Thailand restores quarantine-free entry – and this time the whole world is invited

[spidermike007]

4 hours ago, NanaSomchai said:

I just don't get why you people will not "let go" when it comes to anything Thai related.

 

- The exchange rate is absolutely NOT in our favor.

 

- Traffic and commuting in Bangkok has gotten worse year after year.

 

- The PM2.5 pollution in larger cities has peaked to borderline unbreathable levels (and very little is done to prevent it, let alone tackle it).

 

- The price of goods has been continuously increasing by an average of 15% every 5 years back to back.

 

- The Highest constitutional Thai courts have handed out a judgement essentially stating that dual pricing foreigners was deemed acceptable.

 

- "Pay 4 play" relationship with local females has become way more expensive than it should be, it is now almost on par with Eastern European countries (which for some of us, defeats the whole purpose of even going to Thailand to begin with).

 

- Ladies of the night constantly glued to their phones 24/7 having as many as 20 different "sponsors" at a time.

 

- Pesky vloggers, bloggers roaming just about everywhere across the Kingdom, with their cameras pointed in every directions at mongers then uploading footage to YouTube without even blurring people's faces, etc, publicly naming and shaming anyone who dares adventuring themselves in seedy areas or engaging in nightlife activities.

 

- Consumption of alcohol beverage on the streets, on the beaches, in public parks, near/in front of official buildings, near Temples and just about everywhere in public is slowly becoming illegal, with some years having up to 21 religious related holidays per calendar year during which the sale/use of alcohol is outright frowned upon.

 

- Immigration hurdles have become drastic as time goes on, reinstating of the dreaded TM-30, TM-5, TM-whatever, clamping down of visa border runs, clamping down of "education visas", the SHA+, Test & Go, Sandbox, Thailand Pass, permanent ending of Visas on Arrivals.

 

- Road carnage numbers on the rise, "Road Safety" should be of a national concern in the Kingdom, very little is done about it.

 

- Health Minister flat out calling foreigners "dirty farangs" and stating they should "kick us out" during an improvised press conference.

 

- Currently elected officials being in office in (allegedly) fraudulent ways and manipulating/re-writing the Thai constitution as many times as necessary in order to remain in power endlessly that would make Vladimir Putin blush.

 

- PayPal withdrawing it's operations from Thailand, soon to be followed by Transferwise and other fintech online services, it's only a matter of time.

 

- Cryptocurrencies being "looked into" by the central Bank of Thailand, they are trying to restrict/forbid the use/buy/sale of Bitcoin and all other digital currencies (because they figured they cannot get their cut).

 

- Neighboring country Myanmar in War with itself, the Thais navy/army are not helping or doing their part, better yet they are sending civilians back across the border to... their demise.

 

- Amnesty International being outed of the Kingdom which should raise a major concern for anyone reading this very post.

 

- Rabies from Soi dogs infection rates are on a sharp rise, so are dengue fever outbreaks from mosquitoes bites while the Zika virus is out of control in remote parts of the country, very little is done about it.

 

- The Kingdom being turned into a Police state slowly but surely, cameras being added left and right, biometrics systems are now in use at 100% of the 74 points of entrance/exit from the Kingdom, lèse majestés laws are being brought in full force, defamation laws are being used to either sue or counter-sue anyone at any whim.

 

- No land ownership for any of us, etc, etc, and the list goes on and on and on...

 

What else do you people need to take those rose tinted glasses off and realise that the Thailand of 1990-2000's is gone for good, Thailand is no longer the land of smiles, Thailand is no longer a cheap booze/partying/fiesta/mongering destination.

 

Thailand is no longer a bang for your buck. Not a bargain anymore.

 

Move. On.

Wow. Let's call this the tirade of the month. Quite an impressive list. I do agree Thailand is moving backwards. It is definitely NOT becoming an improved version of itself. Little is improving other than a wee bit of infrastructure, and that is going at a snails pace. 

