13 minutes ago, James105 said:

it is to look like something is being done no matter how little benefit it has compared to how much it costs.

I would say a significant part of it is reinforcing the idea that the virus comes from outside and is brought in by foreigners, so that however the government handles covid, people feel that because it is a foreign virus brought in and spread by foreigners, the government cannot do much about it or it isn't their fault.

 

Nationalism and xenophobia are extremely powerful tools for controlling and distracting a populace.

33 minutes ago, aussiexpat said:

He's the health minister and deputy PM...more than just a proposal just like his last announcement that test & go would be suspended turned out to be rubber stamped

Exactly, the CCSA will do what their told.

You think they would be allowed to make a fool of this uneducated unqualified bricklayer.

1 hour ago, Screaming said:

This is a good idea. There are many foreigners that are entering Thailand with the new brand of Covid. I would like to see a fourteen day quarantine also reinstated for new entries. The January 15 opening of bars should also be moved up until the middle of next year on the new fears of covid.

Keep doing this and it’ll continually set the country back and cause economic hardship for most. Data suggests it has downgraded itself. Reason they want to try to keep numbers lower is all about face. Feel for those that are primed to go and are now getting the shaft. The idiots that run the show are doing their very best to kill tourism in the guise of seeing to be protecting the country. 

1 hour ago, Screaming said:

This is a good idea. There are many foreigners that are entering Thailand with the new brand of Covid. I would like to see a fourteen day quarantine also reinstated for new entries. The January 15 opening of bars should also be moved up until the middle of next year on the new fears of covid.

What is the research and science to support all this? Well why not expand this insanity to include no leaving your abode except for two hours per day, and only within a 2 km radius? It's all knee jerk governing by decree, slowly eroding civil liberties based on pseudo-science and star-studded whim.

2 hours ago, Screaming said:

This is a good idea. There are many foreigners that are entering Thailand with the new brand of Covid. I would like to see a fourteen day quarantine also reinstated for new entries. The January 15 opening of bars should also be moved up until the middle of next year on the new fears of covid.

Probably best to go into full lockdown, close the borders, curfew, ban alcohol, etc., until covid is completely gone.  I can't see any other way to approach the situation. /s

39 minutes ago, stigar said:

I had plan to go earlier.My lady told me to wait,so i did.And she was rigth.I been with her 2,5 months allready last year.Took 15 days quarantene.Wasted money.The hotel cost me more then we use for a month in korat.

Before covid i stay Thailand half year and Finland my sons holidays and best summer time. I leave Thailand november 2020. Have good situation coz my family in Thailand has everything ok. Mrs. work in goverment so get her salary every month. And mother in law sell 13 rai land last year so they dont have money issue like so many else in LOS. Good thing also that my woman has now start to drive car every place even in mountain, so not need to count on me even for driving thing. Wife's girl also want now move to our "town" house and chance her school close bye, so save money and nerve's that also! Happen when next term start. Good thing also that government pay our house in city coz wife has odered to work there. So if only get easily back everything in my family looking ok! Best thing is that everybody is healty!

End of January end of July end of the year still gonna be covid it's not going away it is what it is live with it 

2 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

Probably best to go into full lockdown, close the borders, curfew, ban alcohol, etc., until covid is completely gone.  I can't see any other way to approach the situation.

Didn't work for China and Aus did it, just exploded later

10 minutes ago, aussiexpat said:

I have a flight to Bsngkok 13 Jan. While I can change this booking for free, I can't just change it to arrive in Phuket in order to do sandbox. I would need a brand new ticket with my current one wasted.

 

How can Thailand insist on you pre-Paying for flights, hotel, taxi and PCR Tests, approve you to come, and then say nope, your double vaxed, PCR negative tested <deleted> is no longer welcome....TAT thanks you for your wasted baht though ????

 

You airlane not give you voucher if you only cancel?! What you can use to get other flight to Phuket!?

1 minute ago, 2 is 1 said:

You airlane not give you voucher if you only cancel?! What you can use to get other flight to Phuket!?

