Pattaya still mostly deserted - fears of rise in Covid cases when Sandbox rules relaxed

[KhunLA]

2 hours ago, IAMHERE said:

told me to 'take care yourself'. Thai's mean that, take care of yourself because the government doesn't. USA not the same. 

????????????????

same same ... not different.  That's why I left that sh!thole decades ago.

[tomster]

18 hours ago, Golden Triangle said:

I presume with that rather callous remark that you haven't lost a sibling to COVID-19 & were prevented from getting home to attend the funeral ?

 

You really ought to think before posting mate ????????????

Actually Mate my Dad died 17 days ago from a recurrence of his bowel cancer.

 

He was 84, he first had it when he was 65. From when he first recovered to the start of Covid he went for screening every 6 months to make sure it hadn't come back.

 

Can you guess what happened next?

 

I'm sorry for your loss but save your drama for people that care about you - we all have our own problems to deal with.

 

[spidermike007]

14 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

Covid denialist and Bolsonaro ally Olavo de Carvalho died of virus, says daughter

 

Olavo de Carvalho, the coronavirus-denying mentor of Jair Bolsonaro and Brazil’s radical right, has died in the United States, with one of his children citing Covid-19 as the cause.

 

Before his death Carvalho continually minimized coronavirus – which has killed nearly 625,000 Brazilians and 5.6 million people globally – peddled conspiracies about its origins, and attacked those trying to slow its spread. It is unclear if he had been vaccinated.

 

In May 2020, as Covid pummeled South America, Carvalho tweeted: “The fear of a supposedly deadly virus is nothing more than a little horror storydesigned to scare the population and make them accept slavery as they would a present from Father Christmas.”

 

Blosonaro and his minions are certifiably insane. I am not a Covid denier. I am fully vaxed. I am simply saying that there are governments using Covid for their benefit, and Big Pharma is making a bundle. I question alot of what the CDC, the WHO and the FDA tell me. I distrust most 3 letter govt. agencies. Always have. 

 

To imply that some of the Covid narrative is skewed and that we are not being told entirely accurate information is a reasonable conclusion for a questioning mind. 

[Jingthing]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

Blosonaro and his minions are certifiably insane. I am not a Covid denier. I am fully vaxed. I am simply saying that there are governments using Covid for their benefit, and Big Pharma is making a bundle. I question alot of what the CDC, the WHO and the FDA tell me. I distrust most 3 letter govt. agencies. Always have. 

 

To imply that some of the Covid narrative is skewed and that we are not being told entirely accurate information is a reasonable conclusion for a questioning mind. 

Those that at this point are refusing vaccinations have made their choice. Its like a death cult for right wingers.

You're not wrong to be skeptical about everything but anti vaxxers are objectively wrong.

 

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/01/human-sacrifice-ritual-mass-vaccination/621355/

 

Edited January 27, 2022 by Jingthing

[johnnybangkok]

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Blosonaro and his minions are certifiably insane. I am not a Covid denier. I am fully vaxed. I am simply saying that there are governments using Covid for their benefit, and Big Pharma is making a bundle. I question alot of what the CDC, the WHO and the FDA tell me. I distrust most 3 letter govt. agencies. Always have. 

 

To imply that some of the Covid narrative is skewed and that we are not being told entirely accurate information is a reasonable conclusion for a questioning mind. 

The 'skewing' you are refering to is the other way round though.

 

The CDC, the WHO and the FDA have all been consistent in their message from the beginning, updating their advice as and when new evidence presents itself. I suspect you scepticism of these groups is more to do with your general skepticism of these types of groups since you readily admit you 'distrust most 3 letter govt. agencies'. 

 

The problems and the issues we are seeing are much more prevalent because of politicians and in particular, right wing governments (Bolsonaro in Brazil, Trump in America, Lukashanka in Belarus etc ). These people have followed a similar pattern of deflection, rejection, trivialisation and denial, muddying the waters for many who now readily question sound science in favour of tribal loyalties and right wing soundbites. 

