News Forum - CCSA meets tomorrow to decide fate of pre-departure PCR test

[Thaiger]

The requirement for overseas arrivals to take a PCR test 72 hours prior to departure from their home country could soon be scrapped. According to a Bangkok Post report, the CCSA will discuss dropping the requirement when it meets tomorrow. Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit from the Public Health Ministry says international arrivals would still be required to take a PCR test on arrival and a self-administered antigen test on day 5. Mandatory insurance coverage could also be reduced to US$10,000. “Under the proposed entry rules, travellers under the Test & Go scheme would no longer be required to show negative RT-PCR […]

The story CCSA meets tomorrow to decide fate of pre-departure PCR test as seen on Thaiger News.

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[Cabra]

Good to hear. But tourist are not flocking to any country requiring testing on arrival. 

[DoUKnowWhoIAm]

Very hard to understand the logic here, unless it's strictly about profits.  

[Thommo]

26 minutes ago, DoUKnowWhoIAm said:

Very hard to understand the logic here, unless it's strictly about profits.  

How can it be about profits when the when the costs for the PCR test  is incurred in the departure country?

Where is the logic?

[Graham]

Well that just confirms what everyone knew already "PCR testing is purely a money maker for certain individuals", cost of test in UAE is 360 baht, cost in Thailand 2000 - 3800 baht depending on where you can get an appointment. 555

[gcdnz]

This also ignores the requirements of the airlines. 

If they really wanted to make this easier for inbound travellers, they'd unbundle the first night in a hotel from the testing processes. Right now, hotels are rorting people entering Thailand. There is such a gap between their standard one-night rate available via their websites and what they charge people coming into the country who require the PCR test and transport. 

[Sandbar]

Call me a cynic....but how much are they going to charge for an arrival PCR test? If it remains at the current cost then you just have to accept it and move on. But if they try and 'wedge' in any other hidden charges or increase the PCR test then it's back to square one again.

 

 

[ace035]

We need the statistics for the incoming tourists who are positive for COVID-19 on Day 1 out of how many, this is gonna decide by moving Thailand from Stage 1 to Stage 2 all the way to Stage 4. So far, I have not seen any of that.

[DoUKnowWhoIAm]

8 minutes ago, Thommo said:

How can it be about profits when the when the costs for the PCR test  is incurred in the departure country?

Where is the logic?

Thailand isn't making any money from the PCR tests taken in the departure countries, while the tests on arrival are nice moneymakers, it makes perfect profit-sense.

[Soidog]

It’s the PCR on arrival that’s keeping people away you dummies. If I know I’m going to be tested on arrival, I’ll be sure to have a test before I depart home. I don’t want to fly 12 hours to be tested and locked up for 10 days. Why are they literally the most inept people on the planet! 

[Marc26]

45 minutes ago, Graham said:

Well that just confirms what everyone knew already "PCR testing is purely a money maker for certain individuals", cost of test in UAE is 360 baht, cost in Thailand 2000 - 3800 baht depending on where you can get an appointment. 555

It's amazing how much false information gets posted here 

 

All you have to do is a 2min Google search and find many Bangkok hospitals charging 1500

 

And I dont know what the UAE does but most countries charge at least 2500 baht for PCR test

[Graham]

17 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

It's amazing how much false information gets posted here 

All you have to do is a 2min Google search and find many Bangkok hospitals charging 1500

And I dont know what the UAE does but most countries charge at least 2500 baht for PCR test

I'm only telling you what I know, I left Thailand March 2021 PCR test cost me 3800 baht, PCR test in UAE was 450 baht, Jan 2022 cost of PCR test for the wife to leave Thailand was 3500 baht, cost of test now in UAE is 360 baht available at many clinics and multiple drive through centre's throughout the city.

[JMichaels]

17 minutes ago, Soidog said:

It’s the PCR on arrival that’s keeping people away you dummies. If I know I’m going to be tested on arrival, I’ll be sure to have a test before I depart home. I don’t want to fly 12 hours to be tested and locked up for 10 days. Why are they literally the most inept people on the planet! 

Spot on. I paid 7500 THB for an expedited PCR test (2 hour result) before I left the USA to ensure I would not breach the 72 hour window due to unforeseen delays during the long journey.

