News Forum - End in sight for Thailand Pass once Covid-19 declared endemic – TAT

[Thaiger]

The governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand says tourism numbers may need to be revised down due to the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which includes surging oil prices and rising inflation. Yuthasak Supasorn adds that entry restrictions will be relaxed in stages as officials move to declaring Covid-19 endemic. Cabinet has already approved a Public Health Ministry proposal to declare the virus endemic by July 1. According to a Bangkok Post report, Yuthasak says this will mean a further relaxation of entry requirements, including the end of the much-maligned Thailand Pass by the second half of the […]

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[DoUKnowWhoIAm]

I will be traveling in early July,I hope all the hoops are gone by then, perhaps just a PCR before departure. That'll be my 4th trip to Thailand since the pandemic began.

[Soidog]

19 minutes ago, DoUKnowWhoIAm said:

I will be traveling in early July,I hope all the hoops are gone by then, perhaps just a PCR before departure. That'll be my 4th trip to Thailand since the pandemic began.

Looks so encouraging when it’s laid out like that in a chart. All over by July 1st. I do hope they have factored in Songkran travel and the wild parties everyone will engage in. Common sense says that they are risking the plan by allowing Songkran travel and parties and so should hold off for one more year. So they won’t !! 

[DoUKnowWhoIAm]

10 minutes ago, Soidog said:

Looks so encouraging when it’s laid out like that in a chart. All over by July 1st. I do hope they have factored in Songkran travel and the wild parties everyone will engage in. Common sense says that they are risking the plan by allowing Songkran travel and parties and so should hold off for one more year. So they won’t !! 

There'll be a surge after Songkran,  that's for sure. And with their history of flip flops, nothing can be trusted until it's published in the Royal Gazette, and even that could be reversed. But they did ease the rules a couple of weeks back despite increasing covid numbers, so it looks like they're desperate to open up further.

[ace035]

8 minutes ago, DoUKnowWhoIAm said:

There'll be a surge after Songkran,  that's for sure. And with their history of flip flops, nothing can be trusted until it's published in the Royal Gazette, and even that could be reversed. But they did ease the rules a couple of weeks back despite increasing covid numbers, so it looks like they're desperate to open up further.

Absolutely, Anutin and Opas will be freaking out again as hell when there's an increase of COVID-19 cases after Songkran and will change their mind about endemic phase this coming  July & lie to us again like they been doing for the last 2 years. Should cancel Songkran.

[Manu]

12 minutes ago, DoUKnowWhoIAm said:

There'll be a surge after Songkran,  that's for sure. And with their history of flip flops, nothing can be trusted until it's published in the Royal Gazette, and even that could be reversed. But they did ease the rules a couple of weeks back despite increasing covid numbers, so it looks like they're desperate to open up further.

I do not think Songkran will make any difference, according to what I can see where I am the last few weeks, basically it is easier to count the ones who have not had covid (well same that has been happening worldwide for months so nothing suprising to see it happening here too). Within the next month until Sonkran, I cannot see many who will no catch it too. And that's an island where we live mostly outdoors and where there are never really any crowded places. But then the covid hotline struggling to keep up gives another clue that is what is happening all over Thailand, not to mention that most people do not call the covid hotline but deal with it themselves as we ALL do where I am. It is over already so ending all restrictions, like that stupid mask outdoor, might as well be right now, waiting another 4 months will make no difference whatsoever...apart from damaging further people's means to make a living.

[palooka]

Cabinet has already approved a Public Health Ministry proposal to declare the virus endemic by July 1. 

Bloody geniuses they can predict the future of Covid, must know something the rest of the world doesn't know.

[Fundok]

4 hours ago, Thaiger said:

The governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand says tourism numbers may need to be revised down due to the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which includes surging oil prices and rising inflation. Yuthasak Supasorn adds that entry restrictions will be relaxed in stages as officials move to declaring Covid-19 endemic. Cabinet has already approved a Public Health Ministry proposal to declare the virus endemic by July 1. According to a Bangkok Post report, Yuthasak says this will mean a further relaxation of entry requirements, including the end of the much-maligned Thailand Pass by the second half of the […]

The story End in sight for Thailand Pass once Covid-19 declared endemic – TAT as seen on Thaiger News.

