Provincial governors have been ordered by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to prepare contingency plans to cope with rising COVID-19 infections, as daily new infections are exceeding 18,000, Government Spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said this morning (Friday).

 

He said the prime minister wants all governors to intensify publicity campaigns, through their networks of village heads and community leaders, urging people to comply strictly with basic safety measures. Those in border provinces have been instructed to look out for illegal migrant workers and to report “suspicious-looking strangers” in their communities to the authorities.

 

He also said that police and labour officials have been told to check factories in their localities, to make sure that they are not hiring illegal migrants, and to crack down hard on human trafficking gangs smuggling workers from neighbouring countries to work in Thailand.

 

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Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/provincial-governors-in-thailand-told-to-prepare-plans-for-covid-19-surge/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-02-18

 

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1 minute ago, webfact said:

He also said that police and labour officials have been told to check factories in their localities, to make sure that they are not hiring illegal migrants, and to crack down hard on human trafficking gangs smuggling workers from neighbouring countries to work in Thailand.

While they are busy doing that Omicron is happily spreading throughout the Thai community and cares not what factories they check for migrants.

Our local daily market has just tested and been closed as 40 stall operators were found to be positive, 2 of whom live in our street. They don't have any real symptoms, so they don't feel the need to completely respect their self isolation requirements.

I can only imagine that this is essentially the case in most towns.

 

Oh No... All the poor guys on here praying to open up back to normal!!!!

 

Heaven to Betsy! 

 

Personally I prefer safer than sorry

Can't be true...the Great ANUTIN said it had 'Peaked' last May !

Must have started using test kits that work

30 minutes ago, trainman34014 said:

Can't be true...the Great ANUTIN said it had 'Peaked' last May !

I think even the challenged know he doesn't know his **** from his elbow.

How is this possible when just yesterday Dr Kiatiphum Wongrajit, the permanent secretary of the Public Health Ministry, stated that Covid is no longer regarded as a medical emergency?

 

 

It's almost as if the people in government don't even bother talking to each other and simply make it up as they go along...

Here is a suggestion.  Stop counting cases and stop sending people to hospital just because they have Omicron.  The death toll is tiny when compared to other forms of preventable death in Thailand (diabetes, car accidents, pollution).  Stop test and go as its insane when you already have likely around 50K cases a day.  Count deaths if you must but publish them with other forms of death and let people assess risk.  The latest research shows that recovering from Omicron protects against other forms of Covid.  

Quickly popping into a local 7-11 for some cigarettes, forgetting to put my mask over my mouth, I was met by screaming staff, arms waving the lot " oh mister no mask" sharply retreating and putting my face mask on, temperature taken and being sprayed and a sorry from me. The 7-11 delivery man came in mask but no helmet, temp 38.6...... alarm! "Get out" "baa lil"  I said loudly " it's ok he works here" said the staff. 

Amazing Thailand stunned me.

Only 6 kids in my daughters class yesterday due to others isolating and year 10 and year 11 are learning remotely.

1 hour ago, Pouatchee said:

Oh No... All the poor guys on here praying to open up back to normal!!!!

 

Heaven to Betsy! 

 

Personally I prefer safer than sorry

Then you need to understand  better what is really safer rather than the illusion of preventing something that is already here and is not particularly harmful to most. Assuming you can grasp that then perhaps to understand the damage done and economic costs associated with keeping closed vital industries- because that’s a heavy toll ,just ask tourist industry. It’s not like the no cost precaution of wearing a seat belt. 

And so we are here once again.. Fear, fear, fear and more fear.... 

20 minutes ago, Paul Kernell said:

Quickly popping into a local 7-11 for some cigarettes, forgetting to put my mask over my mouth, I was met by screaming staff, arms waving the lot " oh mister no mask" sharply retreating and putting my face mask on, temperature taken and being sprayed and a sorry from me. The 7-11 delivery man came in mask but no helmet, temp 38.6...... alarm! "Get out" "baa lil"  I said loudly " it's ok he works here" said the staff. 

Amazing Thailand stunned me.

Thai Thick Gene - it’s widespread! ???? 

1 hour ago, rtco said:

 

 

The doctors we were interviewing the other day told us that the majority of their long-Covid patients (and that is a dreadful condition which may yet affect millions, THAT count is just beginning, they have already seen thousands) are NOT vaccinated. That with a vaccination you have a 70 percent lower chance of long-Covid.

 

It don't just give a lot of people a sore throat. It is debilitating for thousands already. And also still kills more than 'the flu'.

 

And as far as your last sentence is concerned it's a delusion. The world has changed. It won't ever go back to 'the way it used to be'. That's gone for good. Learn to live with it.

 

How far it changes will depend on just how many actually get the message.

Better stop all those vaccinated PCR-tested Covid free tourists from entering.

 

Oh, no! Then how can we squeeze the costs of 'hospitel' out of them once they've become infected locally?

 

Keep 'em coming!

