Thailand should look to impose restrictions on tourists arriving from China, demands opposition Pheu Thai

[phetphet]

With 250 million Covid infections in December alone in China according to Sky News, it might be a good idea to impose restrictions. We know from past experience that a negative Covid test isn't a great barrier to stopping  the infected coming in.

[steven100]

15 minutes ago, anrcaccount said:

Why weren't you saying the same thing forJapanese travellers last week, where 1 million cases were reported?

 

 

Japan didn't cause COVID-19 ....  China did.   imo     They deserve everything they get.

[vandeventer]

1 hour ago, Mentors65 said:

History repeat

Looks like your right, from the 8 of Jan.2023 the Chinese will be having their lunar holiday with unrestricted travel. Thailand needs to be aware of this as the covid 19 may spread to Thailand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCbHy8wxtY0

 

[Henryford]

1 hour ago, dhupverg said:

Almost half of the passengers on two flights to Milan from China tested positive for Covid, Bloomberg reported today

https://www.forbes.com/sites/russellflannery/2022/12/28/italy-orders-covid-tests-for-china-arrivals-us-weighs-rules/?sh=6cbd02b9cee8

 

Nothing to see here!

And what did Italy do? Nothing.

[lujanit]

2 hours ago, 2baht said:

........................and trust the results??? ????

Considering China just admitted that their vaccines are useless against covid I wouldn't trust anything coming out of China.  The CCP have duped governments all over the world as well as the ordinary Chinese citizen with their useless vaccines. 

 

The CCP allowed the import of Phizer's anti-covid tablet Paxlovid. When it went on sale online it was sold out within an hour.

 

Why is the reported deaths from covid so low in China?  It can only be manipulation by the CCP.

 

Also I was told that the Thais news is full of the story that when the Chinese come here they will buy any and all medications as there is a shortage of everything in China.  Thais have been told to stock up on basic things like paracetamol.

[steven100]

46 minutes ago, lujanit said:

Considering China just admitted that their vaccines are useless against covid I wouldn't trust anything coming out of China.  The CCP have duped governments all over the world as well as the ordinary Chinese citizen with their useless vaccines. 

 

The CCP allowed the import of Phizer's anti-covid tablet Paxlovid. When it went on sale online it was sold out within an hour.

 

Why is the reported deaths from covid so low in China?  It can only be manipulation by the CCP.

 

Also I was told that the Thais news is full of the story that when the Chinese come here they will buy any and all medications as there is a shortage of everything in China.  Thais have been told to stock up on basic things like paracetamol.

Thank you for a very correct and informative post.   Absolutely correct  100%

[anrcaccount]

1 hour ago, vandeventer said:

as the covid 19 may spread to Thailand.

May spread?

 

Covid has been circulating freely in Thailand for years!

[brewsterbudgen]

Here we go again!  Thailand is bound to follow the US...

[ourmanflint]

My earlier post was removed so here we go again!

 

Welcome to Thailand! We want your money so will take the risk

 

 

 

https://nypost.com/2022/12/28/half-of-the-passengers-on-2-flights-from-china-had-covid/

[brewsterbudgen]

5 minutes ago, ourmanflint said:

My earlier post was removed so here we go again!

 

Welcome to Thailand! We want your money so will take the risk

 

 

 

https://nypost.com/2022/12/28/half-of-the-passengers-on-2-flights-from-china-had-covid/

You can hardly blame the Thai tourist industry for wanting to get back on its feet again.  Chinese tourists are essential for this.  Covid will spread, and is already being spread, and will continue to spread.  "Zero Covid" has already been shown to be unworkable.  There's really no excuse for people in Thailand not to be fully vaccinated.

[phantom51red]

9 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

You can hardly blame the Thai tourist industry for wanting to get back on its feet again.  Chinese tourists are essential for this.  Covid will spread, and is already being spread, and will continue to spread.  "Zero Covid" has already been shown to be unworkable.  There's really no excuse for people in Thailand not to be fully vaccinated.

