Face masks still mandatory on public transport, cinemas in Thailand

[Lucky Bones]

On 10/3/2022 at 4:53 AM, clarky cat said:

What about 7/11?

 

Its the only place I go to outside the house 

7/11 is good.

Can sit with air-conditioned doors and the soi dog.

[Lucky Bones]

On 10/3/2022 at 5:51 AM, wombat said:

If you haven't been yelled at by 7 staff for not wearing one you haven't lived

Really?

[CharlieH]

Troll and flame comments removed.

[Knocker33]

I was refused entry to my bank yesterday to deposit a large amount of cash. It's really getting on my tits now all this B$ . If it was not such a hassle I would close my account there 

[Gweiloman]

1 hour ago, Knocker33 said:

I was refused entry to my bank yesterday to deposit a large amount of cash. It's really getting on my tits now all this B$ . If it was not such a hassle I would close my account there 

Is it really so difficult to put on a mask?

 

And who deposits large sums of cash nowadays? Even roadside vendors accept electronic payments.

[British Canadian]

My wife just arrived at Swampy and sent me pictures. Everyone was wearing a mask. Are they mandatory at AIRPORTS? thanks

[Bernietravelling]

Good to learn that even a short string of RNA 

can develop some intelligence! ????

 

So - the virus is capable to differentiate, 

if it is in a cinema or public transport 

and decides, to only infect in these places? ????

[anrcaccount]

48 minutes ago, British Canadian said:

My wife just arrived at Swampy and sent me pictures. Everyone was wearing a mask. Are they mandatory at AIRPORTS? thanks

No, they are not mandatory in airports or on airlines.

 

 

[redwood1]

2 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

Is it really so difficult to put on a mask?

 

And who deposits large sums of cash nowadays? Even roadside vendors accept electronic payments.

So you support masks and electronic payments.....

[Gweiloman]

1 hour ago, redwood1 said:

So you support masks and electronic payments.....

Yes, I support masks. Better safe than sorry. I don’t subscribe to all that freedom and liberty nonsense.

 

Electronic payments are the best thing since sliced bread, especially in the markets. No fumbling in handbags, no stained cash changing hands and useless coins. We are after all living in the 21st century. Some of us I mean.

[Guffman]

On Tuesday I went to immigration, the post office and Makro. I didn't wear a mask and nobody said anything. Those in charge are forcing the employees to mask up, but not members of the public. Doesn't make sense at all.

[AddyA]

Well, the mask discussions have overtaken the COVID vaccination debates, which sometimes got quite nasty. Some of the responses to masks are pretty cutting, though. Still, they're nothing compared to those earlier vaccination threads. So that's one down, one to go, then the virus will become a non-news event... at least for those who let it go.

[transam]

30 minutes ago, Guffman said:

On Tuesday I went to immigration, the post office and Makro. I didn't wear a mask and nobody said anything. Those in charge are forcing the employees to mask up, but not members of the public. Doesn't make sense at all.

Perhaps businesses are protecting their employees from the constant flow of people in and out of their venues.

 

Very sensible, in my opinion.... 

[onthedarkside]

A trolling post has been removed.

 

[simon43]

I've been in Bangkok for the past couple of days, staying on Silom Road.  I can tell you that perhaps 99% of people walking in the street are wearing masks - those not wearing masks (including myself) are western foreigners. But I saw only 1 Thai person not wearing a mask.

[transam]

2 minutes ago, simon43 said:

I've been in Bangkok for the past couple of days, staying on Silom Road.  I can tell you that perhaps 99% of people walking in the street are wearing masks - those not wearing masks (including myself) are western foreigners. But I saw only 1 Thai person not wearing a mask.

If I were in BKK, this farangy would be wearing a mask....

Not had C19 yet, probably from my precautions....I don't care what daft folk do or think.....????

[Spilornis]

Nothing against mask wearing (personal choice) but I find the level of mask wearing by locals in South East Asia bewilderingly high.

I would think between 25 and 50% high in a non mandated setting but here we are months after mandates are lifted and it's more like 90%.

Sure one can point to culture, history etc but the adherence levels are still difficult to explain.

I no longer wear one except for the occasional trip by Grab and I've not had any issues or looks that I've noticed

[overherebc]

On 10/3/2022 at 7:42 AM, tandor said:

..I'm more concerned with survival of the species frankly!

Way too late to worry about that now.

[Knocker33]

5 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

Is it really so difficult to put on a mask?

 

And who deposits large sums of cash nowadays? Even roadside vendors accept electronic payments.

Yes it is hard to put one on when you don't have one as all restrictions were supposed to have  been lifted last week. And people who have businesses like me deposit cash .

