Thai public health minister CANCELS Covid vaccine rules

[mrfill]

..... and then you do the hokey-cokey and you turn around, that's what its all about....  hey!

[klauskunkel]

Advice to Anutin and Co:

Don't wipe the egg off your face just yet...

Edited January 10, 2023 by klauskunkel

[ourmanflint]

BBC this morning, Chinese official states 90% of residents of Henan province have or has had Covid.
 

90%! !

 

That’s how effective Chinese vaccines are

 

Thailand will be inundated and there’s just one guy to blame
 

[huangnon]

3 minutes ago, ourmanflint said:

BBC this morning, Chinese official states 90% of residents of Henan province have or has had Covid.
 

90%! !

 

That’s how effective Chinese vaccines are

 

Thailand will be inundated and there’s just one guy to blame
 

Henan hopefully gaining natural immunity then.

 

None of the vaccines prevented transmission anyway.

 

 

[Gknrd]

20 minutes ago, ourmanflint said:

BBC this morning, Chinese official states 90% of residents of Henan province have or has had Covid.
 

90%! !

 

That’s how effective Chinese vaccines are

 

Thailand will be inundated and there’s just one guy to blame
 

What's not being said is the crematories are weeks behind and growing.  I have seen estimates of millions dying in the next few months. Such a sad thing. Horrible.

Edited January 10, 2023 by Gknrd

[Puccini]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

...The announcement is made as confusion persists at airports around the world with passengers and check-in staff still believing that Covid vaccination certificates are still required. It may take a few days for today’s news to filter through to Embassy websites, airlines and check in staff...

Good Gracious Lord! Does the Thai Public Health minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, honestly believe that the "airlines and check in staff" take their instruction about the check-in requirements for flights to Thailand from the news media?

 

There has been no "confusion...at airports around the world". Thailand used standard operating procedure (SOP) to get the vaccination requirement included in the database that check-in staff worldwide consult with a few keyboard taps for each passenger and until the same SOP was used to remove this requirement, it was there for check-in staff to see.

 

I do not know what the aforementioned SOP exactly is but I have a feeling that it is a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued  the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), judging from the following excerpt from this news article: 

Quote

 

Thailand’s Civil Aviation Authority or CAAT sent an urgent notice tonight, January 8th, 2023, to airlines just hours before major changes to vaccine requirements to Thailand, clarifying that unvaccinated travelers or those without their documentation can fly but must take a test on arrival.

This followed this major change in regulations earlier this weekend that blindsided many travelers and has caused widespread confusion and anger online.

The notice was a NoTAM (Notice to Airmen) sent via CAAT to all airlines. As the notice was sent last minute, however, many details and questions remain. There is also the chance that those flying immediately may have issues and would need to address them with their airline.

 

 

[Blumpie]

Thailand is easily the worst run country on the planet.  

 

[webfact]

The Big Tourism Vaccination Backflip – Covid Shots No Longer Required For Entry To Thailand
By Editor

 

Thailand has made a classic backflip late Monday that reverses Covid-19 entry rules introduced just a day earlier.  Covid shots are now no longer required for entry to Thailand

 

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand had introduced new rules for airline travellers entering the country effective 9 January.

 

Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health, Anutin Charnvirakul then ditched the rule change on Monday, noting, “International travellers arriving in Thailand are not required to show proof of vaccination.”  Anutin said most foreigners have been vaccinated and the requirement will cause inconvenience to foreign tourists without mentioning why that was not the case previously.  He said a panel of health experts had agreed to withdraw the new rule.  

 

The bizarre backflip began when the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand issued a notice at the weekend that identified new entry requirements.  That news was first reported on 8 January, with reports that the new rules would come into play on the following day (9 January) and remain until at least 31 January.

 

According to the CAAT rule changes, airline travellers arriving in Thailand had to show certification for at least two vaccinations or a recent Covid-19 recovery note from a doctor.

 

Consumers and travel industry associations spent Monday pushing back against the changes logging complaints on Facebook pages.

 

The PR Thai Government Facebook post was packed with objections from tourists planning to visit Thailand who said they had cancelled their trips. In addition, travel industry leaders said the change would be very damaging for inbound tourism to Thailand from around the world and “may have been based on a misunderstanding of some sort.”

 

The main travel trade associations in Thailand that lobbied for the return to the fully open policy welcoming all tourists included the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), the Thai Hotels Association (THA) and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).

 

Forecasts of 300,000 Chinese arrivals in the first quarter of 2023 alone, have been tempered by some industry analysts who suggest that this resurgence may not occur until after the Chinese New Year when a semblance of stability returns and Chinese Airlines regroup to enable more flights after a prolonged shutdown.

 

A group of 269 tourists arrived at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport on Monday from Xiamen, the first direct flight to Thailand after China reopened its borders. 

 

Full story: https://royalcoastreview.com/2023/01/the-big-tourism-vaccination-backflip-covid-shots-no-longer-required-for-entry-to-thailand/

 

-- © Copyright Royal Coast Review 2023-01-10

 

- Cigna 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.

 

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[BarraMarra]

I read in the bkk post yesterday morning that Senior hotel presidents and mgrs in Patong Phuket demanded all restrictions be dropped immediately as already thousands had already canceled and hotels were empty because of this clown the damage the TAT will do will send us back into 2020 with staff lay offs and empty hotels. Anutin has already lost millions in 1 day due to his stupid ruling he must be replaced immediately before furher damage to the tourism sector.

