Has Thailand’s reopening plan failed?

[toolpush]

2 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

Mexico

India? Japan?

[Gsxrnz]

Oh it's failed, but the quantitative measurement of the failure cannot yet be measured because slow motion train wrecks take a long time to cease their forward/downward momentum.

 

Grab a beer and more popcorn - it's not even half-time yet.  

[jacko45k]

33 minutes ago, tlcwaterfall said:

Thailands porous borders continue to allow Covid in to the country.

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

[club]

YES!!!!!!

[newnative]

Yes.  Either open with just vaccination proof required or don't bother to open at all.  

[spidermike007]

Any program designed by the three dunces (Prayuth, Anutin and Phiphat) is destined for failure. You cannot shoot an animal, or an entity 1,300 times, and expect it to survive. Tourism here is finished, in any meaningful manner. Permanently. They succeeded. In sabotaging it. 

Edited January 8, 2022 by spidermike007

[Blumpie]

17 minutes ago, Gsxrnz said:

Oh it's failed, but the quantitative measurement of the failure cannot yet be measured because slow motion train wrecks take a long time to cease their forward/downward momentum.

 

Grab a beer and more popcorn - it's not even half-time yet.  

I disagree.  It's half time right now with cases skyrocketing.  The real fun will start presently.  Expect lots of sick people and services more difficult to get.  

 

The good news is as fast as it goes up it drops right back down.  

[herfiehandbag]

1 hour ago, Cambodger said:

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.

Like a true gentleman...

[BangkokReady]

"40 million people used to visit here.  Now it's a ghost town."

[robblok]

55 minutes ago, Captain Monday said:

I think the plan was fine they just did not stick to it over the Omi hysteria.

 

I am however surprised there are so many reports of tourist escapees dodging test results!

Fine them heavily jail then blacklist and deport

Again a article in the BKK post 6 escaped from Koh Chang all positive. I mean if you cannot even keep your tourist in location until tests are done then something is wrong. I mean its wrong to let people who are tested positive to roam around free.

 

Should tourists not be quarantined until the tests are out? I mean does not really make sense to let people stroll around before they are confirmed not infected. That is just stupid.

 

 

[klauskunkel]

The Thai government was in charge of the plan. The same people who successfully brought happiness and Democracy back to the Thai people. Therefore the plan and its execution was also a success. Lottery tickets, rice price, corruption, police reform, military reform, watches, Krystal Club, PM 2.5, sub marines, road carnage - success stories, one and all.

Edited January 8, 2022 by klauskunkel

[Karma80]

4 hours ago, JensenZ said:

So failure has nothing at all to do with the world's skyrocketing omicron infection rate? It's someone in Thailand's fault? Where in the world are they doing it right?

I agree. Despite the personal travel agenda and narrative of some, look to the other countries in Asia Pacific.

Comparatively speaking, Thailand has done ok in trying to scrape together some path to tourism in a fast-moving global crisis.

Has it been done with the usual TAT "creativity", hampered by multilevel government mismanagement and frustrated by flip flops? Sure, undeniably. But, there's plenty enough frustration and criticism to go around every country.

[Hanuman2547]

Yes, the Thailand plan brought to you by the ruling junta has been a disaster.  

[thaibook]

5 hours ago, sezze said:

Failed no , i wouldn't say so . Caught by reality is a different thing then failing . Many or better say all countries have been caught by the same thing . There's no running from this , neither hiding . It is what it is , and countries are trying their best , some more successful then others but basically there are no winners here .

Of course there are winners, not so much between countries as most governments have shown that they love being able to scare and manipulate their population and the main media including social media are having a field day amplifying the scare and censoring any one who might question the "Right Way of Thinking". 

 

Omnicron is no more serious a disease than the flu or any other number of conditions.  The issue is that as it is new not many have as yet built immunity so many will catch it.  If there are no restrictions, of the millions who catch it, some will have serious symptoms and a few will die - but fewer for example than die on Thai roads every year (REMEMBER - everyone dies sometime, medicine does not save lives, it may postpones death) - so for a few weeks or even months more people than average will be off work and seeking a doctor's appointment, but after that people will have built up there immune system and be able to withstand further rounds.  The alternative is continuous Anutin television appearances scaring people and forbidding them from this and that.   

