BANGKOK, May 5 (TNA) – Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he would propose the government end the Thailand Pass registration initially for Thai returnees before expanding the policy to foreign visitors.

 

He said that the fatality rate among COVID-19 cases was falling, the bed occupancy rate among them was only at about 20%, there were enough medicines to treat COVID-19 patients and the infection rate among arrivals was at 0.001%.

 

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If the COVID-19 situation remained such controllable, control measures would be relaxed towards the redefinition of COVID-19 as an endemic disease, Mr Anutin said.

 

Full Story: https://tna.mcot.net/english-news-936672

 

-- © Copyright Thai News Agency 2022-05-05

 

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30 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

he would propose the government end the Thailand Pass registration initially for Thai returnees before expanding the policy to foreign visitors.

Covid doesnt discriminates between Thai and a Falang unlike this guy. I am all for being a nationalistic but this kind of Xenophobia doesnt bode well for a country which runs on tourism.

Edited May 5, 20224 yr by RandiRona

The only thing ThailandPass does is enforce an ongoing insurance scam, and last I checked, Thais have never needed to purchase supplemental COVID insurance to enter the kingdom. 

Why do the leadership have to turn every act of good sense into a divisive travesty? 

Never forget they were all about vaccinating Thais first, until it dawned on them that a virus is even more illogical than they are! ????????‍????????????

Thai pass without a pcr test not a big deal to be fair. I’d rather see the ridiculous mask wearing outdoors be abolished first. 

The WHO gave this billionaire credit for Thailand's success. The same guy who presided over the local Astra Zeneca fiasco, and publicly wanted the real heroes, the Clinicians, whipped like Soi dogs, when he panicked like a teen-age groupie caught in the crush back in the Deltacron days. 

The WHO are a pack of self-serving political opportunists, who recognise an "old mate" when they see one!

A disgrace, all of them. 

Thai racism rears its ugly head once again. They just don't care how it looks. 

38 minutes ago, Cabradelmar said:

The only thing ThailandPass does is enforce an ongoing insurance scam, and last I checked, Thais have never needed to purchase supplemental COVID insurance to enter the kingdom. 

That's because every Thai is automatically insured against covid treatment. But let me tell you this. You really don't want to be put in a facility for poor Thai covid patients. And you need proper insurance anyway. Unless of course if you're from a country where it seems to be the norm to start a crowdfunding project in case of steep medical costs.

Who wants to bet his ex-gf left him for a farang

 

Edited May 5, 20224 yr by pentae

14 minutes ago, AgentSmith said:

That's because every Thai is automatically insured against covid treatment. But let me tell you this. You really don't want to be put in a facility for poor Thai covid patients. And you need proper insurance anyway. Unless of course if you're from a country where it seems to be the norm to start a crowdfunding project in case of steep medical costs.

Does anyone person arriving and self testing positive report themselves to the authorities ??? or do they just isolate at home? (or their hotel for 5 days)  ??

 

Additionally, those testing positive are no longer sent anywhere, they are advised to isolate at home. 

 

So... the insurance part is utterly moot as far as Covid is concerned. 

 

That said, as with the Schengen Visa, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to ensure visitors have insurance. 

Of course, those living here, if they can show residency should receive local health care alongside the Thai’s. 

 

This man repeatedly puts both feet in his mouth...

 

It's difficult not to see his comments as being racist and xenophobic.... I don’t believe he is of course, I just think he’s rather stupid and doesn’t actually think about what he says. 

 

 

1 hour ago, RandiRona said:

Covid doesnt discriminates between Thai and a Falang unlike this guy. I am all for being a nationalistic but this kind of Xenophobia doesnt bode well for a country which runs on tourism.

Yet, these disguised [in a manner] and slighted policies have been the order - long before COVID. 

This Cooties Era just allowed them an excuse to further their established and covert mindset, bringing it to the accepted surface. 

Thainess

 

 

56 minutes ago, chalawaan said:

Why do the leadership have to turn every act of good sense into a divisive travesty? 

