News Forum - Travellers will still have to wear face masks post-endemic phase in Thailand

[Thaiger]

As the number of Covid-19 cases in Thailand continues to decrease, the National Communicable Diseases Committee has started talking about post-pandemic measures or lingering preventative measure when the coronavirus is declared endemic in Thailand, including any requirement for travellers to wear face masks, according to Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. Speaking to Thai media yesterday, he claimed that, with public collaboration and increased vaccinations, new cases and deaths have decreased faster than predicted. A public health panel had a meeting yesterday where it was debating how to deal with Covid-19 once it was declared endemic. At the start of this month, […]

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[Soidog]

. I bet TAT will still market Thailand as the Land of Smiles

[HolyCowCm]

Why not just make it mandatory that all women cover up their mouths and heads like this below.

Joking aside, me thinks someone or some many have investment somewhere into masks and that this mandated order also makes the minions march to their do as we say as it is our law.

[Soidog]

A-Nut also said:

“Right now, controlling the disease is not a problem but controlling people’s behaviour is. We still need to encourage people to put on face masks”

Says it all doesn’t it. The virus is under control, but we still need to control people. That’s the justification right there for keeping the all important Emergency Decree. 

[Soidog]

  On 5/12/2022 at 5:10 AM, HolyCowCm said:

Why not just make it mandatory that all women cover up their mouths and heads like this below.

Joking aside, me thinks someone or some many have investment somewhere into masks and that this mandated order also makes the minions march to their do as we say as it is our law.

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Correct. And the compliant Thai public will do as they are told. Tell them to wear masks to protect their life and they all do. Tell them to wear motorbike helmets to protect their life and at least 30% don’t. Inscrutable people. 

[HolyCowCm]

  On 5/12/2022 at 5:10 AM, Soidog said:

A-Nut also said:

“Right now, controlling the disease is not a problem but controlling people’s behaviour is. We still need to encourage people to put on face masks”

Says it all doesn’t it. The virus is under control, but we still need to control people. That’s the justification right there for keeping the all important Emergency Decree. 

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As I posted above, I think it is all about making them money and keeping the minions whipped.

[HolyCowCm]

  On 5/12/2022 at 5:13 AM, Soidog said:

Correct. And the compliant Thai public will do as they are told. Tell them to wear masks to protect their life and they all do. Tell them to wear motorbike helmets to protect their life and at least 30% don’t. Inscrutable people. 

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No money in truly enforcing making people wear motorcyle helmets. Those are not bought repeatedly. Well except for the you know who's pocket money.

[Soidog]

  On 5/12/2022 at 5:14 AM, HolyCowCm said:

As I posted above, I think it is all about making them money and keeping the minions whipped.

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Yes I’m sure money is right in the middle of it. Let’s face it, when is it not. However, I’ve said for sometime, that keeping the Emergency Decree is critical for this government right now. They need to get within a few months of the next election before lifting it. If they lift it now, the people will be back on the streets in a couple of months and upset the General. Keep it until the end of the year with elections in March and public sentiment will be positive. 

[Janneman]

'The Minister declared that there have been fewer than 10 cases of Covid 19 from visitors arriving each day… “so there is a chance for Thailand Pass to be scrapped as well”.' 

At the same time there are officially 7650 new daily infections. Most likely more. It does not make sense to focus on those 10 cases 'to stop the spread of Covid'. But then, 'sense' and 'Thai government' do not go very well together.

[BigHewer]

  On 5/12/2022 at 5:18 AM, Soidog said:

They need to get within a few months of the next election before lifting it. If they lift it now, the people will be back on the streets in a couple of months and upset the General. Keep it until the end of the year with elections in March and public sentiment will be positive. 

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Exactly. Political currency trumps any health concerns in the next phase we’re entering. Unfortunate but a sad reality.

[BigHewer]

  On 5/12/2022 at 5:34 AM, gogota said:

there is no need to wear that thing if you are in Singapore and Malaysia.

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I have been in both Singapore and Thailand in the past three weeks and if anything, Singapore is even more strict on masks than Thailand.

[HolyCowCm]

  On 5/12/2022 at 5:18 AM, Soidog said:

Yes I’m sure money is right in the middle of it. Let’s face it, when is it not. However, I’ve said for sometime, that keeping the Emergency Decree is critical for this government right now. They need to get within a few months of the next election before lifting it. If they lift it now, the people will be back on the streets in a couple of months and upset the General. Keep it until the end of the year with elections in March and public sentiment will be positive. 

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More to it than that as it looks. They are back to pushing to having 3rd level kindergarten kids taught military type feeling stuff that oringinally wants them wearing fatigues. A push to recondition (brainwash) the kids from the earliest age for loving the goverment, the military and country for being partiotic again, and here is the biggie, loving the Monarchy. I don't see them releasing the hold any time soon as they set the brainwashing reconditioning in motion.

[Fanta]

It you can’t beat ‘em, join ’em. I have a selection of masks. Spider-Man during the day, Batman at night, Prayut mask when I go jogging and need angry people chasing me for motivation and my Darth Vader helmet for the bike. Life is good.

