News Forum - Thailand’s Covid alert back at Level 4, CCSA says no lockdowns

[Soidog]

It’s odd, isn’t it, how some people believe “tourists” create dangerous environments. Does that include local tourism, or is it just international tourists who go to bars and restaurants? Is it only international tourists who go to water parks and rock concerts? Who ride on trains and buses? Who fly on internal flights? 
 

Im currently in Bangkok and spent last Saturday in Huai Khwang district. It was packed with locals partying in groups in bars and restaurants. It’s simply absurd to suggest that international tourism makes this problem worse. “Tourism” and local partying has a far greater impact. Close the bars, close the restaurants and stop inter-provincial travel if you want to stop the spread of Covid. International tourism is a very small contributor other than in a handful of areas such as Patong. For every Bangla road there are hundreds of such areas frequented almost entirely by Thais. If Thailands governments wants to control the virus then fine, that’s their choice. But do it consistently and target the right areas. 

[Tim_Melb]

6 hours ago, fpschubert said:

Again, unless you back your sayings with credible and verifiable data and keep spouting "fake figures" with just hearsays as evidences, then you're talking out of your ass.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1558023/metro-manilas-covid-19-positivity-rate-down-to-4-9-octa

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/02/19/2161765/palace-positivity-rate-shows-covid-19-cases-really-declining

Ahh so according to you because the official government numbers are the only numbers available, even when they have been demonstrated to be fake, they must be correct. That is the height of stupidity. 

[Saunk]

1 hour ago, Stonker said:

Well, I'm not actually saying tourists bring more Covid as I don't think they do to any degree - what I'm saying, as I have done ad nauseam before, is that they're "creating environments for the increased spread", as you put it very succinctly.

Stonker, are you Issan John?

You have a lot of time on your hands responding to every comment that doesn't agree with you.  Stonker, aka Issan John, the preeminent Thailand authority on all things Covid-19.

[Stonker]

44 minutes ago, Saunk said:

Stonker, are you Issan John?

You have a lot of time on your hands responding to every comment that doesn't agree with you.  Stonker, aka Issan John, the preeminent Thailand authority on all things Covid-19.

There's a box at the top right of the page headed 'announcements'. Worth reading.

[fpschubert]

3 hours ago, Tim_Melb said:

Ahh so according to you because the official government numbers are the only numbers available, even when they have been demonstrated to be fake, they must be correct. That is the height of stupidity. 

So, who should we believe? A random guy, probably a white ex-pat in the Internet who is not even in our country and cannot back his claims with data and facts? You make me laugh. Believing your baseless claims would be  the height of stupidity.

https://doh.gov.ph/covid19tracker

 

Edited February 22, 2022 by fpschubert

[Chaimai]

18 hours ago, Stonker said:

... and that approach has worked so well in countries that have done that, hasn't it?

 

It certainly has....although some seem to react to the increased numbers of cases that are no worse than a cold.

 

 

[Chaimai]

11 hours ago, Soidog said:

It’s odd, isn’t it, how some people believe “tourists” create dangerous environments. Does that include local tourism, or is it just international tourists who go to bars and restaurants? Is it only international tourists who go to water parks and rock concerts? Who ride on trains and buses? Who fly on internal flights? 
 

Im currently in Bangkok and spent last Saturday in Huai Khwang district. It was packed with locals partying in groups in bars and restaurants. It’s simply absurd to suggest that international tourism makes this problem worse. “Tourism” and local partying has a far greater impact. Close the bars, close the restaurants and stop inter-provincial travel if you want to stop the spread of Covid. International tourism is a very small contributor other than in a handful of areas such as Patong. For every Bangla road there are hundreds of such areas frequented almost entirely by Thais. If Thailands governments wants to control the virus then fine, that’s their choice. But do it consistently and target the right areas. 

 

 

If the current dominant strain was Delta I would no doubt need to get a pass to travel from Chonburi to Buriram. That was such a farcical, and pointless, exercise last year. Even this government has realised that few people are dying from Omicron so harsh measures are unnecessary. Buriram closing entertainment venues is over the top IMO.

[Stonker]

1 hour ago, Chaimai said:

Even this government has realised that few people are dying from Omicron ...

Umm ... so why do you think the numbers dying from Omicron are going up here, by around 20% last week, if "few people are dying from Omicron" ?

 

[Faz]

Off topic posts and replies have been removed.

This topic has nothing to do with any restrictions being or not being applied in the Philippines or any other Country other than Thailand.

Admin.

[Stonker]

13 hours ago, Soidog said:

It’s odd, isn’t it, how some people believe “tourists” create dangerous environments

Only if you think that "tourists" don't want bars open, to socialise and party with strangers, to travel, to not wear masks, etc!

13 hours ago, Soidog said:

Does that include local tourism, or is it just international tourists who go to bars and restaurants? Is it only international tourists who go to water parks and rock concerts? Who ride on trains and buses? Who fly on internal flights? 
 

