Thai Public Health Minister Assures There Will be no Lockdown when China Re-opens Borders

[snoop1130]

 

The Thai Minister of Public Health announced on Tuesday, January 3rd, that Thailand will not implement lockdown or strict regulations in response to the easing of harsh travel restrictions that is soon to take effect in China next Sunday.

 

Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters that he has decided at a meeting with the Medical Affairs Committee that Thailand will not implement any specific measures against Chinese arrivals, as the country already has effective measures in place.

 

As for testing for the coronavirus, Mr. Anutin said it is “unnecessary,” adding if there is any medical issue, we leave it to the Department of Disease Control, which is responsible for disease prevention and surveillance, to determine the necessary measures without causing harm to the country’s economic system.

 

Full Story: https://thepattayanews.com/2023/01/03/thai-public-health-minister-assures-there-will-be-no-lockdown-when-china-re-opens-borders/

 

-- © Copyright The Pattaya News 2023-01-04

 

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[Eleftheros]

Thailand is demonstrating more common sense on this matter than much of the rest of  the world, which either means that Thailand has advanced rapidly, or that the rest of the world has regressed into farcical stupidity.

[vandeventer]

Time to wake up and smell the roses?

 

[ezzra]

Hang on a minute, we're assured that there will NOT be a lockdown in Thailand because of the Chinese visitors? am I missing something here? how about making sure those Chinees are at least free of Covid-19 before landing in this country? you can kissass China on many other levels but at least make sure that that much is in place...

[Denim]

32 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

as the country already has effective measures in place.

Not anymore it doesn't.

 

33 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

we leave it to the Department of Disease Control, which is responsible

Passing the buck in advance.

 

Someones knocking at the door ,

Someones ringng the bell ,

Do us a favor , don't open the door and let them in.

[Enzian]

My translation is that there will be collateral damage but the money will be worth it. Also, the problem with this recommendation of boosters is that the Thai government seems to have no plan to import the latest mRNA vaccines (they cannot be found here at this time if my info is correct), and may in fact stop imports in general and begin to rely on in-country made meds entirely. That did not go well the last time.

[mikebell]

50-60% of Chinese passengers are infected based on the Italy/India experience.  The Chinese medical papers are bogus suggesting their corruption rate is even higher than Thailand's.  They deserve each other.

[ezzra]

China is now threatening to retaliate in kind against any country that imposes strict incoming measures against it's citizens saying that this is a 'political move against China..

 

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/warnings/china-hits-back-at-international-community-over-covid-test-rule-change/news-story/ed027d19e6431e35eb42547edfaf913d

[NickyLouie]

Again it's the old, fat and unhealthy dying in China.

[Karma80]

23 minutes ago, ezzra said:

China is now threatening to retaliate in kind against any country that imposes strict incoming measures against it's citizens saying that this is a 'political move against China..

 

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/warnings/china-hits-back-at-international-community-over-covid-test-rule-change/news-story/ed027d19e6431e35eb42547edfaf913d

And the world could care less. It's about trying to provide at least some first line of defence for a country about have Chinese visitors arriving from a country opening at a time of extreme health crisis. Who is going to pick up the health tab when a visitor falls ill?

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters that he has decided at a meeting with the Medical Affairs Committee that Thailand will not implement any specific measures against Chinese arrivals, as the country already has effective measures in place.

Glad he's the one who decides on regulations, but he is not the one who decides. He just makes it known what his position is and the Cabinet decides on new measures, and if changes are made they are posted in the Gazzette not on Anutins Twitter feed..

 

37 minutes ago, NickyLouie said:

Again it's the old, fat and unhealthy dying in China.

Link and stats please to verify your post.......

[DavisH]

53 minutes ago, mikebell said:

50-60% of Chinese passengers are infected based on the Italy/India experience.  The Chinese medical papers are bogus suggesting their corruption rate is even higher than Thailand's.  They deserve each other.

I doubt those travellers were tested. Hence the high percentage. Who will foot the bill if hundeds of Chinese turn up at Thai hospitals looking for treatment? 

[gearbox]

1 hour ago, Eleftheros said:

Thailand is demonstrating more common sense on this matter than much of the rest of  the world, which either means that Thailand has advanced rapidly, or that the rest of the world has regressed into farcical stupidity.

Good move by Thailand, but the tourism competitors from SE Asia are not doing any screening as well, so it remains to be seen where the Chinese would go first. There were heaps of them in Vietnam back in 2019, probably more than 50% of the tourists in Hoi An were Chinese last time when I was there.

 

https://e.vnexpress.net/news/travel/southeast-asia-has-no-plans-to-restrict-chinese-tourists-4555675.html

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, Eleftheros said:

Thailand is demonstrating more common sense on this matter than much of the rest of  the world, which either means that Thailand has advanced rapidly, or that the rest of the world has regressed into farcical stupidity.

Let us hope so.......unusual on this forum  for anyone to accredit good decisions to Thai authorities, unless it suits their own beliefs. The rest of the world (what is that 4 or 5 countries in your estimation?).... was subject to some desperate situations due to past errors....what they try to do now is a half hearted approach, unlikely to achieve much.

[lujanit]

China are doing what China always does.  Threats based on lies.  From the article quoted by ezzra above is this gem:

 

"It is unclear what the reciprocal measure would be as China already requires a negative PCR test for anyone entering the country."

 

The CCP are a bunch of hypocrites and nothing proves it more than this statement by their Foreign Minister:

 

 

"China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters on Tuesday some of the measures taken by the international community are “disproportionate” and “simply unacceptable”.

