Thai business sector objects to sweeping restrictions to cope with new wave of COVID-19

[webfact]

AP Photo/ Gemunu Amarasinghe, File

 

Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC) Chairman Sanan Angubolkul disagrees with raising the COVID-19 alert level to the extent that business activities are locked down again, saying that such a decisive measure would drive the country backward.

 

His remark came a day ahead of a meeting of the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), which will consider re-imposing lockdown restrictions after the Disease Control Department decided to raise the COVID-19 alert to Level 4, the second highest level, as new COVID-19 infections have been rising since the start of the year.

 

Sanan pointed out that the situation is very different from last year, because most of the population are now vaccinated, with many fully inoculated. Last year, however, only a small number of people had received vaccine shots, which were also in short supply.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thai-business-sector-objects-to-sweeping-restrictions-to-cope-with-new-wave-of-covid-19/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-01-07

 

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[RichardColeman]

16 minutes ago, webfact said:

saying that such a decisive measure would drive the country backward.

Been driving the country back since they took control !

 

Very apt to have a beggar in the photo

[Metapod]

covid is a scam. its literally a flu and the general populace have lost their minds

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Been driving the country back since they took control !

 

Very apt to have a beggar in the photo

And Miss Hi-so mask-less !

[jacko45k]

3 hours ago, Metapod said:

covid is a scam. its literally a flu and the general populace have lost their minds

What utter nonsense!

[Capella]

3 hours ago, Metapod said:

covid is a scam. its literally a flu and the general populace have lost their minds

I've just recovered from it. Even calling it the flu is an exaggeration. It's more like a heavy cold.

[Capella]

13 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

What utter nonsense!

It isn't nonsense, surprisingly. I know it's hard to abandon such an entrenched narrative, but this omicron strain really is mild. Look at how they're handling it elsewhere in the world. 

[jacko45k]

1 minute ago, Capella said:

I've just recovered from it. Even calling it the flu is an exaggeration. It's more like a heavy cold.

Covid has several different variants with widely varying symptoms and pathology.... 

More accurate to be specific......

[jacko45k]

1 minute ago, Capella said:

It isn't nonsense, surprisingly. I know it's hard to abandon such an entrenched narrative, but this omicron strain really is mild. Look at how they're handling it elsewhere in the world. 

Yes it is, completely and utterly. You said 'Covid'and deliberately did not specify the variant. Omicron was responsible for many deaths in the UK only yesterday. Delta is still killing. 

It is not a scam in may other minds.

[Capella]

3 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Covid has several different variants with widely varying symptoms and pathology.... 

More accurate to be specific......

I'm late 50s and am asthmatic, so it should have beaten me up really badly. Here I am, fully recovered, wondering what all the fuss was about. I've had far worse colds in the past. 

 

Omicron accounts for nearly all infections these days, which is why other countries are now living with it.

[Karma80]

1 minute ago, Capella said:

I've just recovered from it. Even calling it the flu is an exaggeration. It's more like a heavy cold.

I'm glad that you recovered from covid and were asymptomatic. But, your experience seems to have been different from those who died over the last 2 years, or those that were hospitalised. Omicron is out there in the wild, but so is delta.

 

1 minute ago, Capella said:

It isn't nonsense, surprisingly. I know it's hard to abandon such an entrenched narrative, but this omicron strain really is mild. Look at how they're handling it elsewhere in the world. 

And we're all grateful for that. To assume that omicron will be the last variant is believing the earth is flat or we are the only intelligent life in the universe. Of course, it could flip either way, but to decry all covid as a scam and the flu is nonsense. We could talk about how they are handling it in the rest of the world, but the primary risk still remains everywhere- the overwhelming of health care systems and that's a global issue that impacts both covid patients, the vulnerable and those in need.

[jacko45k]

Just now, Capella said:

Omicron accounts for nearly all infections these days, which is why other countries are now living with it.

Not sure about that.... likely true in Europe, OZ, USA, but there is still, for example, underlying Delta killing in the USA. We all expect it will displace other variants in time. 

