Has Thailand’s reopening plan failed?

[NanLaew]

5 hours ago, robblok said:

Richard always moans about Thailand

This.

[jacko45k]

18 minutes ago, tlcwaterfall said:

Please explain how they are allowed free for 72 hours then mixing and matching.

A negative test need only be within the last 72 hours pre-boarding..... they are free to do as they wish in that time. They mix and match at airports and on board. 

[NoshowJones]

5 hours ago, Cambodger said:

Unless you have a important reason to travel to Thailand (wife, gf, family etc) or you have the funds to stay long term, you'd have to be insane to go there.

I will probably never go back as won't ever take the shots, get tested or wear masks.

Once it was obvious this wasn't going to end in the near future I just dumped my girlfriend and stopped paying the rent on my condo.

No regrets.

My love and infatuation of the place had already waned long before this covid nonsense anyway.

No wonder with a bunch of soldiers posing as politicians attempting to run the country.

[Monkeypants]

Very few genuine tourists, without links to Thailand, are coming the reasons for this are the insurance required, $50,000 has to be stipulated on the document, which is not usually the case when buying a traditional insurance policy, and the having to pay again

for AXA Thailand (for example)

Also The word getting out about locking you up in hospital  if you test positive.

The paperwork required to gain entry

No bars open

Genuine  tourists will and are going elsewhere.

 

[Enoon]

 

Few countries regimes have promised so much during the crisis...........and delivered so little.

 

But that is pretty much par for the course in Thailand.........from top to bottom, from State projects to personal "contracts".

 

It is the core of the disappointment, frustration and resentment frequently evinced by so many Aseannow contributors.

 

Am I surprised and "indignant" at the regimes performance?...............no.

 

It is, after all, a nation of questionable development status, with an unquestionable ability to remain so, unless there is some serious "reorganisation".

 

"Shucks"............what did y'all expect?

 

 

Edited January 8, 2022 by Enoon

[RichardColeman]

6 hours ago, robblok said:

Richard always moans about Thailand, frustrated that he can't go to his family (too expensive).

Got nothing to do with money- have enough to get there, sandbox and stay, its to do with personal medication that I need to return to the UK for every 9 months for and I'm not willing to get mucked about every 9 months currently with constantly changing rules ???? I cannot afford to get locked down in thailand, simple as that. I hope that explains it to you

[Stargeezr]

With COVID 19 being a deadly virus in the past, and with omicron being maybe less deadly

but still able to make you sick, I would not go to any country where they say,

oh please come to our country, no restrictions, no test needed.   At least Thailand is trying

to keep out the unvaccinated, and trying to keep the infected tourists in quarantine so they

 do not further infect others.  Just a thought for the simple thinking posters.                                                                                                                                                       COVID is a simple

virus, the first couple or 3 variants just wanted to kill you. and the thought is that over 1 million

people in the USA alone will die of COVID 19 before the pandemic is over.  Oh and the USA has

a huge spike in cases lately, and yes people there are still dying.

[robblok]

8 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Got nothing to do with money- have enough to get there, sandbox and stay, its to do with personal medication that I need to return to the UK for every 9 months for and I'm not willing to get mucked about every 9 months currently with constantly changing rules ???? I cannot afford to get locked down in thailand, simple as that. I hope that explains it to you

Cannot afford, that means a monetary reason. I mean the medication should be available in Thailand at a cost too.

 

But yes that does explain it and it would be annoying. However you would never be stuck in Thailand leaving is never a problem. But you seem to be really frustrated about it and vent it on all things Thai. Covid is not a Thai thing.

 

Anyway for your sake and mine and everyone else i hope this version will be the end of covid or something. Im pretty sure everyone is fed up with it.

[NanLaew]

11 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Got nothing to do with money- have enough to get there, sandbox and stay, its to do with personal medication that I need to return to the UK for every 9 months for and I'm not willing to get mucked about every 9 months currently with constantly changing rules ???? I cannot afford to get locked down in thailand, simple as that. I hope that explains it to you

As of tomorrow morning, the restrictions to re-enter the UK are minimal with just a pre-paid antigen test to do a couple of days after you get in.

 

Thailand's 'lock down' in all it's manifestations has never prevented people leaving Thailand for the homelands.

[RichardColeman]

1 minute ago, robblok said:

Cannot afford, that means a monetary reason. I mean the medication should be available in Thailand at a cost too.

UK cost of medication for 9 months in £7,400 according to Nice. I imagine that would effect most finances ! 'Cannot afford' comment was meant to be potential death from no tablets - not monetary. 

[robblok]

6 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

UK cost of medication for 9 months in £7,400 according to Nice. I imagine that would effect most finances ! 'Cannot afford' comment was meant to be potential death from no tablets - not monetary. 

