers.

 

They understand how to take care of the COVID and tourist buisness in lo.........

 

 

So because he's a minor journalist from a small country he thinks the rules do not apply to him?

[zzaa09]

3 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Isn't it obvious? 

For some people they do too much. For others they do not enough.

And in a month or two all will know that they should have done it differently.

TiT - and not only in Thailand.

Yep. Lotsa second guessing, speculative hindsight and well placed mismanagement the world over. 

Thailand has company as to what could've/should've been done and misplaced practices. 

Sometimes, the right call - at other times, not. 

[Tropposurfer]

5 hours ago, finnsk said:

If all the flight compagnies, who are flying to LOS, where more responsible about controlling for covid, it should not be necassary to make this close down for tourists.

 

An example: A couple from Scandinavia want to have their Cristmas and new year in LOS, they take all the tests before and have all the quality vax, when they enter the plane to LOS, every thing should be ok. When they arrived in LOS they get tested positive ............, where do they get infected ? 

 

I will not make a lot of conspirations theories, but who is making a lot of dirty money on the covid positive tourists, when they arrive in LOS ?

 

When they arrived in Thailand they get placed/isolated in an overpriced state quaratine hotel, that was ok with them, they do not have any symptoms, but understand the situation, after a few days they get forced to move to a private hospital, where they can spread the infection and get bankrupt, that is not ok. One of the couples is a leading scribent on one of the biggest breakfast papers in scandinavia, he is writing very angry, he is now becomming an negative salesman for LOS with more than 500.000 daily readers.

 

They understand how to take care of the COVID and tourist buisness in lo.........

 

 

Now that's what I cll a very fertile imagination ...

[richard_smith237]

4 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

So because he's a minor journalist from a small country he thinks the rules do not apply to him?

I read the same comments from finnsk that you did. No where has he written that the ‘rules don’t apply to him’ [the Scandinavian journalist].

 

I read that the Scandinavian journalist is of the opinion he has received unjust treatment, he was ok with being forced to isolate / quarantine at a ‘over priced state facility’ (pricing vs value is subjective), he [the Scandinavian journalist] was not ok with being transferred to a more expensive hospital, which was unnecessary and a lot more expensive.

 

------

 

There is an element of ‘arrivals if testing positive having to follow the most stringent of procedures’ which are far more costly than necessary - there is a lot of discussion of this.

 

I know if that I arrive in Thailand and test positive for Covid-19 I am (or rather my insurance is) faced with a large bill for either Hospitalisation or being placed in a hospital hotel until I test negative. 

 

 

Meanwhile, if while living here I test PCR positive I will have to go to a hospital for day or two while my symptoms (or absence of) are evaluated, then I can go home to continue to isolate with a ‘medical package’ provided me by the hotel [this is what happened to a couple who live near me (her Thai / him from USA]

 

 

Additionally, there is a sever absence of testing throughout the remainder of the nation....  arrivals are having to do it cleaner, better, more costly, under more stringent requirements..... perhaps thats as it should be - but it seems as though the ‘most expensive’ option is being forced upon those unlucky enough to test positive while asymptomatic, or at least that seems to be a common theme.

 

 

 

 

[brucegoniners]

This writer obviously doesn't have travel plans that are costing thousands of dollars to cancel and isn't triple vaxed.

[Kadilo]

“If we go ahead with new year festivities and bring in foreign tourists at the same time, it could destroy all the hard work that we’ve worked towards in the last few months.”

 

Trouble is, by grandfathering over 90,000 visitors from Omicron hotspots, in effect that is exactly what they are doing, especially in light of today’s report of the Belgian couple in Kalasin who tested negative after 24 hours and went on to spread the virus to a cluster of potentially 100+. 
 

These half baked measures only penalise the Thai people. Either bring back the 7 day quarantine time if you’re that concerned of another songran situation or forget it and open up for all so the people that need the money reap the benefit. 

[loong]

2 hours ago, Kadilo said:

“If we go ahead with new year festivities and bring in foreign tourists at the same time, it could destroy all the hard work that we’ve worked towards in the last few months.”

 

Trouble is, by grandfathering over 90,000 visitors from Omicron hotspots, in effect that is exactly what they are doing, especially in light of today’s report of the Belgian couple in Kalasin who tested negative after 24 hours and went on to spread the virus to a cluster of potentially 100+. 
 

These half baked measures only penalise the Thai people. Either bring back the 7 day quarantine time if you’re that concerned of another songran situation or forget it and open up for all so the people that need the money reap the benefit. 

"Belgian couple"? I thought that they were Thais that had returned from Belgium.

[Kadilo]

8 minutes ago, loong said:

"Belgian couple"? I thought that they were Thais that had returned from Belgium.

Belgian or Thai makes no odds as  they slipped through the T&G and went on to infect many others and is an example of what will happen if they allow the other 90,000 to do the same and exploit the loophole been left open 
 

 

Edited December 24, 2021 by Kadilo

[Bkk Brian]

13 hours ago, webfact said:

The government’s decision to temporarily scrap test-and-go and cut down on new year celebrations has been met with derision from many sectors.

Strange how even in today's CCSA daily briefing and published slides they are actively promoting the big New Year's Eve "Countdown to 2022" celebrations with Phuket busy with Test and Go and Sandbox tourists, this while they already know there has been community transmission and as one poster described, Omicron is widely spread.

 

Still why listen to WHO. Just take the risk of a super spreader event, much better.

https://media.thaigov.go.th/uploads/public_img/source/241264.pdf

Edited December 24, 2021 by Bkk Brian

[DoctorB]

The article speculates on "a temporary pause with a view to reopening quickly in January or February". But why would that be feasible? Covid shows no apparent signs of going away and variant will surely follow variant. If governments worldwide adhere to their current mode of hysteria and panic every time a significant new mutation appears nothing will ever change. Unless policy makers can develop a new strategy that allows them to move away from border closures and restricted social contacts we will be stuck in an endless cycle of stop/go restrictions with disastrous economic consequences. Interestingly the article also suggests a fourth wave would be disastrous for Thailand. Well the bad news is that most countries in Europe are already up to six or more and the Covid sea shows no signs of settling yet despite all the lockdowns, closures and masking.