Top official describes the popular ‘Test and Go’ entry as a loophole exposing Thailand to Omicron

[webfact]

Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Friday told reporters that the popular and successful ‘Test and Go’ entry regime for vaccinated travellers from 63 countries, now indefinitely suspended, had acted as a ‘loophole’ allowing the Omicron virus variant to enter Thailand with incoming visitors.

 

by Joseph O' Connor

 

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Friday did not go as far as public health officials had demanded by banning alcohol sales nationwide. Nonetheless, it is believed that a further tightening of regulations has begun.

 

Business leaders are warning the government the country cannot deal with further lockdowns with confidence among foreign tourists already damaged by the suspension of incoming tourism with 87% of potential travellers rejecting the complicated Sandbox schemes.

 

Business leaders within Thailand’s foreign tourism industry and wider business community on Friday were apprehensive about the government’s moves to tighten public health laws and in particular to indefinitely suspend the popular ‘Test and Go’ entry regime which had, in the previous two months, breathed life into the country’s dormant foreign tourism industry spurring hope of economic recovery in 2022.

 

On Friday, it was described by Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) as a ‘loophole’ that left Thailand vulnerable to the Omicron virus storm now brewing.

 

Full story: https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/01/08/test-and-go-blamed-for-omicron-in-thailand/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Examiner 2022-01-10

 

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[RichardColeman]

‘Test & Go is a loophole for the virus to enter the country,’ Dr Taweesilp told reporters on Friday.

 

Xenophobia in overdrive again. With it already here , in my mind there is very little reason not to reinstate test and go, since there is more omicron now found in the thai populace in one day than the entire tourists from the opening day of Thailand in November. they are just wasting time and money now

[TooMuchTime]

They need to immediately round up all foreigners and put them in isolation camps.

 

[tomyami]

Yeah you and yours where doing so well without pesky foreigners should have kept  borders closed.

What about migrant workers streaming accross ur border at least test and go was safer

There is no loop holes for the poor u racist pompous idiot

[internationalism]

but with all the previous 4th waves it was very thai, illegal and legal, as well as illegal border crossing, which brought new strain.

 

the italian one was brought to lumpini boxing stadium by thai sportsmen/gamblers who returned from boxing tournament and were allowed by army to run a very large event.

the next one, indian, was by illegal thai crossing to burma's border casinos workers running back to thailand.

shortly after samut prakan cluster with hundreds of thousands illegal imported to slave fishing farms, that partly with approval by numerous officials.

 

the english strain came to the second government house in thonglor from cambodia's poipet casinos, crossing in a broad daylight for weekend entertainment.

delta came again from malaysia illegal crossings.

omicron is so contagious that everybody will have it and transmit.

Singling out foreigners, after 2-3 pcr and usually multiple self administered atk's is a poor excuse

 

[ukrules]

It's not a 'loophole' if it's intentional.

 

It is most definitely intentional, they knew the situation in Europe and the US yet decided to proceed.

 

They definitely seem to be moving in a different direction to China.

 

I suspect China has been pressuring the zero covid strategy, which as we know is not very deisrable to a country which relies on visitors and once it's here - it's impossible to stop.

 

They appear to have chosen the let it in and now it's impossible to stop route, it would have walked here from South Asia anyway....

[DonniePeverley]

Countries with their borders sealed are still seeing massive omicron waves. 

 

Thailand's borders are not sealed - they have porous boders into Mynamar, which are in turn porous into India. India is seeing a massive wave of Omicron infections at the moment, and this will eventually seep into Myanmar and then into Thailand. 

 

Targetting tourism (which is vital for the Thai economy) is low grade xenophobia playing to the crowd. 

 

Thailand are treating this new Omicron wave just like the original variant. You cannot do this. You have 300,000 daily cases in France, 480,000 cases in the USA, 200,000 cases in Italy - you can't lock this many people up daily. Targetting tourism is like cutting of your nose to spite your face. 

 

What is the end game here then? Just seal borders forever?

[Daithi85]

2 minutes ago, DonniePeverley said:

Countries with their borders sealed are still seeing massive omicron waves. 

 

Thailand's borders are not sealed - they have porous boders into Mynamar, which are in turn porous into India. India is seeing a massive wave of Omicron infections at the moment, and this will eventually seep into Myanmar and then into Thailand. 