Id say the thai tourist industry at the moment is doing just fine getting back on its feet without them so they are not essential,no excuse for thais to not be fully vaccinated,unless they dont want to be,keep them out i say.

[brewsterbudgen]

9 minutes ago, phantom51red said:

Id say the thai tourist industry at the moment is doing just fine getting back on its feet without them so they are not essential,no excuse for thais to not be fully vaccinated,unless they dont want to be,keep them out i say.

For how long though?  And why just the Chinese?  Covid is rife everywhere and isn't going to disappear.

[Gknrd]

I'm out of here until China can get it under control... Not worth it.

[ourmanflint]

16 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

For how long though?  And why just the Chinese?  Covid is rife everywhere and isn't going to disappear.

Covid outside China is at a level which is manageable. Most people have been vaccinated with vaccines that work.

China on the other hand currently has covid levels beyond anything any other country has experienced, and while most variants are not the killers they were once were, that does not mean there isn't the possibility something worse could emerge in a country with almost zero effective vaccinations.

 

This surge of infections coming from China will definitely destabilise all of the current covid management policies of countries that let in without testing new Chinese arrivals.

 

Anutin has already stated Thailand will do nothing

[Walker88]

One has to wonder how much of China's recently relaxed Covid restrictions have to do with internal dissent and fears by Xi and the CP of a domestic uprising. What they have done makes zero sense relative to what they had been doing.

 

They went in a matter of days from 'Zero Covid' policy to 'go enjoy Lunar Year outside China'. Anecdotal evidence suggests the Covid situation in China is at its worst level ever. Hospital ICUs are reportedly filled. Crematoriums are working 24/7 and in Guangzhou, inter alia, families are being told to postpone funeral services until some future date. One estimate reported in many Western media claims upwards of 250 million Chinese now test positive for Covid.

 

That's a lot of chances for mutation, and mutation into a virulent form. Just because the trend has been toward variants of lesser severity does not mean the next variant will be similarly benign. Any mutation has the chance to be virulent.

 

So with Covid at its worst in China right now what are they doing about it?

 

1) Failing---again---to share timely and accurate data with the WHO and world's health authorities

2) Allowing millions of Chinese to travel during Lunar New Year, the exact action that spread the virus globally back in 2020.

 

So far the US, Italy, India, Japan, & South Korea have imposed restrictions on Chinese entering their nations. The EU is currently consulting internally as to whether to adopt a Union-wide policy regarding arrivals from China. Of course all of this will incur costs on nations around the world, as they have to prepare for testing/quarantine/treatment of Chinese visitors.

 

Thailand has yet to do anything.

 

So what might the odds be that Thailand's Covid numbers are going to soar in the next few months? I would guess 100%.

[champers]

UK holding back on stopping the Chinese from entering the country (per BBC).

The economy could do with a boost from a bit of money laundering.

[pomchop]

From CNN today

 

The tourism departments and embassies of France, Thailand, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Austria and Switzerland all posted messages on Weibo, China's version of Twitter, inviting Chinese tourists.

"Chinese friends, France welcomes you with open arms!" the French embassy wrote on Weibo. The Thai national tourism administration wrote: "Thailand has been waiting for you for three years!"

[billd766]

10 hours ago, anrcaccount said:

Huge hypocrisy for sure from China, but the USA is equally guilty here, did you see the comments in the same article from US officials around testing to "slow the spread".

 

Coming from a place with no Covid rules or restrictions at all where the virus has spread freely for a year? 

 

This is all just fear and emotion over logic. 

And your scientific qualification in virology are what exactly?

[anrcaccount]

6 hours ago, billd766 said:

And your scientific qualification in virology are what exactly?

USA decision is based on politics not science.

 

Let me give you the words of the European Centre for Disease Prevention, as a good explanation of why these measures are unjustified. 

 

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said it considered "screenings and travel measures on travelers from China unjustified."

The agency said in a statement that the BF7 omicron variant prevalent in China was already circulating in the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA), and that its threat had not significantly grown.