[Sunderland]

4 hours ago, simon43 said:

I've been in Bangkok for the past couple of days, staying on Silom Road.  I can tell you that perhaps 99% of people walking in the street are wearing masks - those not wearing masks (including myself) are western foreigners. But I saw only 1 Thai person not wearing a mask.

Yes, it's the same all over Bangkok. But why?

I was quite literally among the first people taking Covid seriously here in January 2019 when the first 100 or so cases were found in China. I even wore a mask back then when most people didn't. I was genuinely concerned at how quickly the virus was spreading and worried about inadvertently passing it on to my kids. I'm sure some people thought I was mad.

I don't mind other people wearing masks, but for well over 90% to be wearing them now when a much smaller amount were in February 2020 and at some points in late 2020 doesn't make sense. We now have vaccines to reduce the illness caused by a much less lethal virus.

Do those people still wearing masks (Thais or foreigners) plan to wear masks forever? Covid-19 is here to stay along with RSV, rhinovirus, enterovirus, adenoviruses, parainfluenza and various other coronaviruses. 

What are people so scared of or concerned about? I do not believe they are all showing concern for their elderly relatives. That is simply an exaggeration of the real situation. Were that habitually true, then nobody would go anywhere. People flock and unmask to eat in restaurants. Young people wear masks outside and then sit unmasked in crowded pubs. School kids wear masks, then unmask, eat, chat, laugh, scream and share snacks. Not forgetting the return to old habits where a huge percentage of people don't wash their hands after visiting toilets/restrooms. 

 

I'm not Thai bashing. The people are great and they can do whatever they want. For me, maybe not you, it just appears odd to keep wearing a mask all the time whilst simultaneously choosing to ignore, or not even think about, so many other points about hygiene, health and safety.

 

[anrcaccount]

1 hour ago, Sunderland said:

Yes, it's the same all over Bangkok. But why?

I was quite literally among the first people taking Covid seriously here in January 2019 when the first 100 or so cases were found in China. I even wore a mask back then when most people didn't. I was genuinely concerned at how quickly the virus was spreading and worried about inadvertently passing it on to my kids. I'm sure some people thought I was mad.

I don't mind other people wearing masks, but for well over 90% to be wearing them now when a much smaller amount were in February 2020 and at some points in late 2020 doesn't make sense. We now have vaccines to reduce the illness caused by a much less lethal virus.

Do those people still wearing masks (Thais or foreigners) plan to wear masks forever? Covid-19 is here to stay along with RSV, rhinovirus, enterovirus, adenoviruses, parainfluenza and various other coronaviruses. 

What are people so scared of or concerned about? I do not believe they are all showing concern for their elderly relatives. That is simply an exaggeration of the real situation. Were that habitually true, then nobody would go anywhere. People flock and unmask to eat in restaurants. Young people wear masks outside and then sit unmasked in crowded pubs. School kids wear masks, then unmask, eat, chat, laugh, scream and share snacks. Not forgetting the return to old habits where a huge percentage of people don't wash their hands after visiting toilets/restrooms. 

 

I'm not Thai bashing. The people are great and they can do whatever they want. For me, maybe not you, it just appears odd to keep wearing a mask all the time whilst simultaneously choosing to ignore, or not even think about, so many other points about hygiene, health and safety.

 

Great post.

 

The fact, is the major reason is some unusual kind of social conformance, which is absurd now. Health is not the reason.

 

It needs to stop, or at the least reduce to certain settings then stop. 

 

It's really damaging a country that was literally known as the land of smiles. 

 

 

 

[ThailandRyan]

11 minutes ago, anrcaccount said:

Great post.

 

The fact, is the major reason is some unusual kind of social conformance, which is absurd now. Health is not the reason.

 

It needs to stop, or at the least reduce to certain settings then stop. 

 

It's really damaging a country that was literally known as the land of smiles. 

 

 

 

The Land of Smiles you refer to died a death many years ago when it became known as the Land of Scams, the Land of Shame, the Land of ....well you get my drift.  How pray tell is it damaging the country?  How is it an unusual kind of social conformance? You really believe wearing masks now is not for health, you are a little off of the mark on that one.

[anrcaccount]

7 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

The Land of Smiles you refer to died a death many years ago when it became known as the Land of Scams, the Land of Shame, the Land of ....well you get my drift.  How pray tell is it damaging the country?  How is it an unusual kind of social conformance? You really believe wearing masks now is not for health, you are a little off of the mark on that one.

For you it might be health, for the vast majority of Thais it's not, it's just conformance. It’s "not wanting to face the stares of other Thais."

 

In areas with tourists this conformity rapidly falls away. 