 

Targetting tourism (which is vital for the Thai economy) is low grade xenophobia playing to the crowd. 

 

Thailand are treating this new Omicron wave just like the original variant. You cannot do this. You have 300,000 daily cases in France, 480,000 cases in the USA, 200,000 cases in Italy - you can't lock this many people up daily. Targetting tourism is like cutting of your nose to spite your face. 

Why do u keep saying their locking everybody up? Mandatory quarantine is no longer been enforced. Home isolation is the new Go for people who with no symptoms or mild.Things are completely different here this time round,no lockdowns, no curfews.

[kiwikeith]

1 hour ago, RichardColeman said:

‘Test & Go is a loophole for the virus to enter the country,’ Dr Taweesilp told reporters on Friday.

 

Xenophobia in overdrive again. With it already here , in my mind there is very little reason not to reinstate test and go, since there is more omicron now found in the thai populace in one day than the entire tourists from the opening day of Thailand in November. they are just wasting time and money now

It’s at the stage where everyone will get this mld flue like variant, although delusional politicians worldwide are fear-mongering people the biggest problem with omicron is people off sick at the same time, even though they are back to work in a short time, natural immunity is happening from having omicron, however the CDC supports vaccine passports, mandates to prevent children from going to school, but when confronted with questions what they based their opinion’s on they issued an email which has been made public,you can bring it up online easily in which they state that they have not one example of a case of natural immunity on record then go on to say, we do not keep any records of this, well that takes the cake 

[DonniePeverley]

27 minutes ago, Daithi85 said:

Why do u keep saying their locking everybody up? Mandatory quarantine is no longer been enforced. Home isolation is the new Go for people who with no symptoms or mild.Things are completely different here this time round,no lockdowns, no curfews.

 

 

This was literally last week, and countless other tourists being sent to hospitals (or isolation units). 

[brommers]

Seems like this spokesman would like to see Thailand follow the Chinese example of total lockdown and isolation. This strategy will fail in time because the vaccines used in China are well nigh useless against Omicron so the population has no induced or aquired immunity. So once the variant has spread, as it is already doing, to cities across China there will be an almighty epidemic. And Thailand having used so much Chinese junk is highly vulnerable to a similar out of control explosion of new infections. Anutin's chickens are coming home to roost.

[kimamey]

1 hour ago, TooMuchTime said:

They need to immediately round up all foreigners and put them in isolation camps.

 

Well if that isolation camp is Thailand I think I'd go for it.

[daveAustin]

Don’t get riled by this individual; just a typical army-aligned automaton that has to say something, and the more controversial the better. 

[DonniePeverley]

51 minutes ago, Daithi85 said:

Why do u keep saying their locking everybody up? Mandatory quarantine is no longer been enforced. Home isolation is the new Go for people who with no symptoms or mild.Things are completely different here this time round,no lockdowns, no curfews.

 Not for tourists. 

 

This is another unfortunate tourist who is set to be locked up for 14 days in a tiny hotel room. The hospital linked to him was full, so he's dumped here. 

 

 

[geisha]

33 minutes ago, DonniePeverley said:

 

 

This was literally last week, and countless other tourists being sent to hospitals (or isolation units). 

Honestly , the world saw that video, it was a horrifying example of lack of hygiene!! The best possible  place to catch Covid, not on an airplane or in a bar, just in an isolation unit .

[kimamey]

2 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

‘Test & Go is a loophole for the virus to enter the country,’ Dr Taweesilp told reporters on Friday.

 

Xenophobia in overdrive again. With it already here , in my mind there is very little reason not to reinstate test and go, since there is more omicron now found in the thai populace in one day than the entire tourists from the opening day of Thailand in November. they are just wasting time and money now

I don't know all the statistics but if Omicron is already in the country then I can't see how a few tested and vaccinated tourists will make much difference to the spread. Just take simple precautions that cause little or no disruption or negative affect on the economy. Masks are simple and possibly some social distancing if it can be achieved without too many problems such as in queues in supermarkets.

 

From experience Thais just seem to have a problem coping with anything that involves safety so you end up with helmets in the basket on the front of bikes sometimes whilst using an umbrella. Masks under the chin or hanging off one ear. The inability to keep a hard hat on top of their heads. Not using seat belts in the front of vehicles because there aren't any police checkpoints on back roads or in the back because you don't have to because "this is Thailand". Yes I've heard that one.

