Thailand to relax rules for international arrivals from March 1 despite COVID surge

[BusyB]

4 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Nope sorry, you lost me there.

 

My work, my income, my life and the life of my family depends 100% on being fully vaccinated.

I think that's what he wants.

[simola]

 Not sure what difference this makes apart from maybe saving a hotel cost. You still run the same risk of a positive test on day 5. Which will be covid that you have caught in Thailand. As for reducing the amount of insurance needed. It’s all about the science though. Absolute nonsense. 

[BusyB]

7 hours ago, hotandsticky said:

 

 

Oh please!

 

You have lost all perspective... if you want to pursue a crusade start with the road deaths in Thailand and how to reduce them.

 

Few are getting sick beyond cold/flu symptoms, hosptalisation is unnecessary in most cases, the vast majority of these small number of deaths have serious underlying health conditions.

 

Get a life, and get on with life.

The Lancet has just published an NHS study showing that 86% of Covid deaths (in 2020 I believe - can't be bothered to recheck) were killed by Covid. Only 14% died as a result of co-morbidities.

This is not the Black Plague - but it is not the flu or a 'cold' either.

 

[darbyman]

Good. They're getting there. But I will wait until it gets back to pre-covid level ( I will accept requirement for full vaccination) and come in with the tide of visitors who are waiting for that day

[richard_smith237]

15 minutes ago, simola said:

 Not sure what difference this makes apart from maybe saving a hotel cost. You still run the same risk of a positive test on day 5. Which will be covid that you have caught in Thailand. As for reducing the amount of insurance needed. It’s all about the science though. Absolute nonsense. 

The information regarding the Day 5 ATK test instead of PCR is a little thin (non-existent) at the moment. 

 

That said, previously the Day 5 ATK test was self administered and the result reported to the hotel. 

 

Thus: Anyone can just report a fake result and avoid the possibility of state enforced isolation in a hospitel (hotel) or hospital. Of course anyone self testing ATK positive needs to self isolate anyway - as many are already doing.

 

Thus all the government need to be doing regarding the Day 5 ATK test is to ask people to be responsible - Self test, if they are positive to self isolate in their home or hotel room etc until testing negative (which is usually about 5-6 days - it was for my Wife, Son and Mother and Father In-law).

[candide]

43 minutes ago, simola said:

 Not sure what difference this makes apart from maybe saving a hotel cost. You still run the same risk of a positive test on day 5. Which will be covid that you have caught in Thailand. As for reducing the amount of insurance needed. It’s all about the science though. Absolute nonsense. 

On day 5, it's a self test. So one only needs to upload a photo of a test kit showing a negative result.... 

[Jonathan Swift]

23 hours ago, John Drake said:

Just put things back the way they were before the Covid restrictions.

Things will never go back to the way they were. The virus is here to stay. get used to it. 

[kimamey]

8 hours ago, vinny41 said:

Personally I would wait for details to be published in the Royal Gazette

the tatnews link is stating if you apply for Thai Pass on March 1st the new rules apply

There seems to be a question mark over in if  you apply for a Thai pass before March 1st and enter Thailand on the 7th or March onwards as to which rule set applies current one or new one

The issue is that you have to book the hotel for days 1 and 5 so unless day 5 can cancelled and many can't so you have a problem.

 

The sensible option would have been to change the rules from 1 March but allow you to apply for the Thailand Pass before that based on those rules. Unfortunately they seem to have a talent for making something positive into a mess for no obvious reason.

[Jonathan Swift]

22 hours ago, Cherrytreeview said:

The vast majority of spread is community spread within Thailand.

Foreigners arriving testing positive is an irrelevant decimal point.

Most developed countries worked that out months ago.

Why people don't understand this is beyond me.

Attempting to stop people earning a living by closing borders when they are more likely to catch it from their children, is a little illogical to me.

 

Why people don't understand is because it's easier to be stupid than to actually pay attention and educate one's self. 