"Given higher population immunity in the EU/EEA, as well as the prior emergence and subsequent replacement of variants currently circulating in China by other Omicron sub-lineages in the EU/EEA, a surge in cases in China is not expected to impact the COVID-19 epidemiological situation in the EU/EEA," the ECDC the said.

[rabang]

Funny how the virus seemingly can see one's passport and decide then how lethal and contagious it should be.

[ThaiPauly]

21 hours ago, pomchop said:

no negative test...no entry

 

With recent covid cases exploding in China does thailand really want to roll the dice allowing untold numbers of chinese to show up untested just as Thailand is starting to recover from covid?  Tests are not perfect but better than nothing.  Don't wait til the horse is out of the barn to close the door.

It would appear that do!!

 

I really hope they change thier minds

But decisions are now being made by a man who has had 6 vaccine shots and as deputy prime Minister has aspirations for the top job if he can keep the economy moving forward

[billd766]

10 hours ago, anrcaccount said:

USA decision is based on politics not science.

 

Let me give you the words of the European Centre for Disease Prevention, as a good explanation of why these measures are unjustified. 

 

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said it considered "screenings and travel measures on travelers from China unjustified."

The agency said in a statement that the BF7 omicron variant prevalent in China was already circulating in the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA), and that its threat had not significantly grown.

"Given higher population immunity in the EU/EEA, as well as the prior emergence and subsequent replacement of variants currently circulating in China by other Omicron sub-lineages in the EU/EEA, a surge in cases in China is not expected to impact the COVID-19 epidemiological situation in the EU/EEA," the ECDC the said.

Nice parroting, but you didn't answer my question.

 

I have no doubt that if I did a search I would be able to come up with a completely differebt answer

[Captain Monday]

Even with a "new variant of concern" these tests will at best put off the inevitable by a short period as has been proven around the world even countries that mounted the strictest quarantines throughout the pandemic. Already announced air crew are exempt from testing requirements to enter the USA from China. The virus is forever. Everybody will be exposed to it, get it with symptoms, be asymptomatic, survive, or die.

 

Border restrictions do not work. 

[worldexpress]

At this rate, I can see a new decree coming down soon, per request from an unmaned country: No country can be named in the media or social media in Thailand.

[jacko45k]

4 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

Border restrictions do not work. 

I thought New Zealand and perhaps Australia proved they did?

[Captain Monday]

4 hours ago, jacko45k said:

I thought New Zealand and perhaps Australia proved they did?

Did you forget what happened after the restrictions were relaxed?

Other than closing forever, it wont work. Just delay the eventual.

[tomazbodner]

Many on this forum dismissed COVID as a mild cold and non-event and posted "enough already" type messages about COVID, vaccines, masks, restrictions, etc. So what's the big deal? This is an easy way to infect much of Thai population with some unseen strain of COVID from China.

 

As for not putting restrictions up... well, every thing has consequences. Anyone coming in from Thailand now is required to do RT-PCR 72 hours before departure and upload it to government website or get rejected entrance to India. It's just a matter of time before other countries do similar.

 

So either you restrict entrance to Chinese and have access to the rest of the World, or you let Chinese in unchecked and the rest of the World shuts you out. It's really up to Thai government which way it wants to go. My bet is on the latter option, though.

[Lorry]

On 12/29/2022 at 8:47 AM, anrcaccount said:

Why weren't you saying the same thing forJapanese travellers last week, where 1 million cases were reported?

 

 

Because in China 250 million cases were reported. 

250 million is more than 1 million. 

[Lorry]

On 12/29/2022 at 9:29 AM, lujanit said:

when the Chinese come here they will buy any and all medications as there is a shortage of everything in China.  Thais have been told to stock up on basic things like paracetamol.

Happened in Taiwan already. All kinds of fever medication is sold out, i.e. sold to the Chinese. 

[tomster]

But if you are vaccinated and still alive - why would you worry about Chinese bringing covid into the country?

 

There have been no new variants that have been more deadly that the covid variant they mutated from, covid is getting weaker all the time.

 

Surely the vaccines and surgical masks will protect you - therefore is nothing to worry about?