I don't want to go Phuket....

 

The way I see it, I wasted 3900 baht hotel, 2000 insurance and about 20,000 baht one way flight....so Thailand got about 26,000 baht worth of ping pong balls I never got to enjoy...

This is definitely not a good idea . With Omicron now the dominant strain in Europe there are fewer hospitalisations . This seems to indicate the virus is weakening and hopefully on the way out . Therefore, double and triple-vaccinated travellers should be allowed to move around freely . Otherwise people will stop coming to Thailand . Oh hang on, if that happens the Ministry of Health and other departments will have time to tackle the huge waste problem and deal with drunk drivers . 

11 minutes ago, 2 is 1 said:

Before covid i stay Thailand half year and Finland my sons holidays and best summer time. I leave Thailand november 2020. Have good situation coz my family in Thailand has everything ok. Mrs. work in goverment so get her salary every month. And mother in law sell 13 rai land last year so they dont have money issue like so many else in LOS. Good thing also that my woman has now start to drive car every place even in mountain, so not need to count on me even for driving thing. Wife's girl also want now move to our "town" house and chance her school close bye, so save money and nerve's that also! Happen when next term start. Good thing also that government pay our house in city coz wife has odered to work there. So if only get easily back everything in my family looking ok! Best thing is that everybody is healty!

Well thats all absolutely splendid, jolly good old chap! carry on.........

1 minute ago, aussiexpat said:

I don't want to go Phuket....

 

The way I see it, I wasted 3900 baht hotel, 2000 insurance and about 20,000 baht one way flight....so Thailand got about 26,000 baht worth of ping pong balls I never got to enjoy...

I get it! But you not waste your flight money! Every airline company now give voucher if you cancel your flight, what you can use what flight you want! Airline company's has been very flexible now days, hope in your situation still the same!

2 minutes ago, 2 is 1 said:

I get it! But you not waste your flight money! Every airline company now give voucher if you cancel your flight, what you can use what flight you want! Airline company's has been very flexible now days, hope in your situation still the same!

No point in a flight voucher or a reschedule if the airline only goes to BKK and not Phuket is there !

1 minute ago, sapson said:

Well thats all absolutely splendid, jolly good old chap! carry on.........

Nothing braging, just not everybody's life is totaly F UP! So if not good storys fit in this life what the f we do anymore!? Put rope on your neck and get swing!?

This is very strange. And I feel for anyone who this affects. Luckily I'm already in the country myself. However after reading this article I spoke to my girlfriend about this "new" information that has been released today, about the approved passes having to enter by January 10th. And her response was that "this isn't new information". And that she had read that this was going to be the case in a couple of weeks ago. She then proceeded to show me an article written in Thai, dated 21st of December 2021 that seems to back up her claim that this information was not new. And that they mentioned a cut-off date of January 10th weeks ago. I don't know how many of you read Thai but maybe you can have a look at this article yourselves, I'll include a screenshot. I wonder if this was reported weeks ago and yet for some reason wasn't included when being translated for the foreign news sources. Or maybe the gf is confused, could be either, lol.

 

Here's the URL: https://www.prachachat.net/politics/news-826105

if you think Thailand is going flip flop over Omicron, you should see our governments over here in Europe, it's panic time and going back to the old methods that didn't work in 2020 ????

 

2020-2 same same 2020 but different ????

 

1 hour ago, aussiexpat said:

Approved 1 day Test & Go in Bangkok all paid for, was arriving 13 Jan...if I was willing to do 7 days ASQ I would have done it ages ago....Thailand is a disaster with every tourist reccomended to go anywhere but there...

is it at all possible for you to change bookings, etc and bring forward your bangkok arrival date to fit in with the A Nut proposed 10 jan cut-off.

maybe can utilise the 72 hour thailand pass date flexibility that apparently exists ?

i understand it would be a pain in the <deleted>............but maybe could work out.

wait and see announcement tomorrow maybe still have time to organise things if need be.   

how do you recognize mediocrity and incompetence in government officials? they keep doing the same mistakes simply because it feels safe for them ????