[sandyf]

4 hours ago, hotchilli said:

From April everyone entering Thailand via an airport, not sure if it will apply at land borders.

So remind me,  how does your original comment relate to the changes on March 1st.

You mean they should stop the insurance and use the money they may collect in the future to pay bills that will arise beforehand.

Me thinks a bit too much chilli.

[goatfarmer]

On 2/23/2022 at 5:11 PM, bkk6060 said:

Sure yes, why not open it all up despite people are getting sick, hospitalized and still dying. 

 

Money and the economy are more important, right?

 

Let's go!

Because deaths are one tenth of the number recorded at the peak of the surge last year yet the number of recorded infections is approaching the same level.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/thailand/

Because people are always getting sick and dying from something.
Your straw man is equivalent to the straw man, "so you think the economy is unimportant?". Both are nonsense.

[RobU]

7 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

You know, people in Europe probably said the same thing about the plague. 

 

Obviously they were wrong since the plague killed 1/3 of Europe, so it didn't matter what they thought.

 

Viruses don't care about your feelings. ????

The Plague was a bacterium not a virus

[bberg]

A move in the right direction.

 

However, 

I will, regardless of COVID19, have insurance anywhere also in Thailand, I don't see much difference here.

The 5th-day test was ridiculous but made revenue - a good business model but left many unwilling to travel to Thailand.

The PCR test before traveling etc is not convenient for most travelers hence most will not bother and wait until all COVID19 related restrictions are removed.  

 

For me, I will come back to Thailand when its possible to travel without all the ridiculous rules in force to prevent a flue from doing what a flu does every year regardless, make lots of people sick and some people, around the whole world, will not survive the annual flu. 

 

Worth mentioning as a side comment to unwanted happenings - it's still 59 people every day on average, in Thailand, who pay the ultimate price in a traffic accident - not changed despite COVID19 restrictions.  

 

I say - let's start focus other issues than the flu which has a vaccine developed. 

[Jimbo53]

11 hours ago, mjakob007 said:

One step closer to common sense.

 

Lets hope CS prevails

We are talking about Thailand here,you can't include Common Sense in the same sentence ????.

[unblocktheplanet]

STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! We ain't out of the woods yet...

[DaRoadrunner]

On 2/23/2022 at 9:19 AM, freedomnow said:

One step in direction of normality again...woo hoo !

Since when was anything Thai normal?

[Geordieabroad]

On 2/23/2022 at 5:03 PM, thisisrascal said:

Does this mean any change to the sandbox? I've already paid for my second test. 

If you think that's bad, i'm returning to Thailand on 9th March and already bought the $50,000 medical insurance just before they dropped it to $20,000....<deleted>

[hotandsticky]

5 hours ago, BusyB said:

The Lancet has just published an NHS study showing that 86% of Covid deaths (in 2020 I believe - can't be bothered to recheck) were killed by Covid. Only 14% died as a result of co-morbidities.

This is not the Black Plague - but it is not the flu or a 'cold' either.

 

 

 

It is now.

 

I own a crematorium and I am fully aware of the increase in crematiins 'due to Covid'.

 

 

In 2020 they would have been greater than they are now.

 

We are talking "now".

 

 

[jonnyscot]

I wonder whether the compulsory long stay insurance which mine covers for well over the minimum amount required for covid illness will suffice for Thai pass entry requirements or will it still be the case to have separate travel insurance for expats on long stay multi reentry permits,

last year I had to get 2 insurances, the travel insurance had to provide cover for the duration of my permission to stay, even though I enter/exit every few months,, or maybe they would permit to have a minimum travel cover for 30 days then revert to my long stay cover, 

[Regyai]

13 minutes ago, jonnyscot said:

I wonder whether the compulsory long stay insurance which mine covers for well over the minimum amount required for covid illness will suffice for Thai pass entry requirements or will it still be the case to have separate travel insurance for expats on long stay multi reentry permits,

last year I had to get 2 insurances, the travel insurance had to provide cover for the duration of my permission to stay, even though I enter/exit every few months,, or maybe they would permit to have a minimum travel cover for 30 days then revert to my long stay cover, 

My (UK) year travel policy just passed...got the Thai Pass QR code 10 minutes ago (They earlier rejected the free Etihad cover that more than covered things )

Edited February 24, 2022 by Regyai

[cncltd1973]

12 hours ago, NanLaew said:

No. It doesn't say that at all.

