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


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3 hours ago, Smithydog said:

It is a really good question and one that highlights the issues with mask mandates. Following are 2 older articles, not designed to show current situation, but highlight the issues with such mandates in Thailand.

https://image.mfa.go.th/mfa/0/mkKfL2iULZ/0904-64/covid/ข้อกำหนด_(22)_Eng.pdf

 https://thainews.prd.go.th/en/news/detail/TCATG210424184235287

The first is from the National Government and the second a news articles highlighting Provincial Governments imposing mandates. 

The confusion for many as to whether it is the law or not is because their is no central registry for anyone to see these things, and see if they are current or not. So for us all it is very hard to understand if we are breaking any laws through our personal preferences about mask wearing or not. 

There's no law requiring face masks. Therefore there's no law to break. Mask mandates were folded into the Emergency Decree... The only way this gets addressed is if it legal challenged in a court. Until then... don't wear a mask if a policy is not explicitly stated, for example before you walk into a 7-11.

  • Like 1
15 minutes ago, Freeduhdumb said:

There's no law requiring face masks. Therefore there's no law to break. Mask mandates were folded into the Emergency Decree... The only way this gets addressed is if it legal challenged in a court. Until then... don't wear a mask if a policy is not explicitly stated, for example before you walk into a 7-11.

That’s all well and good, but what about social norms and compliance. I think mask wearing now is utterly pointless and especially in open and well ventilated spaces. However, I’m not going to get in to some embarrassing stand off with a person in 7/11 or create a scene or problem at other venues who request it. The simple answer is the Thai government need to come and explicitly state it’s optional, even if recommended. 

  • Like 2
On 5/12/2022 at 7:08 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 

"plain crazy" indeed! Next month I have to go back to the UK for a couple of month, I am so looking forward to have a break of this insanity. I love Thailand but this is simply far too crazy for rational people. And I live on an island where even small crowds do not exist. But as others mentioned, there is definitely another agenda there, this madness surely has nothing to do anymore with "that" virus...

  • Like 2

This too shall pass, eventually.  

I'll be glad when it does if, for no other reason, to be shot of the overly opinionated, Obsessive-Compulsive gobshites on both ends of the spectrum; although quite sure they'll find something else to obsess about.  

  • Like 2
8 hours ago, Soidog said:

That’s all well and good, but what about social norms and compliance. I think mask wearing now is utterly pointless and especially in open and well ventilated spaces. However, I’m not going to get in to some embarrassing stand off with a person in 7/11 or create a scene or problem at other venues who request it. The simple answer is the Thai government need to come and explicitly state it’s optional, even if recommended. 

Like I said before, nobody knows the rules about mask mandate outside in Thailand, I just used my own judgement like I am not gonna wear my mask walking around outside for at least 5KM, 90 degrees F, very sunny and the sweat dripping around your mask, that's totally disgusting. Then when you look at the farangs bar hopping, they never wear masks.

  • Like 2

Holy crap you guys are still sitting on the internet talking about masks in Thailand 

 

Come to Thailand 

I'm here, you don't have to wear a mask outside if you don't want to

No one cares.....

 

Beach, I'm literally staying on the beach

Haven't seen one person wearing a mask

 

Restaurants,bars.....walk in with no mask

They don't care

 

On the ferry today to/from Koh Phangan 

About 30% took off their masks once seated

Thais and tourists

 

NO ONE CARES

 

Except guys on the internet.......

 

The strictest place is 7-11!!!

  • Thanks 1
6 hours ago, Marc26 said:

Holy crap you guys are still sitting on the internet talking about masks in Thailand 

Come to Thailand 

I'm here, you don't have to wear a mask outside if you don't want to

No one cares.....

Beach, I'm literally staying on the beach

Haven't seen one person wearing a mask

Restaurants,bars.....walk in with no mask

They don't care

On the ferry today to/from Koh Phangan 

About 30% took off their masks once seated

Thais and tourists

NO ONE CARES

Except guys on the internet.......

The strictest place is 7-11!!!

You are right, it is getting better, on Koh Chang we all know each other and do not care, I personally never wear it (most ex-pats do not). But by far it has not reached the "no one cares" point, no way near...