Even if arrival tests in Thailand were free, it would still be terribly stupid to risk not knowing your status before leaving with the on-going risk of being carted away once you arrive. 

[Soidog]

8 minutes ago, JMichaels said:

Spot on. I paid 7500 THB for an expedited PCR test (2 hour result) before I left the USA to ensure I would not breach the 72 hour window due to unforeseen delays during the long journey.

Even if arrival tests in Thailand were free, it would still be terribly stupid to risk not knowing your status before leaving with the on-going risk of being carted away once you arrive. 

Agreed. Unfortunately not everyone is as sensible and will jump in a plane and then be tested positive. This move is connected to additional targets in order to move towards an endemic status. All this will do is result in more people arriving who test positive. How can it not do? Until now, preflight screens those who are positive from flying. All this will do is catch those in Thailand as well as risk more spreading on the aircraft. Total nut jobs 

[longwood50]

2 hours ago, Thaiger said:

The requirement for overseas arrivals to take a PCR test 72 hours prior to departure from their home country could soon be scrapped.

I have repeatedly said, I don't understand the mania over Covid.  The incoming double vaccinated tourist is more likely to contract Covid here in Thailand than the tourist is spreading Covid to Thai's

Also, why single out Covid?  Smallpox · Rabies · Tuberculosis · Leprosy · Typhoid Fever · Bubonic and Pneumonic Plagues · Malaria · HIV/AIDS are the 9 most communicable diseases in the world and there is no testing for those and the consequences of getting those is far more severe than contracting Covid. 

 

[JMichaels]

9 minutes ago, Soidog said:

Agreed. Unfortunately not everyone is as sensible and will jump in a plane and then be tested positive. This move is connected to additional targets in order to move towards an endemic status. All this will do is result in more people arriving who test positive. How can it not do? Until now, preflight screens those who are positive from flying. All this will do is catch those in Thailand as well as risk more spreading on the aircraft. Total nut jobs 

Fortunately, I had enough miles to bump to business class, waited to board the planes last to avoid the queues, and moved away from anyone who got close to me during the trip.

And I was still sh*tting my pants waiting for the day 1 arrival test results!

Worth it in the end, but I doubt I would run that gauntlet again under this current nonsense...

[Marc26]

38 minutes ago, JMichaels said:

Spot on. I paid 7500 THB for an expedited PCR test (2 hour result) before I left the USA to ensure I would not breach the 72 hour window due to unforeseen delays during the long journey.

Even if arrival tests in Thailand were free, it would still be terribly stupid to risk not knowing your status before leaving with the on-going risk of being carted away once you arrive. 

Yes

I will take a covid test before I leave even though it looks like I won't need to

 

I want the small assurance I'm not positive when I leave for Thailand 

 

The good thing is now can take it one day before 

[Marc26]

33 minutes ago, longwood50 said:

I have repeatedly said, I don't understand the mania over Covid.  The incoming double vaccinated tourist is more likely to contract Covid here in Thailand than the tourist is spreading Covid to Thai's

Also, why single out Covid?  Smallpox · Rabies · Tuberculosis · Leprosy · Typhoid Fever · Bubonic and Pneumonic Plagues · Malaria · HIV/AIDS are the 9 most communicable diseases in the world and there is no testing for those and the consequences of getting those is far more severe than contracting Covid. 

 

Come on, you can't be serious with that list

This forum can be so absurd at times

 

Smallpox was eradicated and the last outbreak was in 1949

 

Rabies.....There has been less than 50 reported cases in a decade in the US. 95% of the cases are in Africa/Asia

 

Leprosy is one of the least contagious diseases out there 

 

Bubonic Plague averages 7 cases per year

 

I'm not even going to bother with the rest of the list

 

At least have real, adult takes on the subject 

[yasar]

 

The us parliament has stopped wearing masks, you think, should we abolish the arrival pcr test?

 

[TheDirtyDurian]

7 hours ago, Marc26 said:

It's amazing how much false information gets posted here 

All you have to do is a 2min Google search and find many Bangkok hospitals charging 1500

And I dont know what the UAE does but most countries charge at least 2500 baht for PCR test

800 baht in KSA.

