WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing – 5 May 2023

"This virus is here to stay. It is still killing, and it’s still changing. The risk remains of new variants emerging that cause new surges in cases and deaths.

 

The worst thing any country could do now is to use this news as a reason to let down its guard, to dismantle the systems it has built, or to send the message to its people that COVID-19 is nothing to worry about."

 

https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing---5-may-2023

 

Edited May 7, 20233 yr by TallGuyJohninBKK

On 5/6/2023 at 12:29 PM, Jumbo1968 said:

In my sons school prior to the holidays everyone wore masks, it not stop infections, my son 7 years old was still of school a couple of times with fever, not Covid.
He returns a week on Monday to school, apparently the kids are going to have to wear masks in class again. No idea why, he hasn’t worn one in months, we have had a couple vacations including flights where none of us wore masks and came back perfectly healthy.

Yes...same as at my school, ALL teachers and students need to submit an atk on Sunday, the day before shcooll starts. Apparently due to the SURGE in cases (which, in reality, is just a blip on the radar). This is a complete joke. Yet all thsee kids cram into shops and restaurants after school....wearing no masks! 

 

4 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing – 5 May 2023

"This virus is here to stay. It is still killing, and it’s still changing. The risk remains of new variants emerging that cause new surges in cases and deaths.

 

The worst thing any country could do now is to use this news as a reason to let down its guard, to dismantle the systems it has built, or to send the message to its people that COVID-19 is nothing to worry about."

 

https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing---5-may-2023

 

So, as a healthy person, must wear a mask because someone else may get sick and will verhy highly unlikely end up in hospital? Give it a break mate. 

If you are vulnerable, it is YOU who should take precautions. Why should millions be inconveniences because a few may have a bad outcome? 

23 hours ago, Greenwich Boy said:

I was in Japan last month. The vast majority of locals were wearing masks, most foreigners (including me) were not. At no point did I notice any animosity to those not masked. More an 'each to their own' attitude. Certainly different to Thailand where some locals would give me a very wide berth last year even when masked

More and more Thais are not wearing masks now. I ditched masks in October. Noone even gives me a second look now. And they don't dare say anything. 

3 minutes ago, DavisH said:

So, as a healthy person, must wear a mask because someone else may get sick and will verhy highly unlikely end up in hospital? Give it a break mate. 

If you are vulnerable, it is YOU who should take precautions. Why should millions be inconveniences because a few may have a bad outcome? 

Because wearing a good quality mask reduces the likelihood that the wearer, if infected with COVID whether they know it or not, will spread the virus to those around them.

 

And, wearing a good quality mask likewise reduces the risk that the wearer themselves will become infected with COVID.

 

It's the socially responsible and considerate thing to do.

 

Not to mention, wearing a good quality N95 mask also prevents you from breathing in the PM2.5 air pollution that these days kills more people in Thailand than COVID.

 

So it's a double benefit.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 7, 20233 yr by TallGuyJohninBKK

2 minutes ago, DavisH said:

More and more Thais are not wearing masks now. I ditched masks in October. Noone even gives me a second look now. And they don't dare say anything. 

Why don't they dare? Do you feel like some want to?

On 5/6/2023 at 7:58 AM, BangkokReady said:

I still regularly see Thais lifting their masks from under their chin and putting it over their nose and mouth when they spot me, even if we are both outside, I'm wearing a mask, and we are more than ten metres apart.

 

It seems like many Thais still have the idea that all foreigners have covid, and possibly that it is spread through eye contact,

Exactly! I think it is more a xenophobic thing... This last government really pushed the "prathet Kong Rao" agenda of we Thais against all the others and COVID was perfect for this. Now Thai officials are still pushing for mask use (see at immigration or land transport offices) just to make Thais different so they can feel even more disappointed that the bad foreigners are not using them.

20 hours ago, kaneko86 said:

Exactly! I think it is more a xenophobic thing... This last government really pushed the "prathet Kong Rao" agenda of we Thais against all the others and COVID was perfect for this. Now Thai officials are still pushing for mask use (see at immigration or land transport offices) just to make Thais different so they can feel even more disappointed that the bad foreigners are not using them.

There is definitely unique aspects of xenophobia with the covid fear in Thailand, but the land office is interesting for a different reason in my opinion it was more a hierarchy thing there, when I was there recently the main head man and most supervisors roamed unmasked, the more senior desk girls were partially masked - hanging from chin or one ear unless they had to take stuff back to the main man, but the lower staff such as assistants, visibly young staff, and payment receipt office were all faithfully masked, and anyone on in the office including agents of the banks were masked to get the job done.  For the benefit of society,  my ar$e ????

You can see the hierarchy at play too most of time with the politicians, themselves and their peer ministers are unmasked but the lower down the food chain the more consistent the masking. Same with police.  Same with actors. Same with talk shows.

 

Mask the poor it seems ????‍♀️

 

 

 

Edited May 8, 20233 yr by Snugs08