On the island, I would say 95% of people living here walking about or on their bikes are wearing it (the 5% are mostly ex-pats). And tourists (I would say 95% are local tourists, mostly middle class from BBK), quasi 100%. I see every day people wearing it on the beach...sure they eventually take it off, beaches currently are quite the opposite of crowded. But they arrive on the beach wearing it, mostly directly from their 4/5 stars resorts where you DEFINITELY have to wear it.

2 days ago, I took the ferry out and in of Koh Chang the same day to go to a small town. 100% of people in that town were wearing it. On the ferry 100% of people were wearing it (I think I saw one farang not wearing it). Last time I took the ferry about a month ago, I was told by an employe to put it on as I of course was not, so this time I (pretended) to so.

On Koh Chang, I know a little path going to a beach that tourists would not know about, there is a little bridge over a river before being on the beach. About 10 days ago, there was a kid sitting alone there, fishing ...with the mask on his face...

And on and on and on...

Quote

I'm here, you don't have to wear a mask outside if you don't want to

How long have you been here? But that's right, like I said I never wear it. Sure going to Koh Phangan, that makes sense to me. However tourists looking to book a holiday in Thailand will only see one thing: it is mandatory to do so, so the people who do not want that will not come. They will see pictures with pratically the entire population of Thailand wearing it, they definitely will have to wear it in transports, buses, trains, even taxis, etc... So this is why this should be scrapped otherwise we can forget of a huge arrival of tourists the next high season. The majority of tourists are not single men who's only activities are done between the beach and the bars (yes those have been opened for months now, showing the hypocrity of this non-sense), a few of them are already here. But for older tourists, couples and famillies, it is a different story. And those are the ones who will feel obliged to wear it (as for not offending locals if any reason) if they convinced themselves to come in the first place as they will go to places and travel around where Thais do so in a massive way - not going from beach to bars and back where the mask is obviously not there in establishments that should not even been opened but are.

8 hours ago, Marc26 said:

Holy crap you guys are still sitting on the internet talking about masks in Thailand 

Come to Thailand 

I'm here, you don't have to wear a mask outside if you don't want to

No one cares.....

Beach, I'm literally staying on the beach

Haven't seen one person wearing a mask

Restaurants,bars.....walk in with no mask

They don't care

On the ferry today to/from Koh Phangan 

About 30% took off their masks once seated

Thais and tourists

NO ONE CARES

Except guys on the internet.......

The strictest place is 7-11!!!

And central plaza’s. And some larger restaurants. 7-11 is like a mask fortress. Oh, and the airport.  
 

I agree many bars don’t care and walking on the beach or outside in most places isn’t a problem. I would however say that in general, with many Thais still fully complying, there is a sense that you should wear a mask in most indoor places. 

  • Like 1
5 hours ago, Manu said:

You are right, it is getting better, on Koh Chang we all know each other and do not care, I personally never wear it (most ex-pats do not). But by far it has not reached the "no one cares" point, no way near...

On the island, I would say 95% of people living here walking about or on their bikes are wearing it (the 5% are mostly ex-pats). And tourists (I would say 95% are local tourists, mostly middle class from BBK), quasi 100%. I see every day people wearing it on the beach...sure they eventually take it off, beaches currently are quite the opposite of crowded. But they arrive on the beach wearing it, mostly directly from their 4/5 stars resorts where you DEFINITELY have to wear it.

2 days ago, I took the ferry out and in of Koh Chang the same day to go to a small town. 100% of people in that town were wearing it. On the ferry 100% of people were wearing it (I think I saw one farang not wearing it). Last time I took the ferry about a month ago, I was told by an employe to put it on as I of course was not, so this time I (pretended) to so.

On Koh Chang, I know a little path going to a beach that tourists would not know about, there is a little bridge over a river before being on the beach. About 10 days ago, there was a kid sitting alone there, fishing ...with the mask on his face...

And on and on and on...