 

So yes the Covid narrative is 'skewed' but not in the way you mention. I would argue that any 'reasonable conclusion' you seem to have come up with (backed up with your previous posts about counting Covid victims that were just plain wrong), is derived from people/politicians/right wingers who have a specific agenda and have been banging this drum for so long now that even reasonable people like yourself are now questioning everything simply because they tell you to.   

 

Science is here to help. Trust in the science. 

[Danderman123]

It looks like Covid extensions are being denied by Immigration unless the applicant has the “right” visa.

 

Does this mean that Pattaya is going to be empty soon?

[spidermike007]

4 hours ago, johnnybangkok said:

The 'skewing' you are refering to is the other way round though.

 

The CDC, the WHO and the FDA have all been consistent in their message from the beginning, updating their advice as and when new evidence presents itself. I suspect you scepticism of these groups is more to do with your general skepticism of these types of groups since you readily admit you 'distrust most 3 letter govt. agencies'. 

 

The problems and the issues we are seeing are much more prevalent because of politicians and in particular, right wing governments (Bolsonaro in Brazil, Trump in America, Lukashanka in Belarus etc ). These people have followed a similar pattern of deflection, rejection, trivialisation and denial, muddying the waters for many who now readily question sound science in favour of tribal loyalties and right wing soundbites. 

 

So yes the Covid narrative is 'skewed' but not in the way you mention. I would argue that any 'reasonable conclusion' you seem to have come up with (backed up with your previous posts about counting Covid victims that were just plain wrong), is derived from people/politicians/right wingers who have a specific agenda and have been banging this drum for so long now that even reasonable people like yourself are now questioning everything simply because they tell you to.   

 

Science is here to help. Trust in the science. 

While you are at least partially correct when it comes to the US, how about here? Do you think the message has been accurate, honest, even handed and reasonable? Or has there been a highly political agenda at work?

 

 

[johnnybangkok]

29 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

While you are at least partially correct when it comes to the US, how about here? Do you think the message has been accurate, honest, even handed and reasonable? Or has there been a highly political agenda at work?

 

 

I think Thailand is a story of 2 halves. They started off well, doing everything properly by closing borders, social distancing, working from home and mandatory mask wearing meaning they were recording some of the lowest infections and in turn, deaths in the world. Then Delta came along right about the same time as Songkran and all their previous good work was completely undone by allowing people to travel freely and transport the problem inter-province. The genie was well and truly out of the bottle and they have struggled to get it back in since. However I still believe the figures have been accurate (as accurate as you can get when you're not testing that many people) and mostly honest, even handed and reasonable as all they have done is follow WHO protocals with lockdowns, face coverings and social distancing (although being Thailand you still get some crazy rules that really don't make sense).

Saying that, I firmly believe the time is now right to completely open up the country and much like the UK, USA and many other countries, start living with the less lethal Omicron variant. The vaccines have proven effective (and I don't understand those ant-vaxxers who say otherwise) and if you are too dumb now to not have been double vaxxed and/or triple, then I think it's time we let Darwin sort you out. No more pandering to these people. The evidence is overwhelming and if you're STILL not convinced then that's your look out; the damage to the economy, to peoples mental health and to people's personal income is now so severe, they really cannot justify holding off any longer and I welcome the admiting of vaccinated tourists from 1st February and the first step in the long journey of getting back to normal.  

 

[spidermike007]

43 minutes ago, johnnybangkok said:

I think Thailand is a story of 2 halves. They started off well, doing everything properly by closing borders, social distancing, working from home and mandatory mask wearing meaning they were recording some of the lowest infections and in turn, deaths in the world. Then Delta came along right about the same time as Songkran and all their previous good work was completely undone by allowing people to travel freely and transport the problem inter-province. The genie was well and truly out of the bottle and they have struggled to get it back in since. However I still believe the figures have been accurate (as accurate as you can get when you're not testing that many people) and mostly honest, even handed and reasonable as all they have done is follow WHO protocals with lockdowns, face coverings and social distancing (although being Thailand you still get some crazy rules that really don't make sense).

