News Forum - Tourism officials push for all entry restrictions for vaccinated travellers to be lifted by June 1

[TSS]

cases reported with PCR test pos: 25K.  Antigen test pos: 20+K.

unreported: ?

[resetamy]

Does it really make sense to drop the pre-departure test but, keep the arrival test (and the insurance, tracking app, yada yada yada)? When I left Thailand in September, I just needed a test to board the plane to the US. Once I boarded the plane, it was peace of mind. At the time, I thought if I tested positive I would be sent to a field hospital, but I dont think they were doing that to foreigners. Still, I would have lost all the money I saved working in Thailand on the outrageous hospital bills, and would have come home penniless. Once I had the negative pcr test, I felt really at ease.

Very few people are going to want to gamble with a possible false positive (with a test that the creator Kerry Mullins said should not be used to diagnose any disease by the way), and then end up locked up in their own hotel room at a high cost to themselves. No one with reason would do this - and the goon squad knows this. They are purposefully destroying the once renowned tourism economy  and greater economy and punishing the poorest of people, under the guise of "incompetance", but truly acting with ruthless savagery. Funny how so many entitled, out of touch ex-pats love to cheer on restrictions, masking and mandates forever when they realize many people lost their entire livelihoods, their businesses, even their lives from suicide? Most people make 30 baht or day a less, and that was in the good times. You can't force people to not work for 3 years and expect anything to be good or even decent enough for tourists to WANT to come. Other than wealthy parts of Bangkok, the rest of Thailand people are literally living hand to mouth and it will only continue with these pointless and ridiculous restrictions, while the rest of SE ASIA is opening up. Breaks my heart, and I will continue to pray for the Thai people that they can find resilence during these times. 

[Shark]

2 minutes ago, resetamy said:

Does it really make sense to drop the pre-departure test

I think you have a valid point, I think it should be the other way around proof your vaccinated + negative pcr on departure and happy days! This is at-least how UAE is doing it and others too. It makes way more sense. 

[JAX]

1. I WOULD DO PCR BEFORE FLYING AND GET THERE WITH NEG TEST, AND DO RAPID TEST ON AIRPORT. MAKES SENSE. AND DROP DAY 5 TEST

[riclag]

Broken record alert! Stop all of it ! From the Thai Pass ,ThaiCovid Ins to the Pcr/ antigen test!

Thailand has more then enough positive cases to go around!

I had to laugh my friends wife told the young lady of the house while he was waiting for chest xrays on his covid related illness the positive case people waiting for further test results were going outside to get food through the little outside stands!

No rhyme or reason!

[Janneman]

You still need a pre-departure PCR test if you have to transit in one of the Middle East countries like Qatar.

[Benroon]

Keep the pre test 100% - makes absolute sense to vastly reduce reduce the chances of having your holiday ruined -  also ban the selfish ****’s who haven’t been vaccinated from travelling.Shoehorn them into their own illiterate selfish world 

(was that harsh ? ) 

[Soidog]

3 hours ago, Janneman said:

You still need a pre-departure PCR test if you have to transit in one of the Middle East countries like Qatar.

Sorry but that’s not true if you are flying with Qatar Airways at least. I’m flying back to the UK in June and have checked with Qatari airways. There are no requirements for PCR even if you transit in Doha. 

[PerRoland]

If by 1st May, all on arrival PCR test and mandatory first day stay for Test n Go lifted in view of self test ATK test, this will be a very good start. The mandatory test and go with PCR is the one stopping the wave of tourists into Thailand.

[PerRoland]

Countries like Malaysia, Singapore Indonesia, Vietnam, Phillipines, are opening up freely for fully vaccinated travellers, it's time for Thailand to follow suit.. it would save alot of cost for travellers if self test ATK negative is good enough. We have been doing self test ATK when suspect symptoms and most of these symptoms are covid positive.

ATK test instead of more pricier RT PCR test is recommended.

[Freeduhdumb]

Vaccine... any preparation used as a preventive inoculation to confer immunity against a specific disease, usually employing an innocuous form of the disease agent, as killed or weakened bacteria or viruses, to stimulate antibody production.

If you're going to call it a vaccine doesn't it need to "confer immunity?" Just asking folks... or have we changed the definition of vaccine recently? Maybe your dictionary definition has been "Memory Holed" Winston?

Why are the unvaccinated being punished?

The vaccinated cannot get infected, cannot spread the virus and cannot get sick? Ok.. A "Breakthrough Infection" in the vaccinated "Lessens Symptoms," maybe it lessens the spread? Maybe it lessens infection rates? Do we really know? Maybe there is some benefit? Do we really know? Do we really know anything?