 

But keep feeding the  Thailand bashers.

I'm asking a question to get clarity on why 300,000 baht cost for treatment is relevant in the article about testing arrivals. Your response isn't helpful at all, and 'bashes' in an entirely different direction. If you can't supply clarity to this vague paragraph at the end of the original post, please don't respond at all, as I'm not interested in arguing, just trying to get the facts

[jonnyscot]

1 hour ago, Regyai said:

My (UK) year travel policy just passed...got the Thai Pass QR code 10 minutes ago (They earlier rejected the free Etihad cover that more than covered things )

Did you also the long stay visa insurance cover providing in excess of the minimum requirement for covid treatment,, and also required travel insurance cover for the duration of your permission to stay ? 
 

also interested to know what Uk travel policy you used ?

I used staysure a couple years back which was at that time accepted

[Regyai]

32 minutes ago, jonnyscot said:

Did you also the long stay visa insurance cover providing in excess of the minimum requirement for covid treatment,, and also required travel insurance cover for the duration of your permission to stay ? 
 

also interested to know what Uk travel policy you used ?

I used staysure a couple years back which was at that time accepted

No 'long stay' for me - This is a Yearly policy with InsureandGo (max 45 days per trip)

[BusyB]

5 hours ago, hotandsticky said:

 

 

It is now.

 

I own a crematorium and I am fully aware of the increase in crematiins 'due to Covid'.

 

 

In 2020 they would have been greater than they are now.

 

We are talking "now".

 

 

Covid doesn't just kill you. It causes a lot of other pretty awful things as well which are only just becoming clear.

There's no such a thing as 'long flu' or 'long cold'.

Long Covid is exceptionally debilitating and affecting large numbers of younger people who had mild, omicron symptoms.

[kimamey]

17 hours ago, In the jungle said:

If the fifth day test is unsupervised it is pointless.

 

You could get your dog to do the test!

A bit risky.  You could end up quarantined for Parvovirus.

[Devlin]

On 2/23/2022 at 9:53 AM, internationalism said:

yes, obvious 

If it’s obvious why isn’t it specifically stated? The article says LFT test replaces PCR, it makes no reference to whether or not the 5th night hotel stay is abolished. 
Likely, logical, but not obvious is it!!! Presumptuous fools make me angry, it’s facts we need not supposition! 

[hotandsticky]

5 hours ago, BusyB said:

 

Long Covid is exceptionally debilitating and affecting large numbers of younger people who had mild, omicron symptoms.

 

 

Good to see that you are ahead of of the Harvard scientists. Award yourself a gold star!

 

"Experts say that nothing is certain regarding Omicron and long COVID, mainly because the variant roared onto the scene so suddenly in December that too little time has passed to detect a strong Omicron signal in the ongoing stream of long COVID cases. Evidence that the variant causes milder illness has prompted some to speculate that Omicron may mean fewer long COVID cases".

[newnative]

22 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

Plenty of Chinese, Arabs and Indians to replace oh so important westerners as well...

And Indonesians, Koreans, Japanese, Vietnamese, Singaporeans, Malaysians . . .

[MadMac]

Well, all hot air. No insurance pays for forced detention aka quarantine.

[lapamita]

On 2/23/2022 at 11:11 AM, bkk6060 said:

Sure yes, why not open it all up despite people are getting sick, hospitalized and still dying. 

 

Money and the economy are more important, right?

 

Let's go!

YES !!!!

 

their 10x times more people dying due to impacts of lockdown and meassures  ( worldwide) than by covid it self, partly due to the econommic impact.

and most people dying ,even not dying on covid ,