Thailand to consider cutting second COVID-19 tests on international arrivals

[jimn]

16 hours ago, racyrick said:

What a joke. A CEO with a vested interest in trying to improve his business at the expense of the people's health.

 

Most infections are caught on the second test!!!!

A bit too quick with your comment there @racyrick. Absolute joke of a response from you. If you had taken the time to engage your brain, you would have realise how nonsensical your response was.

[sqwakvfr]

Just landed back in BKK yesterday.  Already had a Thailand Pass approved with the 7 Day ASQ  package and this time I used the KISS(Keep It simple Stupid) principle was best and decided not to switch to Test and Go.  Main reason was this:  Did not want to be out and about and then go to another hotel for the 2nd PCR test.  The arrival process at BKK was extremely fast.  Landed at 0830 from Singapore and was in the hotel van by 0930.  By 0945 I was driven to a hospital parking lot.  I never left the van and the hospital worker swabbed me there.  Got the "not detected" test result last night.  

 

I think the best course of action to move forward is to have a 1 night ASQ with a PCR test for those who are fully vaccinated. If the PCR test is "not detected" then "free at last, free at last". A positive result on the 2nd PCR test on the Test and Go could really mean one was infected while roaming inside of the country? 

[Calvin1976]

Departing to Singapore next Saturday and return about 10 days.

Should I prepare all requirements for applying Thailand Pass now? ????

 

Yesterday received email about my paid arrival PCR test at Singapore will be cancelled due to new requirements starting from 21/Feb.

Things changing fast everywhere...

[NanaSomchai]

16 hours ago, racyrick said:

What a joke. A CEO with a vested interest in trying to improve his business at the expense of the people's health.

Thailand money number 1.

[superal]

10 hours ago, PJ71 said:

Pre flight PCR achieves nothing, even with a negative test you could become positive between time of test and time of flight.

 

PCR tests on omicron can sometimes fail to detect the virus in the early stages . A pre flight and on arrival pcr test could be possibly be carried out within a 48 hour period and both tests miss the virus detection . I am not going to be popular either that when I say that the safest bet would be a pre flight and on arrival PCR test followed by a 5 day quarantine and an end of quarantine test .  Either that or open up world travel to fully vaccinated tourists with proof of booster certs . Herein lies the problem on believing that all certs are genuine. Finally there have been some major steps with the use of anti viral oral medicines that are proving a success in hospitals and thus mitigate the use of ventilators , keeping patients out of I C U and freeing up the high level of intensive nursing . However omicron is not to be underestimated as it can be fatal or render life changing illnesses , especially to the non- vaccinated . Food for thought , some countries are charging non jabbed patients for treatment in their I C U wards

[NanLaew]

16 hours ago, racyrick said:

Most infections are caught on the second test!!!!

And are a result of roaming the country freely for five days and NOT imported.

 

They should expand and encourage free walk-in testing for everyone nationwide and drop this 'controlled' day-5 test for arriving travelers nonsense.

[goldenbrwn1]

16 hours ago, thaiman said:

Indeed.  Maybe 100k/daily new local infections and they're overly concerned with a few travelers coming into the country.  If they really were concerned, why not rapid test everyone who rides the BTS/MRT before everyday.  Then throw those infected in isolation?  It's all a joke at this point!

The government need to keep the farrang spreading Covid storyline alive. If they start mass testing their own people on every trip , the cat will be out the bag.

[Jingthing]

1 hour ago, thisisrascal said:

 

Indeed. My elderly mother (66 YO) and longtime sufferer of MS caught omicron and easily survived, saying it just felt like a severe cold. 

Proving what?

[Jingthing]

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

With the current arrivals likely down to 900 a day, we knew this was inevitable. So, why didn't they? Are they truly that clueless? 

 

Has tourism here been permanently sabotaged? I certainly think so. 

Hard to know.

Maybe they wanted to give suffering tourism businesses the impression they were opening rather than the reality.

[Jingthing]

 

3 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

Your source?

I don't know his source but mine is Captain Obvious.

[Cake Monster]

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul met with AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes, who suggested measures to improve the “Test & Go” scheme, specifically the removal of the second test requirement.

Whilst I respect Mr. Fernandes, what say should he have in the running of any Country.

The Thai Government should - repeat should, be able to make there own decisions regarding any policy that was put in place for the protection of the population by the Authorities, and not be " persuaded " by an Airline Exec. 

[charmonman]

18 hours ago, racyrick said:

What a joke. A CEO with a vested interest in trying to improve his business at the expense of the people's health.

 

Most infections are caught on the second test!!!!

Most infections are caught on the second test - so what? How many infections are we talking about compared to the number of cases every day transmitted locally? It is a drop in the bucket. Even if every single arrival was infected it is still far less than daily reported cases.

 

Even the day 1 test makes little sense but the day 5 is virtually pointless. 

[yogi yogi]

mr fernandez owes me money for a cancelled ticket and they wont answer the phone. i will fly nok instead now 

[yogi yogi]

14 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Infections caught on the second test are, pretty much by definition, not infections brought in from abroad but rather acquired after arrival in Thailand. Omicron incubation is only about 3 days.

 

There is no public health rationale for testing people on day 5.

 

 

 

 

im hearing stories of people skipping the second test with zero repercussions

[Lipboy]

I live in the UK and just now considering visiting Thailand arriving towards the end of March (with my Thai wife and her 22 year old daughter) to visit family members, etc. About 3 months ago I thought Covid vaccinations rate of the Thai population were then about to be rapidly increased but either that :- 

 

1. did not occur, or

 

2. the residents refused to get vaccinated, or

 

3. the Vaccines used were <deleted>. 