Never forget they were all about vaccinating Thais first, until it dawned on them that a virus is even more illogical than they are! ????????‍????????????

condition for donation of 2.5mln pfizer from the USA, that some of them will be allocated to foreigners.

First some 20% was proposed, but at the end only 10% from the first batch of 1.5mln (so 150k doses) went to foreigners. That was not enough for all and only a very few hospitals administered it. I had to travel twice x300km round way to pattaya

1 hour ago, RandiRona said:

Covid doesnt discriminates between Thai and a Falang unlike this guy. I am all for being a nationalistic but this kind of Xenophobia doesnt bode well for a country which runs on tourism.

Exactly Jean-Michel...  

 

Well... 20% of the country runs on Tourism (or used to).... the remaining 80% was initially protected, perhaps rightly slow, but these baby-steps back to normalcy are utterly juvenile. 

Currently Malaysia has removed testing both side of travel, insurance now removed and masking outdoors..they went from total closure almost to this state of play in under a month or so.

 

Malaysia pass still in effect but it is free and easy.

 

Have this lot still doing the flip-flop in October..the multi-headed jabbering out-of-sync hydra.

 

 

42 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Exactly Jean-Michel...  

 

Well... 20% of the country runs on Tourism (or used to).... the remaining 80% was initially protected, perhaps rightly slow, but these baby-steps back to normalcy are utterly juvenile. 

Look at what contributes to GDP.

• Agriculture: 8.4%
• Industry: 39.2%
• Services: 52.4%

Services which is mostly and mainly hospitality with hotels, restaurants, golf clubs, entertainment all runs on tourism so tourism facilitates other part of economy. They can make it China or India who arent dependent on tourism but rather on manufacturing and IT and knowledge industry. That means investment in Education/skilling but that doesnt get them easy dough which Tourism facilitate. So in order for you to be nationalistic and build the nation, you need sacrifices but deep weeded corruption isnt going to help.

Edited May 5, 20224 yr by RandiRona

1 hour ago, AgentSmith said:

That's because every Thai is automatically insured against covid treatment. But let me tell you this. You really don't want to be put in a facility for poor Thai covid patients. And you need proper insurance anyway. Unless of course if you're from a country where it seems to be the norm to start a crowdfunding project in case of steep medical costs.

Supplemental COVID insurance forced on you by government mandate is for saps and suckers. Regardless, I can pay my own health care on a cash basis.

2 hours ago, RandiRona said:

Covid doesnt discriminates between Thai and a Falang unlike this guy. I am all for being a nationalistic but this kind of Xenophobia doesnt bode well for a country which runs on tourism.

Not really xenophobia...the Aussie government did the same thing, even worse. Just incompetence.

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

Does anyone person arriving and self testing positive report themselves to the authorities ???

No

19 minutes ago, Cabradelmar said:

Supplemental COVID insurance forced on you by government mandate is for saps and suckers. Regardless, I can pay my own health care on a cash basis.

Hopefully you can...the repatriation costs for serious cases can be hundreds of thousands of dollars. On top of that the hospital costs.

Edited May 5, 20224 yr by gearbox

1 hour ago, daveAustin said:

Thai pass without a pcr test not a big deal to be fair. I’d rather see the ridiculous mask wearing outdoors be abolished first. 

Thais don't complain about this. Pretty much nobody in Samui wears a mask outside, but I was in Songkhla a few days ago and pretty much everyone was wearing a mask outside and everyone was looking strangely at me and my mate the only two without masks. Had a feeling they were enjoying wearing masks.

15 minutes ago, gearbox said:

Not really xenophobia...the Aussie government did the same thing, even worse. Just incompetence.

I would have given him benefit of doubt but his past comments about foreigners make him culprit.

26 minutes ago, RandiRona said:

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

Exactly Jean-Michel...  

 

Well... 20% of the country runs on Tourism (or used to).... the remaining 80% was initially protected, perhaps rightly slow, but these baby-steps back to normalcy are utterly juvenile. 

Look at what contributes to GDP.