Yes your right about that, but you still would never be STUCK in Thailand, people who want out can always fly out. 

[daveAustin]

5 hours ago, thaiman said:

The Thais put their own tourism industry into a coma voluntarily.

Not the Thais, two or three enemies of the state. 

[daveAustin]

5 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Foot traffic from Neighbors..... but 200-300 on a plane from UK or South Africa.....I can see the latter as more concerning.

… more concerning for those on the plane. You know who is to blame and they’re permanently shut to save themselves any further embarrassment. Expected a bit more from you.

Edited January 8, 2022 by daveAustin

[userabcd]

It's actually a success. Think the Thais are doing a sterling job at controlling and managing entry to their country and are working hard at keeping out those pesky coronavirusus.

 

Its actually all the unecessary holidaying travellers moving about and catching this stuff and then trying to import it to the countries they are visiting.

Edited January 8, 2022 by userabcd

[John Drake]

8 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

Was there a plan???

Several

[AnotherFarang8]

The plan was designed to deter foreigners from visiting Thailand and it’s working as intended.

[zzaa09]

Though......this failure has a secret side. 

The Thai society benefits in ways that one could never imagine.

[garyk]

4 hours ago, Monkeypants said:

Very few genuine tourists, without links to Thailand, are coming the reasons for this are the insurance required, $50,000 has to be stipulated on the document, which is not usually the case when buying a traditional insurance policy, and the having to pay again

for AXA Thailand (for example)

Also The word getting out about locking you up in hospital  if you test positive.

The paperwork required to gain entry

No bars open

Genuine  tourists will and are going elsewhere.

 

I am one of the ones elsewhere. I am watching it close, and would like to come back to visit. Contrary to Thailand's belief there are other places to visit.  Honestly Thailand's sales pitch sounds more like a scam than anything else.  A big pass until they get things sorted out.

Edited January 8, 2022 by garyk

[Capella]

Yes, it's failed because they've reintroduced quarantine. Kind of obvious.

[garyk]

1 minute ago, garyk said:

 

 

4 hours ago, userabcd said:

It's actually a success. Think the Thais are doing a sterling job at controlling and managing entry to their country and are working hard at keeping out those pesky coronavirusus.

 

Its actually all the unecessary holidaying travellers moving about and catching this stuff and then trying to import it to the countries they are visiting.

I used to think that , but looking at the stats it seems like it is spiking in Thailand just like everywhere else?  

[mtls2005]

14 hours ago, webfact said:

which has seen Thailand suspend its “Test and go’ travel scheme might have ruined the country’s ambition for a painless reopening by 2022

 

For the next scheme maybe consider rebranding.

 

Test & Go, was confusing to people, some of whom 'Went" after testing only run afoul of the authorities and end up the targets of man-hunts.

 

Maybe call it what it is: Test, and Wait, OK Wait a bit longer, now Go or Stay, but test again, somewhere, in 5 or 6 or 7 days, then go, or stay.

 

I mean it's not as complicated as DMHTT, right?

 

 

[kimamey]

11 hours ago, robblok said:

Eh it was actually and they imported the virus. Just that this virus has shorter incubation time and more infections. So it was brought in by tourists. Now closing things right now might not have been right as the virus is already rampart in Thailand. Still the approach does not differ too much from other countries.

Temporary closure immediately from high risk countries at least would make sense. Now the Omicron variant is in the country I think it might be better to give a bit of relief to the economy. The problem is how to balance it. Testing before departure for Thailand makes sense and another test on arrival with one night in a hotel shouldn't be a problem. Longer quarantine is obviously safer but not really an option if you want tourists other than long term ones. If you've gone through those tests and you're vaccinated then yes you are still a risk but no more than most Thais. 

 

As for opening of pubs and restaurants I'm not sure as I don't know the statistics behind infections in those places. Obviously the wearing of masks to slow the transmission of Covid isn't possible in the same way it is in shops and other indoor establishments. There is an issue with places that primarily serve alcohol when some customers drink too much and get lax in following safety measures. I know it was a problem in the UK but I don't know if that's the case in Thailand or if it's to an extent that better policing couldn't mitigate some of that risk.

 

Finally in those situations where either through closures or lack of customers people can't earn a living the government needs to help.

[1FinickyOne]

or has the virus succeeded... 

[SidJames]

5 hours ago, NanLaew said:

As of tomorrow morning, the restrictions to re-enter the UK are minimal with just a pre-paid antigen test to do a couple of days after you get in.

 

Thailand's 'lock down' in all it's manifestations has never prevented people leaving Thailand for the homelands.