 

However, the near total destruction of the tourism industry is good for many expats. Been staying at amazing four hotels in Bangkok for 1500 a nite. Many things here are quite reasonable compared to exploding prices and hyper inflation in the US and Europe. Not to mention the perpetual joylessness, anxiety and stress. That is depressing. Most people here have better attitudes and are infinitely more pleasant. I walk into a 7/11 here and joke and flirt with a super cute young gal who is working the register and she is smiling or laughing the whole time. Same with alot of cute, young waitresses. You can't put a price on that. In the US, beyond 50, we are ghosts. No thanks. 

[starky]

20 hours ago, clivebaxter said:

Am I right in thinking if you get to your hotel after 6PM that needs another night in quarantine, add the fifth night and a 3rd test in a week to go with 3 nights banged up and they can kiss real tourist arrivals goodbye for now.

No your wrong. And i dont get where you think your banged up. Novotel at Suvarnabhumi guarantees your test back within 6 hours with a dedicated 24hour testing booth at yhe hotel. I arrived at 2200 and was out the door before 0600. People are overacting as usual sure it's an inconvenience and I don't see the point of the day 5 nonsense but if you really want to come to Thailand it's a doddle. 

 Generally I stay a night there before travelling hone in any case and with access to full room service and everything else the hotel has to offer it was hardly an inconvenience. 

Edited February 1, 2022 by starky

[clivebaxter]

14 minutes ago, starky said:

No your wrong. And i dont get where you think your banged up. Novotel at Suvarnabhumi guarantees your test back within 6 hours with a dedicated 24hour testing booth at yhe hotel. I arrived at 2200 and was out the door before 0600. People are overacting as usual sure it's an inconvenience and I don't see the point of the day 5 nonsense but if you really want to come to Thailand it's a doddle. 

 Generally I stay a night there before travelling hone in any case and with access to full room service and everything else the hotel has to offer it was hardly an inconvenience. 

Well if you think 2 nights at a minimum cost of 8k on top of the pcr test before leaving, with the risk of quarantine if anything like a positive result or having been near a positive traveler is a doddle up to you. As the Thailand pass site still does not have any mention of day five quarantine or 2nd test and few Hotels are even giving prices for a 5th day it may go back to the 'doddle' you were so lucky to have experienced.

[morrobay]

Well it certainly is

[NoshowJones]

22 hours ago, volsfan said:

BS title. Nothing quarantine-free about it. Be honest about it. 

 

The unelected soldier posing as a PM being honest???????????????

[Oracle2022]

ITS NOT QUARANTINE FREE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

If you are locked in your hotel until a negative on arrival test is completed, you are quarantined.

 

Simple as that.  Does not matter if its 1 night only......its still quarantine.  Therefore its highly misleading to say its quarantine free when its not.

 

The fact you must pay for 2 tests and stay for 2 nights in a quarantine hotel (Day 1 and Day 5) and run the risk of mandatory detention if positive (even though Omicron now is no worse than a mild cold for most people) for 10 days........its all a big con.

 

Philippines from February 10th has REAL quarantine free entry.  No test on arrival. No mandatory nights in any hotel. No testing on day 5.  Nothing..................simply have your PCR negative result before travel and its free entry for all vaccinated people.

 

The headlines about quarantine free Thailand are disgustingly misleading.

[NoshowJones]

21 hours ago, Willy Wombat said:

Fully vaccinated.

PCR test before you board your flight with. negative result.

Get a stamp a Suvarnabhumi immigration.

Leave us alone after that.

What about the insurance scams? They are going to charge everyone entering Thailand 300Bt which is supposed to help cover this.

[morrobay]

From the looks of the visitors in Pattaya over this weekend, about 99% Thais. That's about all they are going to get, especially these days

 

[JustAnotherHun]

1 minute ago, morrobay said:

From the looks of the visitors in Pattaya over this weekend, about 99% Thais. That's about all they are going to get, especially these days

 

Must be a different Pattaya then. Where I am, the restaurants are well visited by expats and tourists. Last week I even had to wait a moment to get a free table.