“We do not believe the entry restriction measures some countries have taken against China are science-based,” Ms Ning said."

 

What is more science based than a PCR-RT test for covid?

 

Thailand once again exhibits the mai pen rai attitude.  All it cares about is money, to hell with Thais and other people catching covid and dying.

[rabang]

The panic and fear mongering here is, as usual, just comical. Just to remind again that the EU experts for example do not see any reason for screening Chinese passengers even though some politicians are looking to score some extra points with their demands. When did politicians become experts on public health issues?

 

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20221229-eu-says-mandatory-covid-screening-unjustified-for-travellers-from-china

 

So what if you 'test' someone? It only shows if the person is positive at that moment. Testing is not 100% reliable, the person could still be carrying the virus, or get sick a few days later. It is a huge burden on healthcare resources if done on arrival.

 

Do not lose sleep over some missing testing that YOU FEEL should be implemented.

[mikeymike100]

13 minutes ago, DavisH said:

I doubt those travellers were tested. Hence the high percentage. Who will foot the bill if hundeds of Chinese turn up at Thai hospitals looking for treatment? 

You mean the all Chinese will not have insurance, to at least cover Covid ? ????

[lujanit]

20 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Link and stats please to verify your post.......

TR, have a look on Youtube particularly a channel called China Insights.  There you will find the evidence you are looking for.

[BKKBike09]

Surely the key point is that when China opens its borders in a couple of days, there won't be millions of Chinese immediately coming to Thailand: there simply isn't the air travel capacity for that.

 

And surely policy makers worldwide can draw on previous experience since 2020 to understand that it doesn't matter what restrictions are in place, a very transmissible virus will always spread. Restrictions just slow that down. Possibly that was helpful for allowing a window to 'vaccinate' more of the vulnerable, but now? This isn't 2020.

 

As long as governments don't use an influx of Chinese to maintain / reintroduce broader restrictions, I say let them travel freely.

 

It's ironic that the Thai government is also now talking about how there's no need to be worried / frightened by covid any longer, yet still pushing the language and symbols of fear: "wear a mask, social distance where you can, have regular boosters".

[gearbox]

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

China is now threatening to retaliate in kind against any country that imposes strict incoming measures against it's citizens saying that this is a 'political move against China..

 

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/warnings/china-hits-back-at-international-community-over-covid-test-rule-change/news-story/ed027d19e6431e35eb42547edfaf913d

When you hear from a Murdoch's outlet about the "international community", it usually means the US and the 4 vassal states from the 5 eyes, and a handful of other countries which got coerced.

 

The screening in UK and EU would be pretty much symbolic anyway,  almost nobody goes there in winter.

 

 

[WorriedNoodle]

2 hours ago, vandeventer said:

Time to wake up and smell the roses?

 

WION, the "news" channel that makes Fox News or Breitbart seem fair and unbiased.

[Denim]

1 hour ago, NickyLouie said:

Again it's the old, fat and unhealthy dying in China.

Don't say that. It means that most of the expat community in Pattaya will shortly be going into Real Estate.

[JonnyF]

12 minutes ago, BKKBike09 said:

And surely policy makers worldwide can draw on previous experience since 2020 to understand that it doesn't matter what restrictions are in place, a very transmissible virus will always spread. Restrictions just slow that down. Possibly that was helpful for allowing a window to 'vaccinate' more of the vulnerable, but now? This isn't 2020.

I guess the point would be to stop the Thai health system getting overloaded with Chinese tourists with ineffective vaccines and Thais who have caught Covid from said Chinese tourists. We all know the vaccines don't stop transmission, and I'm not even sure the Chinese vaccines lessen the symptoms. Plus, who knows what strains are currently circulating in China, it's not like the CCP would tell anyone.

 

12 minutes ago, BKKBike09 said:

 

It's ironic that the Thai government is also now talking about how there's no need to be worried / frightened by covid any longer, yet still pushing the language and symbols of fear: "wear a mask, social distance where you can, have regular boosters".

It is indeed ironic. On the one hand they use it as an instrument of control, and on the other hand they play down the danger in order to bring money into the coffers (for them to pilfer).

[Celsius]

1 hour ago, NickyLouie said:

Again it's the old, fat and unhealthy dying in China.

How come Americans dodged the bullet?

[ikke1959]

And China ghas announced that countries who will take restrictions on Chinese tourist will get restrictions by China.... So why lockdown for Chinese?? Lockdown to protect the own people, but now no restrictions because Big Brother will take measures ....

But arrivals in China..... China has restrictions, but doesn't allow it for other countries to do the same for the Chinese

[Will B Good]

Like Songkran 2020 would wash away covid19 and that would be the end of it?

[Will B Good]

3 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

As for testing for the coronavirus, Mr. Anutin said it is “unnecessary,” adding if there is any medical issue, we leave it to the Department of Disease Control

Severe case of sloping shoulders by the sounds of it........

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, lujanit said:

TR, have a look on Youtube particularly a channel called China Insights.  There you will find the evidence you are looking for.

YouTube is not where I get my news from, just like i dont get it from social media....lol, many stories made to suit certain agendas.

[mikeymike100]

33 minutes ago, Celsius said:

How come Americans dodged the bullet?

The elderly, those with underlying medical conditions, even race and ethnicity are at greater risk in any country, from Covid 19!

 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/clinical-care/underlyingconditions.html

 

 

[newnative]

In a nutshell, there's no problem, there will be no problem, but if there is a problem, I'll pass the problem to another department to handle and take the blame.   While likely thinking, "Wow, this job's a breeze."