Read the full story

I still fail to understand why Thailand establishes VTL-lines for vaccinated Indians but demands the costly T&G/Sandbox nonsense from vaccinated travellers coming from elsewhere. Where is the material difference? Given that Omikron is already in Thailand, what is all that testing nonsense for? Tourists are not and have not been the key drivers for the spreading of the virus in Thailand. "Knock, knock, anyone at home in TAT with common sense?"

[BIGGLES]

1 hour ago, Fundok said:

I still fail to understand why Thailand establishes VTL-lines for vaccinated Indians but demands the costly T&G/Sandbox nonsense from vaccinated travellers coming from elsewhere. Where is the material difference? Given that Omikron is already in Thailand, what is all that testing nonsense for? Tourists are not and have not been the key drivers for the spreading of the virus in Thailand. "Knock, knock, anyone at home in TAT with common sense?"

Sadly not my friend, sadly not!

[Manu]

5 minutes ago, BIGGLES said:

Sadly not my friend, sadly not!

Unless the "common sense" there is a completely covid unrelated political motivation, then sadly I have to agree.

[Alavan]

2 hours ago, palooka said:

Cabinet has already approved a Public Health Ministry proposal to declare the virus endemic by July 1. 

Bloody geniuses they can predict the future of Covid, must know something the rest of the world doesn't know.

Thai science is far in advance on other countries worldwide.

[Soidog]

3 hours ago, palooka said:

Cabinet has already approved a Public Health Ministry proposal to declare the virus endemic by July 1. 

Bloody geniuses they can predict the future of Covid, must know something the rest of the world doesn't know.

Actually, they don’t know anything the rest of the world already knows. That’s why they can make such a stupid prediction and keep a straight face. Ignorance is indeed blind. 

[JJJ]

7 hours ago, DoUKnowWhoIAm said:

I will be traveling in early July,I hope all the hoops are gone by then, perhaps just a PCR before departure. That'll be my 4th trip to Thailand since the pandemic began.

What do you think they mean by an “0.5 ATK” in Phase 2?  I guess it follows Singapore where you’re supposed to go to a clinic to get an antigen test within 2 days of arrival. Except Singapore has an integrated and efficient tracking app and pop up testing clinics everywhere.
The positivity rate will plummet moving to ATK since it detects only active infection and errs toward false negative where pcr detects both old and new infections and errs toward false positive. 

[DoUKnowWhoIAm]

14 minutes ago, JJJ said:

What do you think they mean by an “0.5 ATK” in Phase 2?  I guess it follows Singapore where you’re supposed to go to a clinic to get an antigen test within 2 days of arrival. Except Singapore has an integrated and efficient tracking app and pop up testing clinics everywhere.
The positivity rate will plummet moving to ATK since it detects only active infection and errs toward false negative where pcr detects both old and new infections and errs toward false positive. 

It means one has to do an  antigentest on the day of arrival(= day 0) , and again 5 days after arrival. I assume those are self tests and you just upload the result in the Morchana app.  

[JJJ]

2 hours ago, DoUKnowWhoIAm said:

It means one has to do an  antigentest on the day of arrival(= day 0) , and again 5 days after arrival. I assume those are self tests and you just upload the result in the Morchana app.  

Yes I think that’s right. At first I’m like wtf is day 0.5? Well at least it’s a step in the right direction. 

[Augratin]

20 hours ago, palooka said:

Cabinet has already approved a Public Health Ministry proposal to declare the virus endemic by July 1. 

Bloody geniuses they can predict the future of Covid, must know something the rest of the world doesn't know.

It's just a contingency plan. Doesn't mean they'll implement it.  However the case fatality rate is holding more or less steady since mid-January, even while infections rise. That's an encouraging trend.

[Fundok]

21 hours ago, Alavan said:

Thai science is far in advance on other countries worldwide.

Sure. This is why Thailand it also known by the akronym 'LoS" - Land of Science (or am I getting something wrong here?)...

[Soidog]

21 hours ago, Alavan said:

Thai science is far in advance on other countries worldwide.

Interesting. What evidence do you have to support that statement? I’m sure Thai science is advanced compared to many countries such as Afghanistan, Myanmar and Cambodia. Is that what you meant? 

[fpschubert]

Luh.. Philippines now accepts 24-hr Antigen Test results in lieu of RT-PCR sans quarantine and by April, non-visa countries are now allowed to enter the country subject to visa Issuance and no more tourist caps on arrival. By April, Malaysia will now open its borders by emulating Philippines travel procedures.. Thailand really needs to emulate Philippines on their travel scheme.