Why isn’t Thailand being more consistent with its social distancing rules?

[webfact]

File photo for reference only

 

by Michael Bridge

This week I went to Siam Country Club’s Waterside in my capacity as a golf journalist, only to find no spectators watching this US$750 Asian Tour event.

The organisers explained that they had been told by the local authorities that it would not be safe to allow spectators onto the course.

Yet down the road at the Nong Prue Stadium, the Pattaya Dolphins United on the same weekend attracted over 1,000 football fans to their final match of the season. 

OK, the authorities are concerned about the continuing pandemic, but are they not being a bit too overprotective in some cases.

Similar figures

According to online figures last Friday the number of new cases reported in Thailand was 25,140. On the same day, 36,379 new cases were reported in the States and 25,305 across the UK.

 

File photo for reference only

Other events with spectators

Being able to watch the famous Grand National from Aintree was back for 2022 after coronavirus restricted fans from attending last year. 

And on Saturday while 10 million racing betting fans watched the Grand National at home, while around 70,000 lucky punters manage to buy Grand National tickets and attend the race live. 

 

Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe

Also, on Saturday over in the states, The Masters, perhaps the greatest golf tournament in the world, welcomed over 40,000 patrons to the course every day.

Yet here in Thailand not one member of the public was allowed to attend the Honda LPGA Thailand last month or this week’s Asian Tours tournament in Pattaya.

As the Thai government stated way back when Covid started, that exercise was good, and playing golf was an accepted socially distancing sport.

In May Pattaya is hosting a mega music festival for thousands who will all be up close dancing to the World’s top DJs.

Do authorities really think it is not acceptable for even a couple of thousand golf fans to walk around the massive 18-hole course? 

Sometimes the powers to be, need to be realistic and let us carry on with an almost normal life!

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2022-04-12

 

- Aetna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

- Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

 

Get your business in front of millions of caustomers who read ASEAN NOW with an interest in Thailand every month - email [email protected] for more information

[Mac Mickmanus]

Covid has finished in the UK , everything is back to normal . 

[thaibeachlovers]

You'd have to ask the Thai government for an answer on that, but where I live  ( not in LOS ) people have always pretty much ignored the social distancing when it was inconvenient, as in supermarkets.

[Captain Monday]

Certain countries just cant get over it. All appear to be in Asia.

They have no intention of stopping the nonsense anytime soon.

Japan just canceled a Tokyo firework show,  for July 30.

 

In the US if you so much as wear a mask, sometimes people are bothered.

 

[ezzra]

Maybe that there's no one in the Thai government who's got the guts to stand up and be the first to say that Covid isn't that bad and it's here to stay for the foreseeable future and to get on with life as usual...

[flyingtlger]

Why isn’t Thailand being more consistent with its social distancing rules?......LOL, Thailand is ONLY consistent with Thai rules. 

Anything else, the rules don't apply. 

[SAFETY FIRST]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Why isn’t Thailand being more consistent with its social distancing rules

 

Michael, stupid question. 

 

Are you living under a rock or are you new to Thailand?

 

Thailand, the land of inconsistancies. 

 

[Jingthing]

What's the current vaccination rate in Thailand including among elderly?

I think it's still not great and also so many started with a "not so good" brand.

Personally I think that may be the main reason Thailand is on a different schedule.

Sure there are inconsistencies and mistakes. That has happened everywhere. 

[Boomer6969]

Local authorities must base their decisions regarding Covid on the availability of hospital beds and ICU beds. If only 1500 ICU beds are needed for Omicron infections, when the number of daily infections is around 500000 then European countries have no problems while the Thai hospital system will be on its knees. Also, put the road accidents burden into picture...

 

Now, in Thailand telling the truth bluntly is always seen as a sin...

[Ralf001]

47 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

What's the current vaccination rate in Thailand including among elderly?

I think it's still not great and also so many started with a "not so good" brand.

Personally I think that may be the main reason Thailand is on a different schedule.

Sure there are inconsistencies and mistakes. That has happened everywhere. 

1 dose - 80.2%

2 dose - 72.5%

3 dose - 35.1%

[bkk6060]

The golf tournament reasoning is ridiculous.  I wanted to go to that tournament it was free before for seniors and fun to watch the ladies.

1000's of people packed in airports and on planes now much greater risk.

