The Mind Boggles

[Havenstreet1940]

I spoke to an hotel in Bangkok today about accommodation for my Day 5 PCR.     Day 2 - 4 will be spent with my wife  in our house.   My wife would like to come to Bangkok with me on Day 5 andI asked if she could stay with me in my room.  No way Jose!   Goverment not allow.

 

I said this is crazy, we will be together Day 2 - 4, we are both fully vaccinated with boosters.   Stillno way Jose.

 

The mind boggles at this stupidity!

Edited January 25, 2022 by Havenstreet1940

[Caldera]

That's a particularly nice example for the insanity of the new "Test & Go & Test & Go" scheme.

[HashBrownHarry]

are you able to book this already? i thought it all began 1st Feb?

 

Are you allowed to do trst 1 in one province and test 2 in another? does it need to be the same hotel both times?

 

thx

[Havenstreet1940]

4 minutes ago, HashBrownHarry said:

are you able to book this already? i thought it all began 1st Feb?

 

Are you allowed to do trst 1 in one province and test 2 in another? does it need to be the same hotel both times?

 

thx

Hotel willing to accept booking, Can be different hotels so long as they are SHA Plus orASQ 

[HashBrownHarry]

2 minutes ago, Havenstreet1940 said:

Hotel willing to accept booking, Can be different hotels so long as they are SHA Plus orASQ 

thanks, in different provinces?

[Havenstreet1940]

1 hour ago, HashBrownHarry said:

thanks, in different provinces?

Wording I saw says it doesn't have to be the same hotelas Day 1, no mention of different Provinces. Just so  long as it is SHA Plus or ASQ

[Sheryl]

I would try a different hotel.

 

I know that many quarantine hotels will allow a second person to join in the room subject to the same requirements and restrictions,. In fact I recently looked into this thinking a non-English, non-Thai speaking Cambodian family member might need to come here for medical  care back when it was 7 day quarantine, in which case I would have needed to stay with her.  I spoke to a number of AQ hotels, all were OK with it but said I'd have to undergo COVID testing on the same schedule and, of course, remain confined to the room. I have no idea how this would translate to Day 5 booking under T&G - since that is a totally new creation there is likely no clear guidance on it anywhere,  and quite likely different hotels will come up with different answers.

[Eff1n2ret]

1 hour ago, Havenstreet1940 said:

The mind boggles at this stupidity!

Certainly does, but it's perhaps not the hotel's fault. Imagine if you came back on day 5 with missis in tow, and you tested positive - what would they do with her?. I guess they're just trying to avoid complications.

[Havenstreet1940]

3 minutes ago, Eff1n2ret said:

Certainly does, but it's perhaps not the hotel's fault. Imagine if you came back on day 5 with missis in tow, and you tested positive - what would they do with her?. I guess they're just trying to avoid complications.

Good Point

[OneMoreFarang]

Did you expect logic?

[Havenstreet1940]

Continuing my opening thread:   When speaking to the hotel about the Test & Go package (Day 1 and  5) and whether my wife could stay with me in my room on Day 5 and  being told 'No' and that she would have to have a separate room in a different building, I then asked if on Day 2-4(assuming negative result on Day 1, I could book a room for my wife and self, 'Yes' was the answer but on Day 5 I would have to move back to the 'quarantine' building on my own to have the PCR test. How crazy is that?

 

The programme is designed to Scam foreigners and nothing to do with the Covid infection!

Edited January 28, 2022 by Havenstreet1940

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, Havenstreet1940 said:

Continuing my opening thread:   When speaking to the hotel about the Test & Go package (Day 1 and  5) and whether my wife could stay with me in my room on Day 5 and  being told 'No' and that she would have to have a separate room in a different building, I then asked if on Day 2-4(assuming negative result on Day 1, I could book a room for my wife and self, 'Yes' was the answer but on Day 5 I would have to move back to the 'quarantine' building on my own to have the PCR test. How crazy is that?

 

The programme is designed to Scam foreigners and nothing to do with the Covid infection!

 

It is indeed crazy but its genesis was not a desire to "scam".

 

It came about because of problems get data on Day 5 tests and with locating people who tested positive at Day 5.

 

That, in turn, was mainly due to a combination of:

 

1. Dysfunctional tracking system (the Mor Chana app, which most people cannot get to work or upload test results) and not giving the test sites clear instructions on where and how to report tests and results

 

2. Lackluster follow up by some hospitals (e.g. announcing people could not be found/were "on the loose" without even first calling or visiting the hotel where they stayed; telling people at time of testing that no need to return for the results - "we'll call you" - etc)

 

However the government has chosen to believe the problem is absconding foreigners, or else they know but simply can't find a way to address these actual causes.

 

So instead they came up with the current nonsense.

 

I don't think it states anywhere that people have to be quarantined inside their room on Day 5, only that they must remain at the hotel until the results are in. Nor is it likely to state anywhere that people can't have someone stay with them (after all, they've been free to stay with whomever for the 4 prior days).  However, hotels are going to be held responsible for the whereabouts of anyone who tests positive and this likely has them pretty scared.  In addition, the cultural norm here is to be afraid to do anything unless clearly instructed it is allowed and "cannot" is the default position if there is any uncertainty.

 

The system is crazy and IMO won't last too long. Good chance it will be undone by either:

1 - lower than expected uptake in tourists coupled with continued opening up of other countries.

2 - surge in local cases - they seem to have assumed Omicron has peaked in Thailand but that is far from certain, especially considering the time of year here is low incidence for respiratory borne infections anyhow. Of course if there is a surge, it won't in any way be because of foreign travel, but restricting travel seems to be a reflexive response here regardless.

 

I was supposed to travel to Cambodia for work for 2 weeks next month. I've told my employer I can't - I live up country  and this would just be too onerous a burden and expense to comply with.  I traveled last month and came in under the old T&G, that was doable but not this.