Health Ministry Plans to Lower COVID Alert to Level 3

[snoop1130]

 

BANGKOK, Jan 18 (TNA) – The Public Health Ministry will propose lowering COVID-19 alert from Level 4 to Level 3 and relaxed restrictions as the disease’s situation is stable.

 

Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said his ministry would also propose to the government’s Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration on Jan 20 to ease disease controls for relaxed lifestyles and resume registration for visitors through the Test & Go entry scheme next month if local and overseas situations were promising.

 

Besides, the Public Health Ministry was considering introducing Sandbox provinces in all regions but would postpone the reopening of entertainment venues including pubs and bars because they would otherwise pose risks of COVID-19 transmissions, he said.

 

Full Story: https://tna.mcot.net/english-news-864413

 

-- © Copyright TNA 2022-01-18

 

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[DrJack54]

Sandbox without booze.

Hope they have spades and stuff. 

[Tropicalevo]

13 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Sandbox without booze.

Hope they have spades and stuff. 

Guests that have been in the sandbox have been allowed booze. So they tell me.

[DrJack54]

6 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

Guests that have been in the sandbox have been allowed booze. So they tell me.

Bars entertainment etc have had a very different run than places such as Pattaya. 

Edited January 18, 2022 by DrJack54

[kimamey]

Well from a purely personal point of view I hope he's right and this happens but it is all a bit confusing.

 

First we're told

'Test and Go unlikely to return until mid-year at the earliest'

https://aseannow.com/topic/1246563-test-and-go-unlikely-to-return-until-mid-year-at-the-earliest-pre-registered-test-and-go-still-valid/

 

Then there was

'Thailand should stop publicizing Covid numbers by April'

https://aseannow.com/topic/1246975-thailand-should-stop-publicizing-covid-numbers-by-april/

Apparently this is to allow the country to get back to normal as deaths have fallen

 

Now they want to resume Test & Go next month.

 

The first and last of these are both from the Ministry of Public Health.

[SidJames]

32 minutes ago, kimamey said:

Well from a purely personal point of view I hope he's right and this happens but it is all a bit confusing.

 

First we're told

'Test and Go unlikely to return until mid-year at the earliest'

https://aseannow.com/topic/1246563-test-and-go-unlikely-to-return-until-mid-year-at-the-earliest-pre-registered-test-and-go-still-valid/

 

Then there was

'Thailand should stop publicizing Covid numbers by April'

https://aseannow.com/topic/1246975-thailand-should-stop-publicizing-covid-numbers-by-april/

Apparently this is to allow the country to get back to normal as deaths have fallen

 

Now they want to resume Test & Go next month.

 

The first and last of these are both from the Ministry of Public Health.

Doesn't matter what the lower orders say even if they were world elites in their fields so it has to go up the chain & very often that chain is pulled.

When you have people in power with very limited understanding of the actual positions they hold except that they know that whatever they say goes then it never ends well.

If the government was a normal business then it would be bankrupt & it's company directors up on serious fraud charges.

Dictatorships are not held to the same standards as democracies.

 

 

Edited January 18, 2022 by SidJames
spelling

[kimamey]

7 minutes ago, SidJames said:

Doesn't matter what the lower orders say even if they were world elites in their fields so it has to go up the chain & very often that chain is pulled.

When you have people in power with very limited understanding of the actual positions they hold except that they know that whatever they say goes then it never ends well.

If the government was a normal business then it would be bankrupt & it's company directors up on serious fraud charges.

Dictatorships are held to the same standards as democracies.

 

 

Given this is from the Deputy PM and Health Minister maybe it will happen as there's only one person above him in government.

[RichardColeman]

4 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

and resume registration for visitors through the Test & Go entry scheme next month

typical i just booked 7 days aq

[dinsdale]

Just more nonsense from a bunch of fat pocketed morons. It's like listenening to young children rather than a government. Complete morons that say whatever comes to their empty heads at the time. Pay no attention.

[stigar]

While france registrated 467.769 new cases yesterday this country still want to low their gard because of their low numbers.Biggest lies ever.I really dont understand why any foreigner want to go to thailand.Its time to start use ur brains.Many countries warning about what can happend if u test positive but still people is desperate to go there.And after complain when their budget goes to pay he hospitals and hospitels.Today i see that the QA hotels charge much higher prices for foreigners compared to thais.GOOD LUCK with ur holidaytrip(rip off)

Yesterday 181 new facilities in BKK waiting for u.Even 2116 new pasiens in BKK yesterday the goverment dont worry because they have conrol.BS

 

 

Edited January 18, 2022 by stigar

[spidermike007]

Although it is very hard for these reactionary goons to do so, it is a good idea to stop the panic, stop the fear mongering, let the people get back to work, and admit that Omi is not the Zombie Apocalypse, as you predicted not long ago. 

[Trvlr55]

17 hours ago, kimamey said:

Well from a purely personal point of view I hope he's right and this happens but it is all a bit confusing.

 

First we're told

'Test and Go unlikely to return until mid-year at the earliest'

https://aseannow.com/topic/1246563-test-and-go-unlikely-to-return-until-mid-year-at-the-earliest-pre-registered-test-and-go-still-valid/

 

Then there was

'Thailand should stop publicizing Covid numbers by April'

https://aseannow.com/topic/1246975-thailand-should-stop-publicizing-covid-numbers-by-april/

Apparently this is to allow the country to get back to normal as deaths have fallen

 

Now they want to resume Test & Go next month.

 

The first and last of these are both from the Ministry of Public Health.

