PM orders a re-evaluation of the balance between public health and economy as Omicron fears ease

[webfact]

On Friday, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, the government spokesman, announced that the Prime Minister has ordered a review of public health measures and a reevaluation of the balance between the economy and public health as the threat from the Omicron wave of COVID-19 appears to be receding. Foreign tourism-related business concerns are hoping it may mean a return to easier entry terms for foreign tourists as numbers are set to dip after ‘Test and Go’ was suspended from December 22nd last. The Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul and top public health officials have all made positive statements this week but are still emphasising the need for caution and vaccination efforts.

 

by James Morris and Son Nguyen

 

There are signals that the doors to foreign tourism may be reopened again in the coming weeks if not then in the second quarter as the kingdom rolls out its foreign tourism platform for 2022 including a ฿300 levy to be collected via airfares on flights bringing holidaymakers to Thailand. The levy will provide automatic medical insurance to the value of ฿500,000 and a ฿1 million payout in the event of death.

 

There were strong indications this week that the foreign tourism industry may see some relief in the coming weeks with a review being ordered by the Prime Minister and a commitment to reevaluate the balance between the economy and public health as the threat from the Omicron virus strain of COVID-19 appears to be diminishing.

 

On Saturday, Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul indicated that the government may be readying to relax the country’s recently enhanced public health measures and defensive posture against the Omicron strain of COVID-19. 

 

He echoed comments by senior officials within his ministry at the beginning of the week that things have taken a turn for the better in the fight against the virus. He insisted, however, that a threat remains from Covid and emphasised the need for everyone living in Thailand to get vaccinated as a matter of urgency.

 

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Full story: https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2022/01/15/pm-orders-revaluation-of-health-measures/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Examiner 2022-01-17

 

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[ChC1]

Ok what is the catch? Does this only apply to tourists entering under tourist visa or visa exemption, and those stay less than 30 days? Otherwise you (like those retirees or family visas) paid B300 each trip for a void health insurance charge?

[Blumpie]

YEP - reading today that more and more epidemiologists are getting on board saying that this is going from pandemic to endemic very very shortly.  The pandemic could soon be declared over and this virus will simply mutate over and over again like the common cold is today.  

[shdmn]

They should have kept Test&Go going.   As flawed as it is, it did it did make things easy enough to get quite a few tourists coming in.  Now that they stopped it a lot of people won't trust anything they do even if they bring it back.

[daveAustin]

Good. Don’t mess about, drop it all. Test on leaving home country + double vaxxed = welcome to Thailand. 

Edited January 16, 2022 by daveAustin

[Danderman123]

2 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

Good. Don’t mess about, drop it all. Test on leaving home country + double vaxxed = welcome to Thailand. 

The test after 5 or 6 days in Thailand makes no sense, since if the results are positive, it’s going to be from a community infection within Thailand.

[ezzra]

In Israel the are now allowing medical staff who are confirmed with Omicron but not showing symptoms to go back to work to ease the workload on the rest of the staff.

the economy is almost pretty much on it's knees or heading there with food shortages in many places around the world not to speak of people patience wearing thin with this pandemic and the panicky way governments are reacting to it... 

[freedomnow]

45 minutes ago, Danderman123 said:

The test after 5 or 6 days in Thailand makes no sense, since if the results are positive, it’s going to be from a community infection within Thailand.

Does it not take 10 days to show covid from inside Thailand..?...only asking...good to know.

[asiasurfer]

It's not just about tourists. As an expat wanting to visit my home country, it makes it really difficult to plan anything. I'm worried that I cannot come back to Thailand afterwards. So I just accepted to be "locked inside" for now... 

[Pattaya Spotter]

"Fears ease..." Never had any fear in the first place ????

[Pattaya Spotter]

Just now, asiasurfer said:

It's not just about tourists. As an expat wanting to visit my home country, it makes it really difficult to plan anything. I'm worried that I cannot come back to Thailand afterwards. So I just accepted to be "locked inside" for now... 

There are worst places to be locked in ???? 

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

There were strong indications this week that the foreign tourism industry may see some relief in the coming weeks with a review being ordered by the Prime Minister and a commitment to reevaluate the balance between the economy and public health as the threat from the Omicron virus strain of COVID-19 appears to be diminishing.

The indication is Thailand is stuffed without tourism?

Maybe Prayut should concentrate on industry & manufacturing instead of touting the wealthy few who wish to travel?

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, Danderman123 said:

The test after 5 or 6 days in Thailand makes no sense, since if the results are positive, it’s going to be from a community infection within Thailand.

They appear to still be working on old information, Early Covid infection was claimed to have an incubation of 5-10 days, but omicron is far less. They have not adapted, 

[Blumpie]

42 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

"Fears ease..." Never had any fear in the first place ????

I was only worried about long term effects of Delta.  

Omicron is nothing more than a bloody joke.  Hospitalizations are not going up at all because of omicron unless you're an unvacced um, person.  

[Blumpie]

Just now, jacko45k said:

They appear to still be working on old information, Early Covid infection was claimed to have an incubation of 5-10 days, but omicron is far less. They have not adapted, 

It's 2-3 days for symptoms to appear.  Like a cold.  

Google it. 

[jacko45k]

Just now, Blumpie said:

It's 2-3 days for symptoms to appear.  Like a cold.  

Google it. 

Which variant are you talking of? I see no error in my post.

[spidermike007]

Just a bit late Cha Cha, now that you have been using Covid as a cover for two years to put down the protests, whipped the people up into a frenzy of panic and fear, decimated your economy, sabotaged tourism permanently, put millions out of work, seriously damaged the real estate sector, and in the process increased suicide, and brought unhappiness to the people. 