[NoshowJones]

12 hours ago, alex8912 said:

Might lol. Nothing like waiting until the exact last minute and no one can book now. 
I also see in at least a couple hotels I looked at that it seems day 5 test is always done at the hotel.  Does anyone know if this is true? For example A loft Sukhumvit  makes it sound like hospital staff is there to test you. But how do these smaller hotels even know what time you may arrive? It talks about PCR results and about how long the results take if you arrive before or after 6:30pm. I don't see how 443 SHA hotels in BKK would all have hospital staff for testing available all the time on day five. I just don't get how day five works for the hotel and the customer. Does anyone know this?   

I don't think the unelected PM and his soldiers know this either.

[morrobay]

8 minutes ago, JustAnotherHun said:

Must be a different Pattaya then. Where I am, the restaurants are well visited by expats and tourists. Last week I even had to wait a moment to get a free table.

This observation was from multiple round trips all along beach and second Rd during daytime

[Blumpie]

Seriously, I never thought that I"d do it but I"m going to Mexico.  I'm not interested in the consistent evolving goal posts being moved, hidden, removed, re-appearing.  

 

[starky]

5 hours ago, clivebaxter said:

Well if you think 2 nights at a minimum cost of 8k on top of the pcr test before leaving, with the risk of quarantine if anything like a positive result or having been near a positive traveler is a doddle up to you. As the Thailand pass site still does not have any mention of day five quarantine or 2nd test and few Hotels are even giving prices for a 5th day it may go back to the 'doddle' you were so lucky to have experienced.

Again I don't know where you get 2 nights from. It's when you get your test result back. There is no requirement to stay after that. 

  No need to get snarly but my experience was I didn't have an issue I thought the idea of a 5th day test is ridiculous but if I was a person who really wanted to come here 2, 2 thousand baht pcr tests wouldn't be a hurdle for me. Also I'm not a holiday maker I live here so my interpretation is based on that for when i leave again and have to get back. Results may very. Love how argumentative people get over other people's opinions. Lol. 

  My advice would be to people who actually want to come here and my experience with test and  go. Others opinions may vary and I wish them luck. Hopefully it does only go back to the day one test as the current idea makes no sense at all which I already stated. Cheers.

Edited February 1, 2022 by starky

[Harveyboy]

On 1/31/2022 at 11:56 AM, Kenchamp said:

They need to at least cut out the fifth day test. The first one i can sort of understand but even with that you would be open to dodgy testing and or a scam

Scams ...how dare you this is Thailand..

[thaiman]

4 hours ago, Oracle2022 said:

ITS NOT QUARANTINE FREE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Absolutely correct!  They shouldn't be allowed to use this phrase.  It's like calling a Katoey a woman!

[thisisrascal]

12 hours ago, thisisrascal said:

If I wasn't meeting up with a friend then I absolutely would not be visiting Thailand because of the stupid sandbox and test and go and test again regulations. I would instead be going to Cambodia for my two week holiday. 

 

 

 

As an aside, I’m still waiting on the decision on my application for the Thailand Pass (Sandbox) despite having applied on 23/01. Nothing from them. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the fact that I’ve already committed the best part of a £1,000 I’d be f—king this off and asking my friend to meet me somewhere else E.g. The Philippines or Cambodia. 

Edited February 1, 2022 by thisisrascal

[JackSinclair]

Once again the website formally known as ThaiVisa  continues to be complicit in reporting 'false news'

Why no integrity? 

Are clicks more important?

Lucky the website is free.

[GrandPapillon]

12 hours ago, NanaSomchai said:

What else do you people need to take those rose tinted glasses off and realise that the Thailand of 1990-2000's is gone for good,

indeed, and it has been steeply downhill since 2011

[SmartyMarty]

On 1/31/2022 at 10:48 AM, TooMuchTime said:

You need to trust The Science more.  Stop spreading misinformation.  You can still get covid and pass it to granny within the few days you arrive in Thailand.