[mjwalker]

why why why ?? i can go to a football game in the UK 40.000 people no masks 

go to a beach in thailand with no people but still have to wear a mask !! just plain crazy 

please stop now 

[SomeOtherGuy]

In the past 6 months my wife and I have been to USA, Mexico, Egypt, and Denmark. Not once was a face mask required (apart from flights) -  so we never wore one. We got into some pretty sketchy tight situations with throngs of locals and "dirty" tourists. Guess what? We didn't catch COVID. Not even a runny nose.

I'm not an "anti-masker", and I'll still follow the stupid rules here in Thailand, but this policy, seeing as COVID is clearly on the wane, is utterly ridiculous.To keep it around any longer is simply theater and a thinly veiled method of controlling the populace with fear.

[Cg66]

  On 5/12/2022 at 5:10 AM, Soidog said:

A-Nut also said:

“Right now, controlling the disease is not a problem but controlling people’s behaviour is. We still need to encourage people to put on face masks”

Says it all doesn’t it. The virus is under control, but we still need to control people. That’s the justification right there for keeping the all important Emergency Decree. 

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As many virologists and epidemiologists said at the beginning of all this, before they were cancelled, you can’t stop a virus. Can’t believe that many still don’t understand this they are stopping wearing masks on all European flights and airports from the 16th of May. I will never go to a country that makes me

wear a mask

[Cg66]

  On 5/12/2022 at 6:22 AM, Transam said:

At a UK footy match, packed like sardines, you take your chances with no mask......

I reckon there are zillions who have not had the jab in LOS, so being careful out there is advisable.

Since the UK relaxed things, a few of my friends there have caught Covid, thankfully they were fully jabbed, so should be a short lay-up......

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Maybe they caught Covid because they have been jabbed!

[JJJ]

  On 5/12/2022 at 5:10 AM, Soidog said:

A-Nut also said:

“Right now, controlling the disease is not a problem but controlling people’s behaviour is. We still need to encourage people to put on face masks”

Says it all doesn’t it. The virus is under control, but we still need to control people. That’s the justification right there for keeping the all important Emergency Decree. 

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Absolutely. 

I also love this line which shows how clueless they are: “Speaking to Thai media yesterday, he claimed that, with public collaboration and increased vaccinations, new cases and deaths have decreased faster than predicted.”  
 

So no change or loosening of restrictions caused cases to drop? They have no clue what they are doing.

It is a virus, cases go up and down. We’ve had an outdoor mask mandate since last year that did nothing to stop any of the previous peaks. I’m OK with some reasonable restrictions but most of the things done have no impact at all while placing all the burden and expense on small businesses that get no help from the government.  

[gogota]

  On 5/12/2022 at 6:08 AM, mjwalker said:

why why why ?? i can go to a football game in the UK 40.000 people no masks 

go to a beach in thailand with no people but still have to wear a mask !! just plain crazy 

please stop now 

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We have a major holiday celebration here in Malaysia last week. Everybody visiting each others (celebrating end of Muslim fasting month). The covid cases shoot up 300% today. And nobody cares. almost 0 death here. Most who died are either drug addict or person who is going to die within 3 years or unvaccinated. So not such a big deal

Anyway, if the government of Thailand insist I must wear my underwear on my face, it is ok for me, I just don't  go there. So many other countries I can go.

[vlad]

  On 5/12/2022 at 5:10 AM, HolyCowCm said:

Why not just make it mandatory that all women cover up their mouths and heads like this below.

Joking aside, me thinks someone or some many have investment somewhere into masks and that this mandated order also makes the minions march to their do as we say as it is our law.

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Didn't we see a Thai getting fined after being caught washing old face masks and selling them on?

[HolyCowCm]

  On 5/12/2022 at 7:57 AM, vlad said:

Didn't we see a Thai getting fined after being caught washing old face masks and selling them on?

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May be that I missed that one. Used rubber gloves to the USA I remember.

[vlad]

Have to agree with the Soidog when Election time comes Peanut and his crew will claim they controlled it and protected the Citizen's vote for us and we will take care of you. Look how we took care of Covid. 

[Freeduhdumb]

  On 5/12/2022 at 5:06 AM, Soidog said:

. I bet TAT will still market Thailand as the Land of Smiles

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Didn't they recently change the definition of what a covid death is? That change was something to the effect that only confirmed cases of covid, without other co-morbitities, would be counted... that certainly drops the death count aspect. And it is my understanding there is no law requiring face masks in Thailand. This article uses the words encourage and require in the same article... So which is it? 

[Soidog]

  On 5/12/2022 at 8:20 AM, Freeduhdumb said:

Didn't they recently change the definition of what a covid death is? That change was something to the effect that only confirmed cases of covid, without other co-morbitities, would be counted... that certainly drops the death count aspect.

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Yea I think that is correct. It’s been said many times, but I wouldn’t believe any of the numbers provided by this government. I know many people in the U.K. who have had Covid, but I know many many more in Thailand. I speak to many people who use phrases such as “The whole village has Covid”. It’s utterly rife and I would imagine deaths are at least twice those published.   Time to move on now I’m afraid. 

[JohnC]

The cynical in me thinks there will be a lot of fines handed out to European tourists if this mandate is in place come the high season. 

Most Europeans won't have worn a mask for a year by this point and probably won't bother or realise  they have to in Thailand either. 

Easy targets

Wearing a mask outdoors even when covid was rife was just daft but if they restrict it to public transport and shopping centres etc then that’s probably reasonable