5 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

No point in a flight voucher or a reschedule if the airline only goes to BKK and not Phuket is there !

Yes he just say dont want go Phuket! He can still use that voucher to flight to BKK later! Or they going to have same sht hole year! Point was he not loose hes flight money!

7 minutes ago, Archie501 said:

This is very strange. And I feel for anyone who this affects. Luckily I'm already in the country myself. However after reading this article I spoke to my girlfriend about this "new" information that has been released today, about the approved passes having to enter by January 10th. And her response was that "this isn't new information". And that she had read that this was going to be the case in a couple of weeks ago. She then proceeded to show me an article written in Thai, dated 21st of December 2021 that seems to back up her claim that this information was not new. And that they mentioned a cut-off date of January 10th weeks ago. I don't know how many of you read Thai but maybe you can have a look at this article yourselves, I'll include a screenshot. I wonder if this was reported weeks ago and yet for some reason wasn't included when being translated for the foreign news sources. Or maybe the gf is confused, could be either, lol

It was initially announced that 10 Jan would be the cut off but this was then dismissed as not approved and it was formally announced that all T&G approvals would be honoured as money had already been spent. 

 

For me, I received my Thai Pass on 24 Dec, 2 days after the suspension, with 13 Jan arrival being approved in the Thai Pass. If 10 Jan was always the date, why would they approve my Pass after that date?

 

2 hours ago, aussiexpat said:

Anyone read Thai? Barrow says it's now locked out after 10 Jan

 

???? BREAKING: The Ministry of Public Health is now recommending extending the suspension of new applications for Test & Go until the end of the month and they also propose, those who already have a Thailand Pass for Test & Go, must enter before 10 January. Follow @ThaiNewsReports on Twitter for regular updates.

Source: ด่วน! 'อนุทิน' สั่งสธ. ชงศบค.เลื่อนเปิด 'Test and go' ถึง 31 ม.ค. หลังโอมิครอนพุ่ง https://www.matichon.co.th/covid19/news_3114611

 must enter before 10 January
That's not really "Breaking News"

That will nail the so called trusted destination mumbo obsolete then.

Yet more flipping from the Muppets.

I've said it over and over. If anyone has booked to travel to Thailand since the introduction of the sandbox, test and go schemes they are either very stupid....or very desperate.

4 minutes ago, aussiexpat said:

It was initially announced that 10 Jan would be the cut off but this was them dismissed as not approved and it was formally announced that all T&G approvals would be honoured as money had already been spent. 

 

For me, I received my Thai Pass on 24 Dec, 2 days after the suspension, with 13 Jan arrival being approved in the Thai Pass 

Ahhh I guess that explains it then. Although when it comes to this lot a formal announcement or not doesn't seem to mean anything. I feel for you mate, crappy situation indeed

20 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Didn't work for China and Aus did it, just exploded later

You could argue it did work for Australia. Kept numbers of cases low before vaccine and for most dangerous strains. Now lots of cases after opening up but 90 per cent vaccinated and omicrom means that so far not too big a deal.

28 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Didn't work for China and Aus did it, just exploded later

Correct. Lockdowns are a short term sticking plaster solution. Never worked, never will.

2 minutes ago, bullseye66 said:

I've said it over and over. If anyone has booked to travel to Thailand since the introduction of the sandbox, test and go schemes they are either very stupid....or very desperate.

Or maybe we have a life in Thailand and just trying to get back to it, hardly stupid or desperate as waited 2 years...

There's no escaping an Omicron outbreak, this will only delay its arrival at yet more cost to those businesses and people serving foreign tourists. Perhaps they've done some fancy mathematical modelling that tells them the delay is worth it in terms of preventing medical facilities from being overrun but, having watched the way these guys operate all through this pandemic, I very much doubt it and it's just an idea that popped into the vacuum between his ears while having a few New Year drinks with the other mobsters ministers.

And how many have officially died in Thailand from OMI-CON?