In the local news, an article stated that the new variant, after careful analyze "was not as dangerous as originally thought" and that serious illness was not nearly as bad as originally thought, in fact these numbers are actually lower now than before the new variant scare.
Certainly asymptomatic, and very mild cases are up, but serious illness and deaths are the real factors here, not someone with a scratchy throat. Most, especially governments, and health officials have forgotten the original idea was to reduce risk of serious illness and deaths... not like what the US and China is attempting to do. i.e. completely eradicate the virus.
It is already endemic world-wide, and US even is slowing acknowledging it.
Thailand like everywhere else, had the typical knee-jerk reaction to yet another 'variant' outbreak.
Newer variants, typically get weaker over time, attempting to survive.

Relaxing the policies, at this time, is the best way forward.
No point in continuing to punish everyone for little to no useful effect.

 

[candide]

From a Thai perspective, it makes sense to allow test & go again. Omicron is already diffusing in the country (likely much more than what official statistics are showing). An influx of vaccinated and PCR-tested foreigners will not have a noticeable effect on the pandemic in Thailand.

 

However, from a tourists' perspective, it would be stupid to come to Thailand. Even if not tested positive on arrival, there will be a real risk to be infected by locals for those arriving in the midst of the Omicron wave, get a positive test after 6 days, and be incarcerated during two weeks. Taking this factor into consideration, it may be paradoxally wiser to quarantine during one week in order to make sure one will not be contaminated by locals, rather than risk a two weeks incarceration in an hospital or equivalent.

[daveAustin]

18 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

typical i just booked 7 days aq

To be fair I’d feel less anxious doing quarantine over test n go. Greater chance of picking it up between first and second tests and then being carted off to the funny farm. Don’t sweat it. ????

[kimamey]

2 hours ago, Trvlr55 said:

In the local news, an article stated that the new variant, after careful analyze "was not as dangerous as originally thought" and that serious illness was not nearly as bad as originally thought, in fact these numbers are actually lower now than before the new variant scare.
Certainly asymptomatic, and very mild cases are up, but serious illness and deaths are the real factors here, not someone with a scratchy throat. Most, especially governments, and health officials have forgotten the original idea was to reduce risk of serious illness and deaths... not like what the US and China is attempting to do. i.e. completely eradicate the virus.
It is already endemic world-wide, and US even is slowing acknowledging it.
Thailand like everywhere else, had the typical knee-jerk reaction to yet another 'variant' outbreak.
Newer variants, typically get weaker over time, attempting to survive.

Relaxing the policies, at this time, is the best way forward.
No point in continuing to punish everyone for little to no useful effect.

 

I know China is trying for zero covid but I wasn't aware the US was. Probably not possible although China has a better chance of getting close due to it's governance. In the US there's no chance at all which is the same for most countries. About the only way it could work is with small island nations that can isolate themselves and even then things can go wrong. 

 

When Covid first came along Thailand shut down very quickly which at the time was very successful but with Omicron I don't think they were so fast. Once Omicron was in the country in significant numbers restrictions on passengers coming through airports and to a lesser extent secure land crossings seems a bit pointless so I'm not sure why they've made entry more difficult and hopefully they will make changes soon.

 

As you say it's serious illness and deaths that are the main points to watch although deaths seem to be lower anyway. There is less serious illness but that's counteracted by the higher infection rate so in the UK hospitals are being overwhelmed. I'm not sure what the situation is in Thailand. In the UK infections are now down a lot and hospital admissions seem to be levelling off and it's just deaths that are still high but that's to be expected. I would guess that will happen in Thailand as well so why they are making predictions into the middle of the year I've no idea. They need to focus on infection in the country rather than from outside. Just use vaccination and testing for arrivals and keep going with vaccines in the country. Masks for indoor settings at least are a small inconvenience if it helps to get through this quickly which evidence suggests is possible. Then we just need to hope we don't get another variant which is sufficiently infectious enough, deadly or both.

[AndresSP]

1 hour ago, candide said:

From a Thai perspective, it makes sense to allow test & go again. Omicron is already diffusing in the country (likely much more than what official statistics are showing). An influx of vaccinated and PCR-tested foreigners will not have a noticeable effect on the pandemic in Thailand.

 

However, from a tourists' perspective, it would be stupid to come to Thailand. Even if not tested positive on arrival, there will be a real risk to be infected by locals for those arriving in the midst of the Omicron wave, get a positive test after 6 days, and be incarcerated during two weeks. Taking this factor into consideration, it may be paradoxally wiser to quarantine during one week in order to make sure one will not be contaminated by locals, rather than risk a two weeks incarceration in an hospital or equivalent.

Correct. Bona fide tourists are not coming in any meaningful numbers as long as it's a Test&Go and not Vaxx&Go. They gonna get there soon enough though but gradually to save face.

[Letseng]

12 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Although it is very hard for these reactionary goons to do so, it is a good idea to stop the panic, stop the fear mongering, let the people get back to work, and admit that Omi is not the Zombie Apocalypse, as you predicted not long ago. 

Just 500 fatalities in UK in one day. Thailand once before thought they had it under control. Look at Australia, and sharply rising deaths in S.Africa.

Caution may be a good strategy. 

[josephbloggs]

5 hours ago, daveAustin said:

To be fair I’d feel less anxious doing quarantine over test n go. Greater chance of picking it up between first and second tests and then being carted off to the funny farm. Don’t sweat it. ????

No one gets carted off anywhere unless they have severe symptoms.  

[spidermike007]

1 hour ago, Letseng said:

Just 500 fatalities in UK in one day. Thailand once before thought they had it under control. Look at Australia, and sharply rising deaths in S.Africa.

Caution may be a good strategy. 

Deaths are generally falling worldwide, over the past several days. South Africa with 100 deaths? And that is cause for alarm?