Im currently in Bangkok and spent last Saturday in Huai Khwang district. It was packed with locals partying in groups in bars and restaurants. It’s simply absurd to suggest that international tourism makes this problem worse. “Tourism” and local partying has a far greater impact. Close the bars, close the restaurants and stop inter-provincial travel if you want to stop the spread of Covid. International tourism is a very small contributor other than in a handful of areas such as Patong. For every Bangla road there are hundreds of such areas frequented almost entirely by Thais. If Thailands governments wants to control the virus then fine, that’s their choice. But do it consistently and target the right areas. 

Yes, of course it includes "local tourism" (assuming you mean domestic tourism rather than 'local'), as domestic tourism requires the exact same things apart from mask wearing which the locals accept and observe far more than international tourists.

Everyone criticising 'tourism' here has always said that and always put the two together, as has the mainstream media putting the wave starting in April last year directly down to travel over Songkran which the government not only allowed but encouraged.

So have the districts and provinces that have discouraged 'tourism', as some still do, as they haven't differentiated between domestic or foreign tourism in any way.

If you're saying that resistance to tourism is only aimed at international / foreign tourists, not domestic, then you're completely misrepresenting the argument being made not just here but by many Thais, in parts of the media, and by many provinces and districts.

[dj230]

21000 cases today, I guess they locked down too late again 

deaths usually take 2 weeks to catch up to cases

Edited February 23, 2022 by dj230

[Stonker]

2 hours ago, Chaimai said:

It certainly has....although some seem to react to the increased numbers of cases that are no worse than a cold.

I'm not sure what part of Thailand you're in, but I don't think there are quite so many dying from "a cold" here as are currently dying from Covid, or as many being treated in hospital as serious cases, in ICUs, and on ventilators.

[Stonker]

6 hours ago, fpschubert said:

What a country should do, is to strengthen the healthcare capacity and vaccinate/boost the the population

Unfortunately that takes time - six months, for example, after two mRNA jabs until you can have the booster and that can't be hurried even if you reduce the gap to three months, which isn't recommended medically, as the vaccines simply aren't available.

"Restrictions", though, while they may not be as effective or as long term, can be applied or changed overnight.

Sorry, but I can't see the point in shouting about what "should" be done when it isn't an option and can't be done, however good it would be if it could, but ruling out other options that actually can be done and can have some effect.

[Tim_Melb]

10 minutes ago, Stonker said:

six months, for example, after two mRNA jabs until you can have the booster and that can't be hurried even if you reduce the gap to three months, which isn't recommended medically, as the vaccines simply aren't available.

Actually the medically recommendation is a 4 month gap for optimum effectiveness. In some countries they have reduced the minimum gap to 3 months, Australia is an example. 

[Stonker]

42 minutes ago, Tim_Melb said:

Actually the medically recommendation is a 4 month gap for optimum effectiveness. In some countries they have reduced the minimum gap to 3 months, Australia is an example. 

Agreed absolutely,@Tim_Melb, but even if they cut the gap down to three that's still a two or three month wait for some and it doesn't help the many who've only had Sinovac or Sinopharm (close to half the vaccines given here) as the vaccines just aren't available.

Hardly on topic, but just out of interest I know that in Germany they gave third and fourth booster doses together to some severely immunocompromised.

[Donald]

On 2/22/2022 at 6:45 AM, Chaimai said:

I really think that the numbers don't matter. The thought process that says "keep restrictions" is symptomatic of what I think one of the problems is......we have been sucked into a numbers game with Covid and the actions of government, and individuals, are dictated by rises/falls in reported case numbers.

Don't report the case numbers!

Live your life sensibility in accordance with prevailing conditions. Those conditions now relate to an 'endemic' that is, at best, akin to mild flu. Those conditions do not warrant  wrecking the economy for.

Do you want flu? No, not if you can sensibility avoid it - and protect against the effects of it by appropriate vaccination. If you think that you have flu would would you risk passing it on to your 95 year old Granny? No!.....well somebody in the royal household has managed to do that to Britain's queen.

Someone has managed to strike fear into the word Covid whereby many people regard it as being like the Bubonic Plague. In the early days when the virus was new and virulent it was appropriate to take strong action - but not now. We have to learn to live with this virus because it is unlikely to go away. Restrictions are not going to help - or at least they will create more damage than they save.

As with flu, let people decide how they deal with it. If you have no symptoms carry on your life normally (which means get vaccinated, be aware of the risks of COVID by taking preventative action - and being particularly careful around at risk family and friends. If you feel unwell act in accordance with the degree of unwellness; self-isolate, test and resume normal life when you feel well - and show a negative test. Seek medical attention if symptoms are more severe.

Don't bother Chaimai to make a sensible comment. To many corona witnesses here who are to brainwashed by the scaremongering politicians and MSM media who have there own agenda hidden in the corona hysteria. What all of these "defenders" of the official corona narrative have in common is that they don't have to worry where the food on the table is coming from.