Unless you happen to be Australian

[herfiehandbag]

8 hours ago, Tropposurfer said:

Perhaps the use of such definitive and finite word as "failure" is more instructive of the psyche of the person who wrote the article. The notion that any nation could, should KNOW what to do with a newly emerging virus and newly emerging strains of same (other than generalised responses e.g. masks, isolation, hand and general environment hygiene) and 'get it right' indicates to me the super-imposing of an unrealistic and ignorant appreciation of how and what viruses do.

Sadly the amateurish uninformed dissemination of such notions is in a plague proportion akin to the Civid virus and its variant strains themselves.

Alternatively, one could take the amateurish uninformed dissemination of such notions, and draw the general conclusion that it has been a cluster <deleted> of almost legendary proportions.

Edited January 8, 2022 by herfiehandbag

[Walker88]

Measured against their stated goals (numbers and types of tourists), it is probably fair to say it's a failure.

 

Obviously every country is playing this by ear, as none had experience addressing pandemics, but official statements should be measured and not geared toward creating an attractive but unrealistic expectation. Better to state something like, "We're going to try this, but if infections get out of hand, we will have to re-impose mitigation measures".

 

Instead, even the PM has made statements he was forced to retract later, such as, "We're not closing down again", "We're just going to have to live with Covid", or "Bars will re-open 1 December".

 

Measured statements, while creating some uncertainty in potential tourists, at least allow tourists the opportunity to weigh the likelihood of reimposed mitigation measures. The flip-flops just add to uncertainty and destroy trust.

 

As for 'quality' tourists, as has been the common refrain, a casual observer such as myself would guesstimate 95% of arrivals have been single males with particular needs and desires. I am not sure that connotes 'quality' as officials would define it.

[cyril sneer]

they really screwed it up with the alcohol bans in restaurants/pubs for months on end

 

i bet more than half didn't book holidays for this reason

 

now many businesses will never open again and tourist areas will remain dead when everything is back to normal

[kimamey]

13 hours ago, robblok said:

Richard always moans about Thailand, frustrated that he can't go to his family (too expensive). I kinda understand the feeling as i havent seen my parents in 2 years. However if i really wanted I would have gone there. Something I am considering in this year as at some point you just have to bite the bullet and spend some extra money if you want to see your loved ones.

 

Expecting that things are when they were when there was no covid is just unrealistic.

I've been away since September 2020. First I couldn't leave the UK and then there was the quarantine. I've stayed in loads of hotels but I wasn't sure how I cope for 15 nights or whatever it was. My main reason for not wanting to quarantine was I didn't want to spend that money just on me when it could pay for hotel stay for my wife as well. Then it looked as if the quarantine rules might  ease so we hung on until the Phuket sandbox which looked a possible idea although I'd still be spending money on just me but then the one night whilst waiting for a test result plan came up. We decided I'd spend Christmas in the UK and fly out before New Year. Then I was diagnosed with prostate cancer so I needed an operation to remove it which I had on November 1st. I think my flight out after Christmas may have fallen foul of the new restrictions anyway but I was unsure about travelling so soon after the op as there was and still are some continence issues. 

 

No idea now as there was a plan for my wife to come over in April but work issues might change that but my plan anyway was to go in February regardless although quarantine might mean extra planning to deal with my problems although now I would just accept it. Of course at the moment we don't if Test and Go will return. I don't even know what the quarantine rules in Bangkok are now . Things change so fast it's not easy to plan but I'm sure we'll mange somehow. I just hope those Thais who rely on tourism do as well.

 

[sezze]

3 hours ago, cyril sneer said:

they really screwed it up with the alcohol bans in restaurants/pubs for months on end

 

i bet more than half didn't book holidays for this reason

 

now many businesses will never open again and tourist areas will remain dead when everything is back to normal

What you are saying is basically the same everywhere else also . What are the biggest risks of transmitting a virus ? School off course , they are rarely sick themselves but take it home and infect others . Other places are nightlife , especially with alcohol involved . Nightlife because it's indoor ( most of the time ) , and creates social contacts . The more alcohol involved , the more social contacts ( beer is helping ugly people have sex since ... ) and the more a virus can spread . These are facts , you can try to make it safer but the basic reason of bars / nightlife in general is social contacts .

Thailand is in this no different then any other place on earth . Whatever measures are taken can be different but the standard rules apply and it is that bars and alcohol are certainly loved spots for a virus to spread .

[2 is 1]

10 hours ago, robblok said:

Yes your right about that, but you still would never be STUCK in Thailand, people who want out can always fly out. 

In 2020 i really was stuck in Thailand many month! How you was getting out coz was no flights! How you can be 100% sure Thai Government not do that again? Yeah and i think you know how long time many OZ people was outside from they country and still are! So you can be stuck in LOS!

So sorry to say robb but you are really wrong!