57 minutes ago, Guderian said:

How is this possible when just yesterday Dr Kiatiphum Wongrajit, the permanent secretary of the Public Health Ministry, stated that Covid is no longer regarded as a medical emergency?

 

 

It's almost as if the people in government don't even bother talking to each other and simply make it up as they go along...

It's a daily attempt by members of Goofy's government to out stupid each other. Goofy normally wins. 

44 minutes ago, nchuckle said:

Then you need to understand  better what is really safer rather than the illusion of preventing something that is already here and is not particularly harmful to most. Assuming you can grasp that then perhaps to understand the damage done and economic costs associated with keeping closed vital industries- because that’s a heavy toll ,just ask tourist industry. It’s not like the no cost precaution of wearing a seat belt. 

For those of us in the heavily boosted UK...

Life is back to normal here, covid is accepted, not feared and from the end of February will be treated as the flu.

No doubt readers of this forum, watched the joyful packed maskless stadiums of the six nations rugby.

Meanwhile, it's one step forward and four steps back in the land of disjointed thinking, vaccine rollout and procurement, Thailand..

Over one year since the absymal Thai vaccine campaign began, barely 25% of the population boosted and the Thai PM is still asking for jungle drums to be banged in the villages.

 

again Thailand well behind the curve - other countries with high case loads are removing restrictions as we speak - Thailand should be doing the same, what is wrong with these people, a class of 6yo's could run the country better than these plonkers

 

Time to move on - there is no "new  normal" - just "normal", people want their lives back we have had over 2 years of this ### - enough is enough

 

Find some other reason to keep your emergency powers - covid is now old news

Oh goody.  More lockdowns.  Not that I care - I don't.  We're rural and we are prepped. We'll leave the never-ending Covid drama for the big cities and tourism destinations.  Out here we'll tend to the gardens and enjoy rural life.

13 minutes ago, BusyB said:

In no way is it 'better immunity than vaccines' Utter rubbish. Stop spouting it.

actually it is and by quite a margin

Just an observation. Although the case numbers have been rising over the last week or so, the recovered numbers are increasing also. Statistically doesn’t that tell those managing the pandemic here in Thailand something ? I believe it’s in the nature of the Omicron virus…contagious, generally mild, and short lived. Like I say, just an observation. 

Clean up in Aisle 3, again.

 

Provincial governors given mops.

 

 

14 minutes ago, Kaopad999 said:

And so we are here once again.. Fear, fear, fear and more fear.... 

And Big Pharma has made billions on that one premise. 

 

Yes, people with serious medical conditions are at risk, but those vaxxed up to their gills and natural immunity people who have suffered and recovered from previous variants would be very unlucky to even need  hospital attention from Omicron.  Even non-vaxxed people, if otherwise healthy, could escape serious infection. 

 

From what I can make out some Omicron infected people suffer from bronchial attack  - which is not necessarily serious unless it extends to the lungs where it could cause damage if not medically treated. 

 

As for the Thai population, I feel sorry that the government is really not up to ever managing Covid, because they are so insular in their beliefs.  Pity the Japanese didn't colonize them when they had a chance a few centuries ago. 

1 hour ago, trainman34014 said:

Can't be true...the Great ANUTIN said it had 'Peaked' last May !

Not until they hit between 30k to 50k a day.  Like usual, they are completely inept and unable to read statistical reports out of South Africa, the US, UK and elsewhere where Omicron has raged and declined.
Omicron: Highly infectious but otherwise a virus losing it's bite.

So the brain-trusts like Anutin and Prayut are just now seeing the writing on the wall?  All they needed to do was look up "Omicron Cases" in a Google search six weeks ago.  Then they'd know where this was heading. 
Instead?
Big Surprise!  Panic!!  Close Everything!!!  <head-shake>

They'll keep the emergency measures in place to 2025 at this rate while most of the rest of the world has gotten back to living life.

3 hours ago, webfact said:

report “suspicious-looking strangers”

LOS - Land-of-Snitches! 30,000 cases here we come and Songkhran to be cancelled. A slow and consistent rise is all part of the plan. How much more of this BS can the Thai people and businesses endure?

 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

He also said that police and labour officials have been told to check factories in their localities, to make sure that they are not hiring illegal migrants, and to crack down hard on human trafficking gangs smuggling workers from neighbouring countries to work in Thailand.

Again, again and again

yet I've never ever heard of a single company owner being jailed for employing illegals or aiding & abetting in people trafficking.

No need to worry … Anutin and TAT have this covered … Go back to sleep “;0) 555555

Better extend that emergency decree by another 6 months, just to be on the safe side! ????

2 hours ago, mancub said:

Our local daily market has just tested and been closed as 40 stall operators were found to be positive, 2 of whom live in our street. They don't have any real symptoms, so they don't feel the need to completely respect their self isolation requirements.

I can only imagine that this is essentially the case in most towns.

 

My neighbours daughters school has just closed again for Omicron infections..

Her two daughters are suffering from heavy cold symptoms.