 

Now you consider the economy? You represent such an extreme lack of tatent. Such ignorance. Such hubris. Such malfeasance. The fate and punishment you deserve is unspeakable. 

 

 

Edited January 17, 2022 by spidermike007

[Danderman123]

2 hours ago, freedomnow said:

Does it not take 10 days to show covid from inside Thailand..?...only asking...good to know.

Omicron has an incubation period of about 3 days. 

[Danderman123]

57 minutes ago, Blumpie said:

I was only worried about long term effects of Delta.  

Omicron is nothing more than a bloody joke.  Hospitalizations are not going up at all because of omicron unless you're an unvacced um, person.  

If Thailand didn't have tens of millions of unvaccinateds, that wouldn't be a problem. 

[Capella]

Omicron is already endemic, whatever the government says. 

[Enoon]

 

2 hours ago, Capella said:

Omicron is already endemic, whatever the government says. 

However the regime is re-constructing, for the population, the word "endemic" as a word meaning "low threat", rather than a word meaning "permanent pool of infection" (its real meaning).

 

They are playing semantics with a population that has no idea that they are doing so...........so it'll work.

 

If the Thai population knew that Ebola is also an "endemic" disease, in West Africa, how lethal it is and what might happen if it becomes air transmissable, they might feel a little less "happy" about the conflation of "endemic" with "low threat".

 

But they don't know......and they won't know........so no problem with the Thai regimes continuous weaving of its web of deception, distraction, obfuscation, dissimulation and disingenuity.

 

No chance of them expressing rage at what, for generations, has been made of them.

 

Business as usual.

 

 

Edited January 17, 2022 by Enoon

[roquefort]

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Just a bit late Cha Cha, now that you have been using Covid as a cover for two years to put down the protests, whipped the people up into a frenzy of panic and fear, decimated your economy, sabotaged tourism permanently, put millions out of work, seriously damaged the real estate sector, and in the process increased suicide, and brought unhappiness to the people. 

Like just about every other government in the world then.

 

Why single him out? Do you really think another bozo in power would have done anything different?

[worrab]

6 hours ago, asiasurfer said:

It's not just about tourists. As an expat wanting to visit my home country, it makes it really difficult to plan anything. I'm worried that I cannot come back to Thailand afterwards. So I just accepted to be "locked inside" for now... 

This year I am taking the plunge and going to UK in July to visit family and friends. Last time was in 2019!! Regarding coming back here, what will be, will be. I hope Thailand has then come to live with it and remove all restrictions. I suspect a test of some description will be required when arriving and that is all. And get rid of the scam called Covid Insurance!!

[Sup3rfarang]

"There are signals that the doors to foreign tourism may be reopened again in the coming weeks if not then in the second quarter as the kingdom rolls out its foreign tourism platform for 2022"

 

Too late. It's dead, Jim.

 

There's the old saw: "Happy customers tell their friends. Unhappy customers tell everyone."

I will spend the rest of my days telling everyone that will listen about my experience.

My heart breaks for the good Thais that have lost their livelihood. But I have a social responsibility to alert other Westerners what might happen to them if they travel here.

I'm sure there's lots more like me. 

[spidermike007]

2 hours ago, roquefort said:

Like just about every other government in the world then.

 

Why single him out? Do you really think another bozo in power would have done anything different?

Yes, absolutely. They could not have screwed up the highly selective economic shutdowns, the vaccine drive, the savage destruction of tourism, the assistance program, nor the inconsistent approach to the reopening, if they deliberately tried. 

 

So, any defense of these goons is for naught. Though I am sure they appreciate your support. Count yourself amongst the 2%, who are still in their camp. 

[Sup3rfarang]

8 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

The test after 5 or 6 days in Thailand makes no sense, since if the results are positive, it’s going to be from a community infection within Thailand.

Exactly!  I have yet to see the results of my second test but, assuming it's truly positive, it would mean that I didn't bring covid to Thailand. Thailand gave me covid! And how does Thailand compensate me for this?  Well, they stuck me up $1100 USD and jailed me in a dive hotel with <deleted> food for ten days!

 

So tell me, Mr. Prime Minister, just what effect do you imagine this treatment of tourists will have on Thai Tourism going forward? I'm curious to know.  Of course, if you actually gave a rat's ass about Tourism, tourists, Thais, or the economy you would rush down here, spring me from this Roach Motel, refund my money, and personally apologize to me on behalf of Thailand. 

 

Oh but I do like the the pretty language about how Omicron isn't so bad and maybe we should re-evaluate policy. Ya think?

The doctors in South Africa were saying that on Omicron Day One.

[roquefort]

3 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

So, any defense of these goons is for naught. Though I am sure they appreciate your support. Count yourself amongst the 2%, who are still in their camp. 

That's not what I said. Please re-read my post.

 

Saying that Thailand's response has been no better or worse than many other governments does not imply support for the "goons".

[Danderman123]

7 hours ago, Capella said:

Omicron is already endemic, whatever the government says. 

What does that mean?

[bangon04]

17 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

The test after 5 or 6 days in Thailand makes no sense, since if the results are positive, it’s going to be from a community infection within Thailand.

The test makes perfect sense if the prime reason is to fleece foreigners for excessive treatment of asymptomatic cases.......

[garyk]

9 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

So, any defense of these goons is for naught. Though I am sure they appreciate your support. Count yourself amongst the 2%, who are still in their camp. 

Then they don't have a chance to win the next election... ????