Saying that, I firmly believe the time is now right to completely open up the country and much like the UK, USA and many other countries, start living with the less lethal Omicron variant. The vaccines have proven effective (and I don't understand those ant-vaxxers who say otherwise) and if you are too dumb now to not have been double vaxxed and/or triple, then I think it's time we let Darwin sort you out. No more pandering to these people. The evidence is overwhelming and if you're STILL not convinced then that's your look out; the damage to the economy, to peoples mental health and to people's personal income is now so severe, they really cannot justify holding off any longer and I welcome the admiting of vaccinated tourists from 1st February and the first step in the long journey of getting back to normal.  

 

I am in total agreement with most of what you said. Where we differ, is how they handled the 2nd and 3rd waves. Highly selective economic shutdowns were incredibly destructive. Alot could have been prevented. 

 

The pain will be felt for many years to come. I anticipate condo prices to drop by half. A friend of mine recently moved to Pattaya. He looked at condos in Jomtien. He walked into one of the nicest towers, looked at a 36th floor unit with panoramic views, and when he was quoted 28,000 a month, he offered 10,000. They settled on 13,000. He said the agent more or less admitted the building was nearly empty, and they could not rent to sell anything, at this time.

 

He also told me that his girlfriend works as a senior level manager for one of Thailand's biggest developers. She told him that they have reduced their building by 90% of what it was pre-Covid, which was around 100 developments a year. She said they cannot sell or lease anything at this time, that is at a price point that makes sense, as the economic devastation is beyond belief. It is the Prayuth destruction. 

 

[Rimmer]

Misinformation post and reply has been removed

[johnnybangkok]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

I am in total agreement with most of what you said. Where we differ, is how they handled the 2nd and 3rd waves. Highly selective economic shutdowns were incredibly destructive. Alot could have been prevented. 

 

The pain will be felt for many years to come. I anticipate condo prices to drop by half. A friend of mine recently moved to Pattaya. He looked at condos in Jomtien. He walked into one of the nicest towers, looked at a 36th floor unit with panoramic views, and when he was quoted 28,000 a month, he offered 10,000. They settled on 13,000. He said the agent more or less admitted the building was nearly empty, and they could not rent to sell anything, at this time.

 

He also told me that his girlfriend works as a senior level manager for one of Thailand's biggest developers. She told him that they have reduced their building by 90% of what it was pre-Covid, which was around 100 developments a year. She said they cannot sell or lease anything at this time, that is at a price point that makes sense, as the economic devastation is beyond belief. It is the Prayuth destruction. 

 

I run a recruitment company so can verify your somewhat anecdotal example. Construction/property has been having a terrible time but I would also lay some of the blame at their own feet with far too much 'product' on the market to sustain everybody. There is a glut of available properties in both Pattaya and Bangkok and I would venture it was unsustainable even in good times. Travel and hospitality have also taken a severe hit, manufacturing has suffered from the worldwide logistics problems however, it's not all been bad with many businesses recording record numbers in 2020/2021. The most obvious would be technology. Lots of companies that got their online precence sorted have benefitted massively from the new norm of work and order from home. Lazada, Shopee, Grab, Line and the likes have seen massive growth so as often happens in restrictive markets, some excel whilst others fall to the wayside.

I also agree the handling of the 2nd and 3rd waves could have been much better but ithere really wasn't a winning scenario available. Lockdowns were absolutely neccessary and I would venture that there was really very little options pre-vaccine time for the government to choose from. If they had let everything stay open, you would probably be sitting here rightly moaning about the huge numbers of infections and the consequent huge numbers of deaths.

I am not a fan of this current government (more to do with how they came to power and how they maintain power) but I genuinely think they are damned if they did and damned if they don't; but at least they didn't minimise the problem or outright lie about it and to the most part, have followed the science as and when it became available. 

[jacko45k]

14 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

It looks like Covid extensions are being denied by Immigration unless the applicant has the “right” visa.

 

Does this mean that Pattaya is going to be empty soon?

Surely all the Visas are well expired by now. I forget even what type of original permission can be extended based on Covid. Is it Exempt and tourist only? 

Are the volunteer extensions history too?

Edited January 27, 2022 by jacko45k

[Harsh Jones]

On 1/24/2022 at 12:52 AM, JustAnotherHun said:

Not Pattaya is mostly deserted, the beer bars are.