[Joseph98765]

I'm from Spain (one of those countries that require a PCR test to Chinese travelers), but not to Thai travelers... only Chinese.

So why they have to require us an insurance if Thailand is not affected from our Policy to Chinese ONLY??

So if I'm working here with S. Security I'm exempt?? Showing my Social Security card or work Permit at the Airport would be fine?

[BarraMarra]

We saw all the TV and Camera Crews welcoming the first flight from China what they wont report is the Covid surge thanks to all these bringing it into the LOS.  We all know who will be blamed.

[Mickboy]

In out in out shake it all about.......thank you Mr Anutin Charnvirakul

[Xonax]

Many have already cancelled their bookings! How many of them will book again, maybe at a higher price?

[LikeItHot]

4 hours ago, VinnieK said:

I suspect cancellations must have been thru the roof.

I see no other reason for the U-turn.

 

 

It was a Monday. New week new rules. Seeya here next week.

[seajae]

its been revealed that over  88 million chinese have covid in just one province yet this idiot stops any checks to make sure they do not bring it to Thailand, this is exactly how it all started  but he does not want to upset his chinese masters, shows how pathetic these people are, they are ready to destroy Thailand to make china happy and to make money

[PCUSHING]

1 hour ago, Tubulat said:

A Thai and thinking, what do you mean?

Their imbeciles.

I have been on the ground here since June and I am still amazed at their stupidity.

The country supplies me with what i need at a very affordable price compared to the West.

Even the board's usual Thai huggers are stumped to excuse this.

[ourmanflint]

1 hour ago, huangnon said:

Henan hopefully gaining natural immunity then.

 

None of the vaccines prevented transmission anyway.

 

 

Vaccines prevent transmission by about 80%.

[Renec]

How can Thai people be excempted for any proof?

Are Thai people something special (super people) which will never get Corona and never importing Corona into the country. 
The biggest nonsense ever

[Confuscious]

Is anyone really astonished by this news from the puppet master?
Typical behavior of a clueless person.
Reminds me of our secretary who pushed the "Send" button accidently while writing an email and was doing everything possible and impossible to stop the email, not realizing that at that time it was not possible to stop an email once you pressed the "Send" button.
To be fair, there soo much headless monkeys in the Government that they make the Muppet show ridiculous.

[Harveyboy]

5 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

Hope no one got whiplash from that speedy 180!

yep thousands of bookings cancelled.. companies keeping away ..what the Farce did he expect dingbat 

[Harveyboy]

1 hour ago, smedly said:

agree 100% and been saying it for years - one of my first observations here many years ago, it's like they stop mentally maturing at 10 years old, they can steal and nick things but it stops there, I put it down to lack of education and the general maturing of the country being held back by decades of political turmoil and by severe corruption, the country has been broken for a very long time with no sign of improvement or progress

more U turns than the Sukhumvit road..

[Guderian]

A very angry Chairman Xi probably got on the blower to Prayut and Anutin and told them to stop making his country lose face pronto!

[robertson468]

Order, counter order and disorder.  And this Guy hopes to become PM of Thailand - God (and Buddha) help Thailand please!

[The Alien]

This so called minister is suffering ’mood swing’ ????

[Kalasin Jo]

Flap, flip, flop.

 

Heaven forbid they offend the Chinese. So it's all or nothing. Clearly all was a massive own goal and made no sense. So has to be straight back to nothing.

 

Certainly the Chinese line is that there's no need for restrictions on their citizens or anyone else.

 

And tomorrow?. I guess we'll see in a couple of weeks. The Chinese only started arriving by the plane load yesterday.

[jaywalker]

5 hours ago, Homburg said:

Flip-flop-flip-flop-flip-flop-flip......

Don't be making fun of the "National Shoe".

 

You might be aressted for Lesse Majeste!

Edited January 10, 2023 by jaywalker

[digger70]

Thai public health minister CANCELS Covid vaccine rules 

 

5555. What a Muppit show , forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”

[joloit]

3 hours ago, smedly said:

In any developed country were proper democracy exists - a senior government head who displayed this level of incompetence would have resigned or been fired a long time ago

Surely!!

[jaywalker]

2 hours ago, Blumpie said:

Thailand is easily the worst run country on the planet.  

 

Pretty close. I'd rank Yemen at the top of "worst run" countries I've visited, followed by Bangladesh. Cambodia comes to mind, and though I've never been to sub-Saharan Africa.....well Thailand ain't so bad.

 

Probably in the top 20 worst run countries for sure though.

 

The thing is, when government gets involved, well, whatever they do, do, they do it badly.

Edited January 10, 2023 by jaywalker

[John Drake]

6 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Did they not consider the ramifications of these new rule changes, before putting them out there? Did they think, that since Thailand is the COKU (center of the known universe), the rules would simply be accepted, the tourists would not push back, no confusion would occur, and all would be grand? 

 

Or did they not think? Was this just a knee jerk reaction? One they now regret? 

 

I wonder if the Thai people are finally starting to comprehend the stupendous lack of capable leadership here? 

Indeed, some of them might be smirking and laughing behind our backs at the damage they've done, as it becomes more and more apparent that the people most damaged by these rules changes were Europeans and some Americans.