• Agriculture: 8.4%
• Industry: 39.2%
• Services: 52.4%

Services which is mostly and mainly hospitality with hotels, restaurants, golf clubs, entertainment all runs on tourism so tourism facilitates other part of economy. They can make it China or India who arent dependent on tourism but rather on manufacturing and IT and knowledge industry. That means investment in Education/skilling but that doesnt get them easy dough which Tourism facilitate. So in order for you to be nationalistic and build the nation, you need sacrifices but deep weeded corruption isnt going to help.

Tourism’s is a part of the ’service’ sector, not ALL of it as you seem to have assumed. 

 

In 2019, contribution of travel and tourism to GDP (% of GDP) for Thailand was 21.9 %

 

https://knoema.com/atlas/Thailand/topics/Tourism/Travel-and-Tourism-Total-Contribution-to-GDP/Contribution-of-travel-and-tourism-to-GDP-percent-of-GDP

 

 

With regards to evaluating GDP Thailand defines the service sector as all economic activities except for those in the agriculture, manufacturing, and mining and quarrying sectors.

 

Thailand's service sector comprises of no fewer than a dozen economic activities:

- Wholesale and retail trade

- Repair of motor, vehicles, motorcycles and personal and household goods

- Hotels and restaurants

- Transport, storage and communications

- Financial intermediation

- Real estate, renting and business activities

- Public administration and defense

- social security

- Education

- Health and social work

- Other community, social and personal service activities

- Private households with employed persons

 

 

https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/30300/ewp-353.pdf

Edited May 5, 20224 yr by richard_smith237

2 hours ago, Cabradelmar said:

The only thing ThailandPass does is enforce an ongoing insurance scam, and last I checked, Thais have never needed to purchase supplemental COVID insurance to enter the kingdom. 

The key to that is they are returning to their own country.

 

British travelers returning to the UK were also afforded an easier passage to their homelands compared to foreigners seeking UK entry.

7 minutes ago, RandiRona said:

I would have given him benefit of doubt but his past comments about foreigners make him culprit.

Still not over it eh?

1 hour ago, freedomnow said:

Currently Malaysia has removed testing both side of travel, insurance now removed and masking outdoors.

I think Malaysia still requires insurance ($20K USD). Did they removed it recently. Please post the link. Planning my first visit to Penang after three years. 

Alas poor falang, I knew him well.......but not well enough to exempt a 20 year permanent resident who traveled abroad with his Thai family, only to return with that same Thai family who were exempted but not him........sarcasm my friends sarcasm.

1 minute ago, ThailandRyan said:

Alas poor falang, I knew him well.......but not well enough to exempt a 20 year permanent resident who traveled abroad with his Thai family, only to return with that same Thai family who were exempted but not him........sarcasm my friends sarcasm.

Life was better here, all around, some 30 years + ago as such applied to true long-term residents.

4 hours ago, RandiRona said:

Covid doesnt discriminates between Thai and a Falang unlike this guy. I am all for being a nationalistic but this kind of Xenophobia doesnt bode well for a country which runs on tourism.

When you see a headline like this you know it is to get the TVF populace in a froth and it never fails.

I don't like Anutin at all, let's get that out of the way.  But consider Thais are covered under the 30 baht health scheme and/or social security, tourists are not.  They are obviously going to do this in steps, next step (within a month is my bet) is that this requirement is done away with entirely for everyone.  Step by step. 

But really, think about it and don't just react to the headline, and explain to me......how is this xenophobic or racist?  It is the first step in withdrawing these requirements and Thais are covered for medical by their government already.  If you are a foreigner employed by a Thai (or foreign) company you are also covered under social security and don't need this insurance either.  Where is the racism there?  If, in a month or so, numbers still drop they will remove this for the rest I am sure.

If a Thai wants to travel to the Schengen zone as part of their visa application they need to prove they have €30k medical insurance cover, EU citizens do not.  Is this racist?  Please answer me that.  And is this an "insurance scam" as everyone on here likes to bleat that the Thai insurance requirement is? (even though you can buy from foreign insurance companies).

Edited May 5, 20224 yr by josephbloggs