Happy to hear it had little impact on you.....but you are relatively young....

[NorthernRyland]

38 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Omicron was responsible for many deaths in the UK only yesterday.

No it wasn't. Are you counting extremely old people or terminally ill people who were infected at the time of death?

[Capella]

4 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

No it wasn't. Are you counting extremely old people or terminally ill people who were infected at the time of death?

It's sad but extremely old and terminally ill people will die if they catch even the mildest ailments. Colds, flu, food poisoning, you name it. We've never put restrictions on an entire population to prevent that happening in the past. In a similar vein, people tragically die on the roads - young people with their lives ahead of them. Should we ban road transport?

[jacko45k]

24 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

No it wasn't. Are you counting extremely old people or terminally ill people who were infected at the time of death?

Yes it was, when it says Deaths with COVID-19 on the death certificate I have no reason to doubt that. 

I fail to understand how some regard Covid killing off the elderly and infirmed as a way to be positive about Covid. 

[248900_1469958220]

43 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

No it wasn't. Are you counting extremely old people or terminally ill people who were infected at the time of death?

EXACTLY!

[LoveThai94]

48 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

No it wasn't. Are you counting extremely old people or terminally ill people who were infected at the time of death?

If you terminally ill maybe we should just bury you because you are going to die anyway

[Capella]

Interesting points made here. If someone has terminal cancer, and also has covid at the time of death (or within 28 day before) then what did they die of? They will appear as a covid statistic, with no mention of their terminal cancer, even though covid was incidental and that cancer actually killed them.

[userabcd]

24 minutes ago, Capella said:

Interesting points made here. If someone has terminal cancer, and also has covid at the time of death (or within 28 day before) then what did they die of? They will appear as a covid statistic, with no mention of their terminal cancer, even though covid was incidental and that cancer actually killed them.

This is it, say one was involved in a traffic accident and died, if one has covid they will have died from covid.

[userabcd]

1 hour ago, Capella said:

It's sad but extremely old and terminally ill people will die if they catch even the mildest ailments. Colds, flu, food poisoning, you name it. We've never put restrictions on an entire population to prevent that happening in the past. In a similar vein, people tragically die on the roads - young people with their lives ahead of them. Should we ban road transport?

Govts are putting all the restrictions and controls because they have not provided enough hospitals and medical personnel and people do not want to die and at the first sign of symptoms rush off to a hospital for treatment.

[Capella]

19 minutes ago, userabcd said:

This is it, say one was involved in a traffic accident and died, if one has covid they will have died from covid

Or in hospital with a broken leg and happen to have covid = in hospital with covid, taking up dwindling beds, so let's lock down again. 

[herfiehandbag]

1 hour ago, userabcd said:

Govts are putting all the restrictions and controls because they have not provided enough hospitals and medical personnel and people do not want to die and at the first sign of symptoms rush off to a hospital for treatment.

Different governments will have different priorities and reactions. It is true that some will be reacting in ways that shore up, or perhaps even seek to conceal weaknesses in their health care systems, some may place greater emphasis on mitigating the economic consequences of the pandemic than others; some may be using to he pandemic as a mean as to further aims or strengthen  their political position, and be relatively unconcerned about adverse economic consequences, yet enthusiastic about the opportunities it presents to certain groups.

 

Diverse reactions, but when you look at them, very revealing about the weaknesses and priorities of both the government's and the societies over which they preside.

 

In the medium to long term, plans and measures to remedy those weaknesses and reduce economic damage should follow. I wonder how many governments will follow through?

 

I am pretty certain this one won't!

[Stargeezr]

Other countries are not, just trying to live with Omicron.   Many of these other countries

have so many people sick in all sorts of businesses including all the police, fire, and health departments

as well as senior homes and residences, even though less people are dying, the situation is not better.

There are also a lot of young children now sick and in hospitals from Omicron, that is also

a worrying situation.  However there are posters here, who think that because Omicron variant is not

quite the killer as the delta strain it is not to be worried about. Pretty simple thinking.