[Tropposurfer]

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.

[thaiman]

4 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

Mexico

Hasn't mexico been open to tourism, with no quarantine, since this pandemic started?  How much fluctuation in tourist dollars has Mexico experienced due to the pandemic?

[tlcwaterfall]

2 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.

200 to 300 on a plane are fully vaccinated with a PCR test prior to their flight and a PCR test on arrival.

 

You cant be serious comparing the two scenarios.

[Cake Monster]

5 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

If you can prove to me that the incoming thrice vaccinated, twice PCR tested tourist infection rate is higher than the rate of the same number of untested Thais in Thailand I'll take notice of you

And lets not forget that 36 % of Thais ( MOPH )  Approx 26 Million, are either only one shot Vaccinated, or Zero shot unvaccinated 

[Felt 35]

6 hours ago, sezze said:

There's no running from this

Whatever QR code,playbox or pass anyone have.

Felt 

 

[The Hammer2021]

5 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

If you can prove to me that the incoming thrice vaccinated, twice PCR tested tourist infection rate is higher than the rate of the same number of untested Thais in Thailand I'll take notice of you

 But Thais can not be evicted from their own country! The entry of non nationals can be controlled.

[ArcticFox]

Yep.  And it will remain "failed" until they embrace "old normal."

[KhunLA]

More like the staying closed & safe plan failed ... ????

[Liverpool Lou]

6 hours ago, RandiRona said:

Let's see...

1. Total utter confusion on what rules to be followed for letting tourists in... Check

2. Fully ensuring that nothing is opened for tourists ...Check

3. Playing favorite game of hunting tourists...name and shame and jail...Check

 

Well I think plan is totally working.

1.  Thailand Pass...easy.   Check.

2.  Tourists should be well aware of what facilities there are during the pandemic.  Check.

3.  Searching, reasonably, for tourists who, illegally, do runners from their accommodation without following the C19 rules that they, clearly, know are in effect.  Check.

 

You're right, the plan is working but just not your plan.

[Liverpool Lou]

6 hours ago, JensenZ said:

So failure has nothing at all to do with the world's skyrocketing omicron infection rate? It's someone in Thailand's fault? Where in the world are they doing it right?

Well said.  Someone speaking sense.

[garyk]

Looked at the GDP of Thailand. it said 501 billion US. If 20% of that is tourist dollars; they are loosing about 100 billion annually. Personally I would say that is the tip of the iceberg. If they don't stop yanking people around. IMHO it will take years to see anything close to the old numbers.

Edited January 8, 2022 by garyk

[Trip Hop]

4 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. 

A crass unsupported statement if ever I heard one? How do you know that it wasn’t brought in by migrant workers or returning Thais? Remember at one point returning Thai nationals didn’t even require a PCR prior to flying? It could even have been brought in by one of them at the top returning from one of their overseas jollies? Nobody can say accurately as to how it was brought in!

[chilly07]

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.

I'm sure all of us here are glad your not coming back

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, tlcwaterfall said:

200 to 300 on a plane are fully vaccinated with a PCR test prior to their flight and a PCR test on arrival.

 

You cant be serious comparing the two scenarios.

So they say..... but are allowed free for 72 hours and then spend 12 or so mixing and matching.  Take note of the spike in infections in Pattaya.... not many Burmese casual laborers in that group.

[McTavish]

Don't forget the bigger picture.  Anutin pandering to voters wishes at every turn.  Prayuth is on the back foot.

[tlcwaterfall]

7 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

So they say..... but are allowed free for 72 hours and then spend 12 or so mixing and matching.  Take note of the spike in infections in Pattaya.... not many Burmese casual laborers in that group.

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

Edited January 8, 2022 by tlcwaterfall