 

Alcohol is a bit of a problem. Used sensibly it's not a problem but if people get drunk they stop being careful. I wasn't sure if it was a problem in Thailand but this article suggests it is amongst foreigners I don't know if that's true or if Thais are the same. Of course if a Thai gets drunkthe biggest danger isn't taking off their mask and hugging someone it's getting in their car to drive home. If the government could apply the same zeal to road safety as they have to Covid precautions there would be a lot less deaths.

[tonray]

2 hours ago, TooMuchTime said:

They need to immediately round up all foreigners and put them in isolation camps.

 

They've already done this with me....they call it a MooBaan. And I'm responsbile for the common fee every year too !

[ezzra]

So the good doctor premise is that tourists are to blame fro the Omicron infestation yes? so which is it sir? your country want tourists or not? lord only knows the hops and loops that tourists must jump through to come to Thailand so it is either shut the borders completely or learn to mange and live with the pandemic...

[charmonman]

It might have been a loophole but it seems like moot point now as Omicron is well established within Thailand and local transmission will completely dwarf anything brought in by foreigners under Test and Go. 

This is simple common sense, sadly lacking in those who make policy in Thailand. They are destroying what is left of the tourism industry with little if any benefit to public health.

[Kerryd]

Typical gov't "doublespeak".

On one hand they are saying the "Test and Go" program is "very popular" and on the other hand (one paragraph above) they are saying that 87% of tourists are rejecting their "Sandbox" schemes.

Good thing they don't mention how "popular" their various "let's only try and attract the richest people in the world to come here and stay in their hotel for 2 weeks before going home again" schemes. 
Might look bad to admit that they are probably being rejected by 99.9% of the people they were hoping to attract.

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, TooMuchTime said:

They need to immediately round up all foreigners and put them in isolation camps.

 

Does that include expats who live here and haven't left/returned to to Thailand?

[jethro69]

2 hours ago, TooMuchTime said:

They need to immediately round up all foreigners and put them in isolation camps.

 

And make them pay for it!!!!

[Bim Smith]

No one remember who brought the delta variant into the country. Those untested diplomats treated to hiso nightclubs at the governments expense in BKK. 

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, charmonman said:

It might have been a loophole but it seems like moot point now as Omicron is well established within Thailand and local transmission will completely dwarf anything brought in by foreigners under Test and Go. 

This is simple common sense, sadly lacking in those who make policy in Thailand. They are destroying what is left of the tourism industry with little if any benefit to public health.

No more of a loophole then the Sandbox idea is, with free travel around Phuket. Infected by locals or infecting locals. Locals then taking it across the bridge and all over Thailand....no difference really  except wait. They could shut off Phuket, but sorry that ship sailed and the horse bolted.  Either reinstate the program and require testing or lack it all down. You can not have it half arsed.

 

By locals I do not mean just Thai's.  I could travel down and back in my car from Bangkok and be an unwilling spreader even though I show a 72 hour negative ATK test or PCR test to those folks to get in and then back out.

[WEBBYB808]

Yes !  It actually  did!

[spidermike007]

Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin is a blazing idiot. The number of people found positive from the program was miniscule. He is just another emotionally undeveloped fool, looking for a scapegoat, and refusing to take responsibility for anything. Dumb and dumber. 

 

Woe is Thailand when men like him end up in positions of leadership. True bottom of the barrel selections. 

[mjakob007]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) as a ‘loophole’ that left Thailand vulnerable to the Omicron

With Omicron now prevalent in the country, what loophole does 'test & go' pose!

 

What is the difference between '7 day phuket sandbox' and 'test & go'?

 

- international arrivals are free to leave the hotel within 24 hours in both cases, after the first test being negative.

- with the sandbox, the hotel earn 6 additional days of income.

 

So how did it benefit anybody from abolishing test & go?

[wombat]

Omicron being fast to come and fast to go.

By next Wednesday it will be gone.

[ThailandRyan]

20 minutes ago, WEBBYB808 said:

Yes !  It actually  did!

Who was your response to and in what regard?

[BangkokReady]

10 minutes ago, wombat said:

Omicron being fast to come and fast to go.

By next Wednesday it will be gone.

The UK seems to have peaked and is going down after around a month.

 

Let's go Omicron!