By Goong Nang(GN)

 

Pattaya – Pattaya tourism businesses and hospitals are preparing for hopefully more international foreign tourists from the resuming Sandbox and Test & Go scheme on February 1st. However, they are also preparing for the eventuality that at least some will be positive for Covid-19. The current goal is to make this process as smooth as possible and not “force” tourists to expensive hospitals or undesirable quarantine centers if the patient is not seriously ill.

 

First, as a reference to the program:

The CCSA agreed to reimplement the “Test&Go” scheme for vaccinated international arrivals under nearly quarantine-free conditions. Two RT-PCR tests are required on Day 1 and Day 5 of the arrival. Travelers must stay at SHA+ hotels while waiting for the PCR results.

 

Now, the update:

A meeting was held at the Pattaya City Hall and was led by the director of Chonburi Tourism and Sports Mrs. Ampai Sakdanukulchit Sliwinski and Pattaya area tourism business operators.

 

Mrs. Ampai told TPN media, “We are seeking the best way to assist international tourists who arrive in Pattaya and Chonburi area if their Covid-19 test was positive with mild or asymptomatic symptoms. We understand one of the biggest “fears” of tourists is testing positive and potentially being forced into places (hospitals, quarantine centers, etc) that they don’t wish to go to, especially being fully vaccinated and having mild symptoms or less.”

 

“There are 267 hotels in Chonburi with an SHA (Safety and Health Administration) certificate (Amazing Thailand Safety & Health Administration) and 177 hotels with SHA Extra Plus. Most SHA Extra Plus hotels are in the Pattaya area. The extra plus means the hotel has a partnership with a local hospital in terms of handling Covid-19 positive patients. Under the new rules, tourists MUST stay at an extra+ hotel for their Day One and Day Five testing.” Ampai explained.

 

Full story: https://thepattayanews.com/2022/01/27/pattaya-tourism-businesses-and-hospitals-preparing-for-sandbox-and-test-developing-plan-for-hotel-isolation-for-mild-covid-positive-patients/

 

 

-- © Copyright The Pattaya News 2022-01-28

 

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They want a piece of Pie that Thai hospitals are enjoying from forced incarceration of tourists allegedly found positive!

1 hour ago, RandiRona said:

They want a piece of Pie that Thai hospitals are enjoying from forced incarceration of tourists allegedly found positive!

I don't think so, I think that common sense prevails. If you have a runny nose or no symptoms at all despite testing positive then stay in your hotel until you test negative. 

 

Marvellous idea....but it should have been done at least 6 months ago....but as usual always too late

1 hour ago, Chelseafan said:

I don't think so, I think that common sense prevails. If you have a runny nose or no symptoms at all despite testing positive then stay in your hotel until you test negative. 

 

Might depend who did the test... do it yourself, yes, self isolate. But if you use a free official testing station, are they still wanting to put over 60s into a hospitel? 

Cannot see the point in day 5 staying in "CHOSEN" hotels other than profit oppurtunity. You can walk around from day 2 to day 5 then have to go to the hotel and stay until your test comes back. Can anyone explain the logic in this?

4 hours ago, webfact said:

The current goal is to make this process as smooth as possible and not “force” tourists to expensive hospitals or undesirable quarantine centers if the patient is not seriously ill.

Yeah okay.... ????

3 hours ago, Chelseafan said:

I don't think so, I think that common sense prevails. If you have a runny nose or no symptoms at all despite testing positive then stay in your hotel until you test negative. 

 

You won't have a say in it... test positive off to the hospital and good luck with the bill.

3 hours ago, Chelseafan said:

I don't think so, I think that common sense prevails. If you have a runny nose or no symptoms at all despite testing positive then stay in your hotel until you test negative. 

 

Not as simple as that, see this thread about one such case, also mentioned are others in the same predicament:

 

https://thethaiger.com/talk/topic/10406-partner-tested-positive-for-cov-19/#comment-151190

2 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

You won't have a say in it... test positive off to the hospital and good luck with the bill.

Did you read the attached article? That is exactly what they were suggesting to try and avoid.

Doesn't mean it will happen but at least it is being openly discussed now.

May be a new angle here, a tourist tests positive, they get shipped off  to an all inclusive covid resort where they can mix with other tourists who have a runny nose!

so they are now introducing another level of Hotel - first it was SHA +, now it is SHA + extra !!!!!!!

 

The simple solution is that anyone that tests positive stays in the hotel room that they booked which will be SHA + and if they fall ill and need medical treatment then transfer them to a hospital, this introduction of SHA + extra is a way of extracting more money there is no other reason for it 

 

This Omicron is so transmissable that there is very little possibility of avoiding it while doing holiday things, in fact the testing seems almost designed to make sure tourists get it through community spread, they test before leaving home country and while on the journey they are mixing with a huge number of people - then test on arrival which is all but useless - then allow them  to go out and mix in the community - these 7 days from home country  to mixing in the local community  are huge exposure risks of catching omicron, if you look at Phuket detected cases there are over 1000 per week that they clasify as "from abroad" - these are exactly those people who have travelled here as I described above and tested positive on day 5

 

People who decide to travel to Thailand for a 3 week holiday need their heads looked at, with omicron the chances of them getting infected and  being banged up for 14 days is extremely high, if it happens to them they only have themselves to blame. 

Possible solution:

 

Day 4, self test.  If positive, stay at home.  Say you can't go to the hotel since you need to self isolate, and going to the hotel would put others at risk.

 

 

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Under the new rules, tourists MUST stay at an extra+ hotel for their Day One and Day Five testing.” Ampai explained.

Huh?  So if I arrive under the Sandbox provisions of the program (I live in Mexico and don't qualify for Test & Go) I have to pay for a *second* hotel (i.e. two hotels) for Day One & Day Five?  I would've already prepaid seven days at the Sandbox hotel in Pattaya.

3 hours ago, topt said:

Did you read the attached article? That is exactly what they were suggesting to try and avoid.

Doesn't mean it will happen but at least it is being openly discussed now.

As far as I know, any positive test when you're in a "vulnerable" group and it's off to hospital.  Over 60, overweight & many other conditions are considered "vulnerable", just the first 2 will catch many.

5 hours ago, Paul Henry said:

Cannot see the point in day 5 staying in "CHOSEN" hotels other than profit oppurtunity. You can walk around from day 2 to day 5 then have to go to the hotel and stay until your test comes back. Can anyone explain the logic in this?

What is this strange word 'logic' that you speak of?

5 hours ago, hotchilli said:

You won't have a say in it... test positive off to the hospital and good luck with the bill.

If I am reading the article correctly, that's not what they are proposing.

 

5 hours ago, Chelseafan said:

If I am reading the article correctly, that's not what they are proposing.

 

 

As with all things Thailand, it's not about what you read, or even what they say, it's about what really happens.  

5 hours ago, Leaver said:

 

As with all things Thailand, it's not about what you read, or even what they say, it's about what really happens.  

Or what doesn't happen ????

 

On 1/28/2022 at 6:45 PM, Chelseafan said:

Or what doesn't happen ????

 

 

Or what doesn't happen, but they say happens.  ????  

Or what they say happens but doesn't happen but really does happen!