 

Another poster summarise this well- 

 

"If people genuinely believe they help and are free to choose then go for it. But the absurdity is real when you see people masked up outdoors and then quickly removing them to go into a crowded indoor cafe/restaurant and leave them off for hours only to put them back on to go outdoors. 

 

It’s absurd. But sure if people want to do it that’s fine. It’s unwelcoming and it deprives the place of much basic human connection"

 

It's damaging communication, social interaction. It's unusual because (with a rapidly diminishing number of exceptions) it's not happening anywhere else in the world.  

 

Thais travelling and living overseas don't mask up, but when back in Thailand do.

 

It's absurd , and for the vast majority, not being done for health reasons. 

[jacko45k]

13 hours ago, Knocker33 said:

Yes it is hard to put one on when you don't have one as all restrictions were supposed to have  been lifted last week. And people who have businesses like me deposit cash .

With all your business acumen and available cash, you find it too complicated to pop into Watson's and buy a mask? Nor capable of knowing where one is required?

[MyFriend You]

On 10/5/2022 at 7:09 PM, Guffman said:

On Tuesday I went to immigration, the post office and Makro. I didn't wear a mask and nobody said anything. Those in charge are forcing the employees to mask up, but not members of the public. Doesn't make sense at all.

????????????????     Peace

[MyFriend You]

On 10/6/2022 at 12:09 PM, Guffman said:

On Tuesday I went to immigration, the post office and Makro. I didn't wear a mask and nobody said anything. Those in charge are forcing the employees to mask up, but not members of the public. Doesn't make sense at all.

Hawaii was the last State in US to drop the mandatory mask,  Tourists don't wear them, but most locals wear them in crowds, on buses, even in movies - almost all vendors, resturant workers, cashiers, etc etc etc still wear masks.  Now this is just my observation, all the Mask...Defenders in Thailand ansd rest of the world, drop the rhetoric, its a personal choice............I have learned to smile with my eyes while masked.   Carry one everywhere, and if the situation insists, I'll put it on.      My Lady remembers SAR's all too well, lost a few friends to it, she wore masks on all public transportation for hyears after SAR's was over, she may had been the only one walking thru an airport masked up for years..............then came Covid.  She didn't catch SAR's in Singapore, Ebola in Africa, and won't catch Covid in Asia.  Try to convince her that masks don't work, I dare you.   ????????????????   Peace

[cheapcanuck]

Can get confusing if out and about. Will have to carry a mask with me for the "just in case" situations.

[rabang]

On 10/6/2022 at 12:59 PM, Sunderland said:

Yes, it's the same all over Bangkok. But why?

I was quite literally among the first people taking Covid seriously here in January 2019 when the first 100 or so cases were found in China.

 

You must be a fortuneteller.

[rabang]

On 10/6/2022 at 10:35 PM, anrcaccount said:

For you it might be health, for the vast majority of Thais it's not, it's just conformance. It’s "not wanting to face the stares of other Thais."

 

In areas with tourists this conformity rapidly falls away. 

 

Another poster summarise this well- 

 

"If people genuinely believe they help and are free to choose then go for it. But the absurdity is real when you see people masked up outdoors and then quickly removing them to go into a crowded indoor cafe/restaurant and leave them off for hours only to put them back on to go outdoors. 

 

It’s absurd. But sure if people want to do it that’s fine. It’s unwelcoming and it deprives the place of much basic human connection"

 

It's damaging communication, social interaction. It's unusual because (with a rapidly diminishing number of exceptions) it's not happening anywhere else in the world.  

 

Thais travelling and living overseas don't mask up, but when back in Thailand do.

 

It's absurd , and for the vast majority, not being done for health reasons. 

Well said. I think I will travel to Thailand this winter for the first time since early 2020 but I have to take this into consideration and probably make my stay shorter than otherwise. I just feel the masks give a very unpleasant vibe to a place, at least that was my impression in March 2020 in TH and then later in my country when masks became common from around mid-2020 until the beginning of this year. Now it is six months since they disappeared and life has felt normal. Even Asian people don't seem to wear them anymore, except for an odd tourist. Even if I don't have to wear a mask myself, and I won't, masses of faceless people will IMO reduce the quality of life considerably. Just my feeling, no need to argue about it.

 

What about other countries in the region, are they still equally mask obsessed? Outside of Asia the use of masks has nearly vanished for the most part I guess. Unless they are mandatory masks tend to disappear elsewhere, so there is something culturally particular about them for Asian people in general.

[chalawaan]

With all the fanatical rules around cinema going here, I wonder why foriegners even bother?

I've only been three times in my entire long visit. 

 

The last time was to see Fury about ten years ago. 

 

I skipped the obligatory nationalism, and waited in the foyer with a beer hidden in a soda cup, until the charade was over and the main feature began.