 

which of 1. , 2. , or 3. of the above is the TRUE fact? 
 

Also, I intend taking internal flights from Hua Hin to Chiang Mai and Chiang Mai to Ubon Ratchanthani so what pre check-in checks (with Covid being so rampant just now it seems within Thailand) do the airlines require for passengers using their Domestic routes? Are these checks different depending on who is the Airline operator? I intend flying to Thailand with Emirates who insist on a negative Covid PCR test within 48 hours of departure and this gives me greater confidence taking a 13 hour flight with them than if no testing is required for a 75 minute flight within Thailand. I suppose I could hire a car instead? I am classified by my Doctor to be “at high risk from Covid infections” but am now TRIPLE vaccinated with 2x AZ and 1x Pfizer. Are these (and others) “relatively good” vaccines FREELY available to ALL Thai residents, or not? 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lipboy]

3. or useless?

[rosetintedspecs]

Europe is dropping most restrictions for entry. Given that the tourist business has been hurt hardest and they affect the poorest members of society, surely just show a vaccination certificate on entry and a test within 72 hours of entry, and scrap the insurance requirement. Job done! Omicron is a peanut. 

[vinci]

to be honest let it be done with all these covid restriction and open up fully back to normal and yes we have to learn to live with covid cause it's not going away any time soon, vaccine are available either you get it or you don't, mask or not it's all up to you, we have to stop caring too much, choice are giving take it or not it's up to individual, the world need to move on people need to make a living, country need to survive.  

[StayinThailand2much]

Just talking about my own circumstances; this is not enough... As long as they request a useless insurance, I will think twice before travelling to Thailand.

[Litlos]

Having just caught and got over covid in Singapore here are a few facts. I can pretty well pinpoint who and when I got the bug, 44 hours later tested positive on an ATK self test. Go to report to government, not interested unless sick and needing medical attention, just isolate at accommodation. Wait three days and do another daily ATK test until clear. If not clear on day seven then leave quarantine anyway. Experience wise I have had worse head colds, a runny nose and a bit of a headache. Clear after five days so back to work. So yes the day 5 test in Thailand is only going to find people who have caught it locally and it appears to be negatively impacting arrivals of tourists for virtually zero benefit to the community. So yes please dump this and lots of other stupid restrictions and let people go back to living their lives.

 

Cheers

[EricTh]

It's a shame that there are no experts in Thailand and they must take advice from a foreigner (ceo of Airasia) who is a Malaysian.

 

Yes, get rid of that second test and make the first test at the airport without any hotel quarantine not even for 1 day.

 

 

Edited February 19, 2022 by EricTh

[EricTh]

23 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Just talking about my own circumstances; this is not enough... As long as they request a useless insurance, I will think twice before travelling to Thailand.

Insurance is not useless if you are tested positive with Covid and have no money to pay for the bills.

 

In the past, many tourists to Thailand were jobless backpackers with hardly any money on them.

 

Govt should instead give another option of not having to buying insurance if we can show enough funds in Thailand banks (eg. min 30,000 baht).

 

Edited February 19, 2022 by EricTh

[EricTh]

2 hours ago, NanaSomchai said:

Thailand money number 1.

The ceo of Airasia is not a Thai citizen but a Malaysian citizen.

[mikey88]

Restrictions are coming off everywhere in the world.

If it’s Omicron in Thailand then it’s everywhere already.

Thai minuscule testing rate would reveal only the tip of the iceberg.

Airlines need to abandon the pre flight testing requirement for fully vaccinated people as well. From now on we just have to assume it’s everywhere.

 

Edited February 19, 2022 by mikey88

[NanaSomchai]

6 minutes ago, EricTh said:

The ceo of Airasia is not a Thai citizen but a Malaysian citizen.

Don't imagine for a single second that a company as large as AirAsia is allowed to operate in Thailand without any forms of kickbacks, tea money, brown envelopes, however you want to call it...

[WanderingWhere]

34 minutes ago, vinci said:

to be honest let it be done with all these covid restriction and open up fully back to normal and yes we have to learn to live with covid cause it's not going away any time soon, vaccine are available either you get it or you don't, mask or not it's all up to you, we have to stop caring too much, choice are giving take it or not it's up to individual, the world need to move on people need to make a living, country need to survive.  

I agree, I'd probably be annoyed with a pre-flight PCR or whatever but that's about it on what I would put up with at this point. It's just so tiresome keeping up with it all.

[Durian ong]

Any idea the cost if tested positive ? 7-10days QT. Boomtown charlie for the participating hotels/hospital

[sapson]

18 hours ago, thaiman said:

If they really were concerned, why not rapid test everyone who rides the BTS/MRT before everyday

Exactly but the positives from such tests wouldnt result in ten day private hospital stays and 100k into the coffers of the select few........ so its never going to happen, unless they only tested the westerners riding the Bts.

[Durian ong]

Any idea the cost if tested positive ? 7-10days QT. Boomtown charlie for the participating hotels/hospital

[Spock]

19 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

Unfortunately the damage has already been done with the double tap Test and Go. Its going to take a lot more than doing away with the second test now to get any good numbers of real tourists to come. What a complete mess they've made of this entry system.

 

Tourists Returning to Thailand Find Closed Bars, Empty Streets

The country’s attempt to jump-start tourism may be hurt by the absence of the very businesses foreign visitors come for.

 

Thailand’s strict travel regulations, such as requirements to take multiple Covid tests and provide proof of medical insurance with at least $50,000 coverage, will also limit the type of people who come.

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-16/pandemic-has-thailand-s-tourists-returning-to-closed-bars-and-empty-streets

And after the positive test begins the private hospital scam which is certainly keeping many people, including me, from returning to Thailand.