[Marc26]

1 hour ago, TheDirtyDurian said:

800 baht in KSA.

That's great

In US and Canada is usually 3700

 

The US is free actually 

But if you are traveling and it's during a big covid surge, you can't rely on it coming back in 3 days 

[Poolie]

8 hours ago, Graham said:

I'm only telling you what I know, I left Thailand March 2021 PCR test cost me 3800 baht, PCR test in UAE was 450 baht, Jan 2022 cost of PCR test for the wife to leave Thailand was 3500 baht, cost of test now in UAE is 360 baht available at many clinics and multiple drive through centre's throughout the city.

Ah bugger the fun, I'm going to UAE to get a cheap test.

[BigHewer]

I think as entry regulations start to loosen, it’ll be a rapid race to the top.

Of course, there is also some potential revenue that can be raised from measures relating to entry restrictions. This needs to be mulled over and worked out. That, pared with indecisiveness, leads me to believe that Thailand will be one of the stragglers regionally, if not globally.

[longwood50]

9 hours ago, Marc26 said:

Come on, you can't be serious with that list

 

How common is TB in Thailand?

 

 

With a population of almost 67 million, there are roughly 93,000 new cases each of tuberculosis in Thailand each year and an estimated TB occurrence of nearly 130,000 cases, including 16 percent who are also HIV positive. Complicating these figures further is the rising threat of drug-resistant TB.

 Each year, around 200,000 new cases of leprosy are reported each year -- Thailand sees over 100 cases -- and there are still endemic areas ...

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that during 2019(1): 296 million people worldwide are living with hepatitis B. 58 million people worldwide are living with hepatitis C. 1.5 million people were newly infected with chronic hepatitis B. . In 2020 an estimated 37.7 million people were living with HIV (including 1.7 million children), with a global HIV prevalence of 0.7% among adults. Around 16% of these people (6.1 million) do not know that they have the virus. 1

I can tell you that I would fear contracting any one of the above referenced diseases far more than Covid.  My point is that for some unknown reason, there is this myopic fear of only Covid but please come to Thailand with HIV or TB and Oh that is just fine.  Stupid. 

This singling out of a single contagious disease is just insantity given that 95% of the people who contract it won't even require hospitalization and that figure is likely to go down even further as more people are vaccinated lessening the severity of the infection. 
 

 

 

[Marc26]

1 hour ago, longwood50 said:

How common is TB in Thailand?

 

 

With a population of almost 67 million, there are roughly 93,000 new cases each of tuberculosis in Thailand each year and an estimated TB occurrence of nearly 130,000 cases, including 16 percent who are also HIV positive. Complicating these figures further is the rising threat of drug-resistant TB.

 Each year, around 200,000 new cases of leprosy are reported each year -- Thailand sees over 100 cases -- and there are still endemic areas ...

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that during 2019(1): 296 million people worldwide are living with hepatitis B. 58 million people worldwide are living with hepatitis C. 1.5 million people were newly infected with chronic hepatitis B. . In 2020 an estimated 37.7 million people were living with HIV (including 1.7 million children), with a global HIV prevalence of 0.7% among adults. Around 16% of these people (6.1 million) do not know that they have the virus. 1

I can tell you that I would fear contracting any one of the above referenced diseases far more than Covid.  My point is that for some unknown reason, there is this myopic fear of only Covid but please come to Thailand with HIV or TB and Oh that is just fine.  Stupid. 

This singling out of a single contagious disease is just insantity given that 95% of the people who contract it won't even require hospitalization and that figure is likely to go down even further as more people are vaccinated lessening the severity of the infection. 
 

 

Again, just absurd comparisons, for the most part, that you can't honestly be serious about them

 

Both Hep B and HIV are are contracted when blood, semen or body fluids enter the body, not through droplets in the air

 

None that you listed is contracted the same as Covid and for the most part, are very hard to contract.

 

Even TB, which is one of the only ones you posted that should be a concern, is much harder to contract

 

Simply put, many you listed aren't even active

And the rest, you could sit next to someone and never contract them......

 

 

PS....I have travelled quite a bit this last year, so am not too worried and think restrictions should be lowered