See the difference?

But everyone says Pattaya is a smut hole and will always be. Even though there is tons of good family entertainment.

[Harsh Jones]

On 1/24/2022 at 4:01 AM, KhunBENQ said:

Totally deserted . From live video of this evening.

 

 

https://youtu.be/Vn2ZMeGNN-s

 

That farang has no idea how jealous I am. To be sitting on a bike cruising Pattaya right now...???? Is there any live cameras of Pattaya anymore ?

Edited January 30, 2022 by Harsh Jones

[KhunBENQ]

4 hours ago, Harsh Jones said:

Is there any live cameras of Pattaya anymore ?

Irregularly. At youtube just search "Pattaya" and "Filter" for "Live".

Usually active in the late afternoon/evening Thai time. Be prepared for the majority being "virtual bar visits"

One Korean(?) seems to have 24h live near Treetown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qcd3R4Bfv8

 

Edited January 31, 2022 by KhunBENQ

[thaibeachlovers]

On 1/24/2022 at 4:13 PM, spidermike007 said:

Fear, fear and more fear. That is the Prayuth/Anutin creed. Keep em scared, and maintain power. A power play as old as the hills. Once Covid is gone, so are the creeps, hopefully. 

Hardly unique to Thailand.

[JustAnotherHun]

Later will go out for lunch in deserted Pattaya.

I hope, this time I don't have to wait for a table at Fussilos because they are occupied by all these tourists and expats that won't come.

[Danderman123]

Based on recent experience, if 10,000 new tourists show up at Suvarnaphumi, that’s cause for 100 new bars to open in Pattaya.

[jacko45k]

12 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

Based on recent experience, if 10,000 new tourists show up at Suvarnaphumi, that’s cause for 100 new bars to open in Pattaya.

They have always done over-supply quite well in Pattaya. 

[overherebc]

On 1/27/2022 at 4:41 PM, Danderman123 said:

It looks like Covid extensions are being denied by Immigration unless the applicant has the “right” visa.

 

Does this mean that Pattaya is going to be empty soon?

No.

On another news programme

(Thaiger News) it was reported that Pattaya would become an Islamic friendly destination.

Does that mean the roast pig and balloons outside the restaurant/bar will be a no-no?

[jacko45k]

12 hours ago, overherebc said:

No.

On another news programme

(Thaiger News) it was reported that Pattaya would become an Islamic friendly destination.

Does that mean the roast pig and balloons outside the restaurant/bar will be a no-no?

Stand by for men only dancing in a circle waving a sword above their heads in Insomnia. 

[Leaver]

23 hours ago, overherebc said:

No.

On another news programme

(Thaiger News) it was reported that Pattaya would become an Islamic friendly destination.

Does that mean the roast pig and balloons outside the restaurant/bar will be a no-no?

 

They will have to get rid of all the soi dogs first.  

[overherebc]

26 minutes ago, Leaver said:

 

They will have to get rid of all the soi dogs first.  

In the middle east that was managed by issuing a contract to a Filipino company.

[Leaver]

8 minutes ago, overherebc said:

In the middle east that was managed by issuing a contract to a Filipino company.

 

They refuse to acknowledge the problem here, or don't want to pay to fix the problem.  

 

Edited February 4, 2022 by Leaver

[Danderman123]

Anyone notice the rising number of Covid infections?

[jacko45k]

14 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

Anyone notice the rising number of Covid infections?

Where specifically? Thailand seems flat....

[Danderman123]

9 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Where specifically? Thailand seems flat....

 

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

most of thailand is still deserted because the sandbox  / thailand pass teams keep on

messing it up and down !!

[jacko45k]

6 minutes ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

most of thailand is still deserted because the sandbox  / thailand pass teams keep on

messing it up and down !!

Wasn't deserted in Pattaya yesterday. Lot of traffic and busy in the mall (Big-CX). 

[Lucky Bones]

Strangely I am yet to see a East Pattaya soi dog, cat, rat or cockroach wearing a mask or social distancing.

Guess they will outlive me.