[Skeptic7]

Nobody cares. Nobody does it. Nobody has ever done it unless forced to do so. Time to move past all this nonsense. Wish I could "social distance" myself from the incessant bombardment of COVIDIOCY. ????

[mtls2005]

The national government has yielded a great deal of authority to the provincial level, re: COVID. Essentially all of the dirty work, while the regime sits back in Bangkok, holds meetings and issues vague and contradictory decrees.

 

 

But as both of the venues mentioned in the Op-Ed are in Chonburi, one has to assume provincial officials are exercising some degree of selective relaxing of social distancing in return for additional fees.

 

Pattaya Dolphins United, that's a mouthful, ponied up the fee. The golf tournament organizers did not.

 

 

[mvdf]

3 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

In the US if you so much as wear a mask, sometimes people are bothered.

 

I know, i know. A veritable truth there. A country of meddlers. A unique and ubiquitous trait of people who simply can't mind their own business. Or genetically predisposed to Karenitis.   

[KannikaP]

4 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Covid has finished in the UK , everything is back to normal . 

My brother & family caught it over the weekend in Berkshire!

[tonysilly]

What a Stupid Question lol 

Because they are Thai! 

[Damrongsak]

3 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

... In the US if you so much as wear a mask, sometimes people are bothered.

Not my experience lately.

 

[Mac Mickmanus]

5 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

My brother & family caught it over the weekend in Berkshire!

Yes, it hasn't gone away, its just that the Country is back to normal with no more restrictions 

[Damrongsak]

16 minutes ago, mvdf said:

I know, i know. A veritable truth there. A country of meddlers. A unique and ubiquitous trait of people who simply can't mind their own business. Or genetically predisposed to Karenitis.   

Where in the heck were you in the U.S. ?  Get down south below the Mason-Dixon line.  They'll mess with you, but not about Covid.

 

[DUNROAMIN]

After living here for 6 years nothing surprises me, Thai mentality and logic leaves me scatching my head every day.

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Covid has finished in the UK , everything is back to normal . 

With respect:

Everything is back to normal in UK

Covid however is most definitely NOT finished.

[sead]

As long as there's covid rules there won't be demonstrations

[thailand49]

No spectators is pretty consistent with their inconsistent nature here in Thailand.????

[Mac Mickmanus]

6 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

With respect:

Everything is back to normal in UK

Covid however is most definitely NOT finished.

Yes, I did mean that the Covid restrictions have finished and everything's back to normal 

[Bad boy 561]

51 minutes ago, mvdf said:

I know, i know. A veritable truth there. A country of meddlers. A unique and ubiquitous trait of people who simply can't mind their own business. Or genetically predisposed to Karenitis.   

Someone’s always gotta bash america, guess it’s your turn today

[herfiehandbag]

1 hour ago, mtls2005 said:

The national government has yielded a great deal of authority to the provincial level, re: COVID. Essentially all of the dirty work, while the regime sits back in Bangkok, holds meetings and issues vague and contradictory decrees.

 

 

But as both of the venues mentioned in the Op-Ed are in Chonburi, one has to assume provincial officials are exercising some degree of selective relaxing of social distancing in return for additional fees.

 

Pattaya Dolphins United, that's a mouthful, ponied up the fee. The golf tournament organizers did not.

 

 

Shame on you to even let the suggestion that the ceaseless guardians of our well-being and happiness are even slightly susceptible to fiscal inducements hover on your lips.

 

You deserve to be investigated by the constabulary for such thoughts, and you would be for sure, were they not preoccupied with counting and divvying up the proceeds from last night's tours of licenced premises...

Edited April 12, 2022 by herfiehandbag

[Caldera]

Thailand cannot even get motorcyclists to wear helmets, which seems to be a no-brainer in most countries.

 

For that reason alone, I have no confidence of ANY law being enforced consistently here.

[jacko45k]

5 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Covid has finished in the UK , everything is back to normal . 

Why is that relevant to Thailand?

[IAMHERE]

The newer Covid versions don't seem to respect social distancing anyway.

[bstafford214]

4 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

Certain countries just cant get over it. All appear to be in Asia.

They have no intention of stopping the nonsense anytime soon.

Japan just canceled a Tokyo firework show,  for July 30.

 

In the US if you so much as wear a mask, sometimes people are bothered.

 

Thai government love to be in control of their people. If I visit the US again, I will wear a mask and if they don't like it, tough.