Just a few additional facts here folks before you reply, none of the so called vaccines have any regulatory approvals (only emergency authorizations) and remain experimental. Any "science" is... did I mention, experimental? 

Final point: The "Vaccine" manufactures have all admitted, unless you're getting boosted at/or around every 6 months, the benefit of the "vaccine" significantly drops... which brings me to my original point, why are we now punishing the unvaccinated if the vaccinated are likely no more protected than those who have acquired natural immunity due to prior exposers? 

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02187-1

 

[Artemis080]

1 hour ago, Freeduhdumb said:

Why are the unvaccinated being punished?

Because statistically being unvaccinated means a greater likelihood of a poorer response outcome to becoming infected with covid-19. Thailand should not have to put up with the additional potential healthcare burden of foreigners needing medical assistance, which may have been mitigated to self-isolation were they vaccinated.

It's that risk management that speaks to the original topic at hand, of how to open up and can it be accelerated.

Ultimately, Thailand has the right to choose its public health care policy, right or wrong. If you don't want to be subject to that, then the world is a big place.

[Marc26]

1 hour ago, Freeduhdumb said:

Vaccine... any preparation used as a preventive inoculation to confer immunity against a specific disease, usually employing an innocuous form of the disease agent, as killed or weakened bacteria or viruses, to stimulate antibody production.

If you're going to call it a vaccine doesn't it need to "confer immunity?" Just asking folks... or have we changed the definition of vaccine recently? Maybe your dictionary definition has been "Memory Holed" Winston?

Why are the unvaccinated being punished?

The vaccinated cannot get infected, cannot spread the virus and cannot get sick? Ok.. A "Breakthrough Infection" in the vaccinated "Lessens Symptoms," maybe it lessens the spread? Maybe it lessens infection rates? Do we really know? Maybe there is some benefit? Do we really know? Do we really know anything?

Just a few additional facts here folks before you reply, none of the so called vaccines have any regulatory approvals (only emergency authorizations) and remain experimental. Any "science" is... did I mention, experimental? 

Final point: The "Vaccine" manufactures have all admitted, unless you're getting boosted at/or around every 6 months, the benefit of the "vaccine" significantly drops... which brings me to my original point, why are we now punishing the unvaccinated if the vaccinated are likely no more protected than those who have acquired natural immunity due to prior exposers? 

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02187-1

Every single thing you said is wrong

With the exception of waning protection 

Yet even then, you are still more protected and spread it less easy

 

Which study, which article do you want to prove that?

Pick whichever one

 

https://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=ms-android-bell-ca-revc&source=android-browser&q=vaccinated+vs+unvaccinated+spread#ip=1

 

 

PS....I am fine if someone is unvaccinated 

I am fine being in the company of unvaccinated people 

I took my shots and will live my life and someone has every right not to get vaccinated 

And I think some of their concerns and questions are valid

 

But I also live in a factual world......

 

 

[Manu]

17 minutes ago, Artemis080 said:

Because statistically being unvaccinated means a greater likelihood of a poorer response outcome to becoming infected with covid-19. Thailand should not have to put up with the additional potential healthcare burden of foreigners needing medical assistance, which may have been mitigated to self-isolation were they vaccinated.

It's that risk management that speaks to the original topic at hand, of how to open up and can it be accelerated.

Ultimately, Thailand has the right to choose its public health care policy, right or wrong. If you don't want to be subject to that, then the world is a big place.

I agree in essence however to be really objective, there are other criteria to take into account, the age, commorbidities, etc... and of course, the "weak" Omicron variant. For example: do you think a 20 years old healthy guy unvaccinated has more chance to end up in hospital in bad condition than a 70 years old obese guy with diabete triple vaccinated? I do not think so.... I guess that's why some countries now, like the UK, welcome everyone regardless of your vaccination status without even a covid test.

[riclag]

Don’t discriminate between vax and unvax they are equal spreaders.

It has been reported that some of the very first cases of Omi were from the vax crowd .

[Artemis080]

1 hour ago, Manu said:

I agree in essence however to be really objective, there are other criteria to take into account, the age, commorbidities, etc... and of course, the "weak" Omicron variant. For example: do you think a 20 years old healthy guy unvaccinated has more chance to end up in hospital in bad condition than a 70 years old obese guy with diabete triple vaccinated? I do not think so.... I guess that's why some countries now, like the UK, welcome everyone regardless of your vaccination status without even a covid test.

Yes, but I don't think it really matters in practice. Thailand is trying to craft a blanket policy for immigration - vaccinated or not-vaccinated. That policy will also dictate how other asian countries, broadly more cautious in such matters, view Thailand, the risk travellers pose both ways and ultimately leisure tourism.