 

2nd test is absolute necessary.  You would know this if you trusted The Science.

Ok boomer.

[kimamey]

10 hours ago, jacko45k said:

They could have tried to be cautious in those intervening 5 days.... but it is doubtful, these tourists have not got the mask regime mentality figured out yet. I also don't know the timeline from infection to being infectious. Your other comment is just being obtuse....people in the country already are not having a test as an arrival requirement, so I suspect they are either symptomatic, or have known contact with a positive... a very different scenario. Or their employment requires it. 

 

 

You're right they are very different.

 

If people already in the country take a test and are negative then at that point they are exactly the same as someone who enters the country and takes a test and is negative. After that they are both moving around in the same environment and have the same opportunity to be cautious if they wish. The only difference I can see is that a passenger arriving in the country will have been vaccinated if they are using Test & Go, will have had 2 recent tests and will have travelled with people who will also have been tested and almost certainly been vaccinated. Someone already in the country will, in your first two scenarios have symptoms or been exposed to the virus and won't necessarily have been require to be vaccinated. They then don't need to stay in a hotel whilst having a 2nd test whilst the new arrival has to have a 3rd.

 

Maybe I'm missing something but to me it looks as if it's the existing residents that need extra testing rather than wanting 3 tests from arrivals to the country.

[kimamey]

4 hours ago, starky said:

Again I don't know where you get 2 nights from. It's when you get your test result back. There is no requirement to stay after that. 

  No need to get snarly but my experience was I didn't have an issue I thought the idea of a 5th day test is ridiculous but if I was a person who really wanted to come here 2, 2 thousand baht pcr tests wouldn't be a hurdle for me. Also I'm not a holiday maker I live here so my interpretation is based on that for when i leave again and have to get back. Results may very. Love how argumentative people get over other people's opinions. Lol. 

  My advice would be to people who actually want to come here and my experience with test and  go. Others opinions may vary and I wish them luck. Hopefully it does only go back to the day one test as the current idea makes no sense at all which I already stated. Cheers.

Aren't the 2 nights in a hotel for the tests on day 1 and day 5?

[CG1 Blue]

11 hours ago, jacko45k said:

They could have tried to be cautious in those intervening 5 days.... but it is doubtful, these tourists have not got the mask regime mentality figured out yet.

But masks don't stop you from catching Covid, they (allegedly) reduce transmission. So the 5 day wait is not to catch out the unmasked. 

[starky]

1 hour ago, kimamey said:

Aren't the 2 nights in a hotel for the tests on day 1 and day 5?

Again it's not 2 nights it's basically confined to quarters until you results come back and yeah the day 5 thing is new and something that makes no sense but if I was looking to get back for example I would do the few hours at the novotel like I did before and then have to do it again up home on day 5. Its not ideal and sure it's a bit of a money grab bit most of the people commenting have zero experience with any quarantine at all and just love a whinge. I've done the full 2 weeks multiple times in multiple countries so if it is what it is personally I can cop a few hours in a hotel on non consecutive days if required. Calling it no quarantine is of course ridiculous but your hardly sloughed up either so you will or you won't I guess.

Edited February 1, 2022 by starky

[starky]

7 hours ago, Blumpie said:

Seriously, I never thought that I"d do it but I"m going to Mexico.  I'm not interested in the consistent evolving goal posts being moved, hidden, removed, re-appearing.  

 

Have fun. And once you get there enjoy your time don't be like others who have left and waste your precious days whingeing on a forum where you no longer stay or visit. Seems like a massive waste of time. Hope Mexico is everything Thailand is not for you.

[starky]

10 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Wow. Let's call this the tirade of the month. Quite an impressive list. I do agree Thailand is moving backwards. It is definitely NOT becoming an improved version of itself. Little is improving other than a wee bit of infrastructure, and that is going at a snails pace. 