What I would say is the UK is, in no way, a beacon of international covid management policy and good health outcomes.

[Marc26]

2 hours ago, riclag said:

Don’t discriminate between vax and unvax they are equal spreaders.

It has been reported that some of the very first cases of Omi were from the vax crowd .

Again that is 100 false

 

They aren't equal spreaders

They can both spread the virus but the Uni still contact the virus at a bigger rate and spread it as greater rate

 

Facts........

[Marc26]

15 minutes ago, Artemis080 said:

Yes, but I don't think it really matters in practice. Thailand is trying to craft a blanket policy for immigration - vaccinated or not-vaccinated. That policy will also dictate how other asian countries, broadly more cautious in such matters, view Thailand, the risk travellers pose both ways and ultimately leisure tourism.

What I would say is the UK is, in no way, a beacon of international covid management policy and good health outcomes.

I absolutely love when people submit the US or UK as shining examples of how to handle covid.......

[ExpatPattaya]

2 hours ago, riclag said:

Don’t discriminate between vax and unvax they are equal spreaders.

It has been reported that some of the very first cases of Omi were from the vax crowd .

I do not believe you have a Bachelors, Masters, or Doctorate in virology so please stop your inane comments 

[Manu]

13 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

I absolutely love when people submit the US or UK as shining examples of how to handle covid.......

Who did? You obviously mean me... But again, I never. I just said that at the current time, the UK policy of 0 restrictions make more sense to me. That is what I said cause that is what I think. Another pointless attack with no other purpose than being, at the worst nasty, at the very less completely subjective. Don't you get bored of it???

[Soidog]

1 hour ago, Artemis080 said:

What I would say is the UK is, in no way, a beacon of international covid management policy and good health outcomes.

I’m sorry but I disagree. It may not be an example of absolute best practice, but it’s hard to determine which country is. It would be wrong to simply look at reported number of cases and deaths and then conclude the UK did a bad job of managing Covid. Had the government policy been “Zero Covid” at any cost, then  your statement would be correct. That was never the UK policy and was always one of balancing freedoms, the economy and number of deaths. 

[Marc26]

1 hour ago, Manu said:

Who did? You obviously mean me... But again, I never. I just said that at the current time, the UK policy of 0 restrictions make more sense to me. That is what I said cause that is what I think. Another pointless attack with no other purpose than being, at the worst nasty, at the very less completely subjective. Don't you get bored of it???

I didn't even know you made the comment 

 

But yes, I find it laughable when anyone holds up the US or UK as an example of how to handle Covid properly

 

I wasn't attacking you personally

The two countries, especially the US(my home country by the way) have been disasters

 

So I don't think comparing anything they makes any sense at all

That's just my opinion 

[Noble_Design]

38 minutes ago, Soidog said:

I’m sorry but I disagree. It may not be an example of absolute best practice, but it’s hard to determine which country is. It would be wrong to simply look at reported number of cases and deaths and then conclude the UK did a bad job of managing Covid. Had the government policy been “Zero Covid” at any cost, then  your statement would be correct. That was never the UK policy and was always one of balancing freedoms, the economy and number of deaths. 

If you can look beyond the pre-judgement, China's method is actually one of the best considering its size and population.

[Manu]

11 minutes ago, Marc26 said:

I didn't even know you made the comment 

But yes, I find it laughable when anyone holds up the US or UK as an example of how to handle Covid properly

I wasn't attacking you personally

The two countries, especially the US(my home country by the way) have been disasters

So I don't think comparing anything they makes any sense at all

That's just my opinion 

I believe you did but never mind...

"laughable"... laughing is one thing, being agressive or/and nasty is another... It is only an online forum after all.

There is a huge difference between comparing 2 current situations and take the UK as an example for whatever. Firstly because it was bad then does not mean it is bad now. Things change, evolve, take different turns. So I compare both current situations, never with the thought of taking the best one in the past as an example. So, cause it is my opinion and everything taken into account, currently the UK policy makes far more sense to me than the one in Thailand.

[Soidog]

2 hours ago, Noble_Design said:

If you can look beyond the pre-judgement, China's method is actually one of the best considering its size and population.

I wasn’t prejudging anything. I was simply politely disagreeing with the statement that the UK was not a shining light. The inference being it’s not a good example of how to handle a pandemic. I disagree and I also disagree China have done a good job. Chinas approach has been excellent if you follow a policy of zero Covid and clamping down on liberty and freedom. Something that comes naturally to the Chinese government and the Chinese people. That’s not a society I would wish to live in.