 

However, the near total destruction of the tourism industry is good for many expats. Been staying at amazing four hotels in Bangkok for 1500 a nite. Many things here are quite reasonable compared to exploding prices and hyper inflation in the US and Europe. Not to mention the perpetual joylessness, anxiety and stress. That is depressing. Most people here have better attitudes and are infinitely more pleasant. I walk into a 7/11 here and joke and flirt with a super cute young gal who is working the register and she is smiling or laughing the whole time. Same with alot of cute, young waitresses. You can't put a price on that. In the US, beyond 50, we are ghosts. No thanks. 

Agree 100% not sure how you or the 7/11 girl are smiling at each other though because we are all masked up atm, right? ????

[CG1 Blue]

13 minutes ago, starky said:

Again it's not 2 nights it's basically confined to quarters until you results come back and yeah the day 5 thing is new and something that makes no sense but if I was looking to get back for example I would do the few hours at the novotel like I did before and then have to do it again up home on day 5. Its not ideal and sure it's a bit of a money grab bit most of the people commenting have zero experience with any quarantine at all and just love a whinge. I've done the full 2 weeks multiple times in multiple countries so if it is what it is personally I can cop a few hours in a hotel on non consecutive days if required. Calling it no quarantine is of course ridiculous but your hardly sloughed up either so you will or you won't I guess.

What you're saying makes sense for those returning to Thailand / long stayers. But these headlines appear to be aimed at getting tourists back to Thailand. 

No tourist is going to jump through all these hoops, and face the risk of testing positive (twice) then being quarantined for 10 days or whatever it is. Especially if they only have a 2/3 week holiday. 

 

The headline is totally misleading. Quarantine free means arriving at at the airport, going through security, getting your luggage and starting your holiday. 

 

[Sheryl]

On 1/31/2022 at 12:41 PM, jonclark said:

 This surely cannot apply to residents? 

 

So if i choose to leave Thailand, then the renetry process is;

 

1) Spend 1 night at a hotel (Day 1)

2) Go home and then go to work ...say I am a school teacher for arguments sake. (Days 2, 3, and 4)

3) Take a day off work and spend it in a hotel (Day 5)

 

I'm thinking there is a slight hole in this plan sherlock? 

 

This cannot be for foreign residents here surely? 

Unfortunately it is. And also for returning Thais.

 

[starky]

28 minutes ago, CG1 Blue said:

What you're saying makes sense for those returning to Thailand / long stayers. But these headlines appear to be aimed at getting tourists back to Thailand. 

No tourist is going to jump through all these hoops, and face the risk of testing positive (twice) then being quarantined for 10 days or whatever it is. Especially if they only have a 2/3 week holiday. 

 

The headline is totally misleading. Quarantine free means arriving at at the airport, going through security, getting your luggage and starting your holiday. 

 

Agreed. Never said otherwise. My issue is with people blowing up about something they have zero intention on doing anyway and using it as some sort of club. Test and go wasn't even "quarantine free" but for me it was bloody close. 

[DrJoy]

On 1/31/2022 at 10:32 AM, RandiRona said:

It is quarantine free but its Thai definition of quarantine, where you are subjected to 2 nights forced stay with 2 tests if you are lucky. Will be transferred to 10 days of usual Thai quarantine in Hospitel if found positive. 

Its the Ministry of Clowns, Ministry of LBs

[starky]

11 hours ago, clivebaxter said:

Well if you think 2 nights at a minimum cost of 8k on top of the pcr test before leaving, with the risk of quarantine if anything like a positive result or having been near a positive traveler is a doddle up to you. As the Thailand pass site still does not have any mention of day five quarantine or 2nd test and few Hotels are even giving prices for a 5th day it may go back to the 'doddle' you were so lucky to have experienced.

Well that wasn't the question you asked and you were wrong so just keep hating. Lol.