How long have you been here? But that's right, like I said I never wear it. Sure going to Koh Phangan, that makes sense to me. However tourists looking to book a holiday in Thailand will only see one thing: it is mandatory to do so, so the people who do not want that will not come. They will see pictures with pratically the entire population of Thailand wearing it, they definitely will have to wear it in transports, buses, trains, even taxis, etc... So this is why this should be scrapped otherwise we can forget of a huge arrival of tourists the next high season. The majority of tourists are not single men who's only activities are done between the beach and the bars (yes those have been opened for months now, showing the hypocrity of this non-sense), a few of them are already here. But for older tourists, couples and famillies, it is a different story. And those are the ones who will feel obliged to wear it (as for not offending locals if any reason) if they convinced themselves to come in the first place as they will go to places and travel around where Thais do so in a massive way - not going from beach to bars and back where the mask is obviously not there in establishments that should not even been opened but are.

Great comment.

Mass masking is psychologically a real burden and constant reminder that something isn't right...

It's not conducive to society operating in a free and positive way.

Yes, the pandemic isn't over but mass masking ain't necessary anymore or proportionate.

Most countries as they're now dropping masks, see the difference in day to day life, just so much better.

Get on with it Thailand, time to get back to the land of smiles again.

 

 

 

  • Like 2
5 hours ago, Soidog said:

And central plaza’s. And some larger restaurants. 7-11 is like a mask fortress. Oh, and the airport.  
 

I agree many bars don’t care and walking on the beach or outside in most places isn’t a problem. I would however say that in general, with many Thais still fully complying, there is a sense that you should wear a mask in most indoor places. 

I can tell you that on Koh Chang, for every single restaurant , even the ones on the beach wide open in the fresh air, I extremely rarely (I say that but it is pratically never) see one single Thai person not arriving with their mask on (mostly they go to Thai restaurants but some go to foreign ones too and it is the same although usually their farang owners do not care and wear it when they are here to take it off as soon as they are gone). I also can see that, I would say at least 50% of the foreign tourists (amongst the handful that are here now) are also doing so, I guess they do not feel confortable not doing so, I guess it must be confusing for them when they realise many farangs are not doing so to realise eventually these ones live here. There are also farang/Thai couples living in Thailand and usually the Thai partner is wearing it forcing the other part to wear ittoo. All these people are constantly wearing it walking about in the fresh air with nobody around them, or on their bikes (I see plenty in their cars too), etc... I do not know how it is in other tourist hotspots right now, but the mask here is everywhere also due to the fact that it became a prime destination for local tourists for the past 2 years while the foreign ones are becoming a tiny minority. So basically it is an island in Thailand with Thai tourists and it is currently as I describe it.

As for bars (and some nightlife venues), the few that survived the past 2 years and a few that reapeared recently as the hope of huge arrivals of foreign tourists is rising, they have been opened for quite some time. Thai tourists do not go there, they are quasi empty cause of course, there are only very few people that usually go there, the foreign tourists, but also people living here simply going out. These places should not even be opened in the first place, so mask or not, nobody cares of course. And by the way, I was in Patong back in October last year, it was already so.

So spending your holiday here, sure on the beach nobody will break your balls if you do not wear it, on the streets (well the single main road), amongst the many Thais all wearing it, you will get some bad looks and hopefully nothing more but up to you if you want to offend them or feel somehow awkard, in night bars where Thais do not go, well that goes without saying. Everywhere else you will have to wear it for sure (going to the pool of your resort for example), for a start to be able to travel all the way to here. But for sure it is not a place right now where I personally would spend my 2/3 weeks holiday after a whole year of working hard. Like I said in a previous post, I am going back to the UK for 2 months next months, and I am looking forward to see only full faces again. I love the Land of Smile, not so much this current Land of Mask.

  • Like 2
13 hours ago, Soidog said:

And central plaza’s. And some larger restaurants. 7-11 is like a mask fortress. Oh, and the airport.  
 

I agree many bars don’t care and walking on the beach or outside in most places isn’t a problem. I would however say that in general, with many Thais still fully complying, there is a sense that you should wear a mask in most indoor places. 

I am very mask compliant, I would say

 

Like on the ferry from Koh Phangan 

It says you have to wear a mask and we were inside the ferry so I didn't and wouldn't take my mask off

Even though I could without any issue

 

That being said, I've probably have worn my mask 20% of the time, and most of that was inside my big hotel in Bangkok 

The last 2 nights on Samui I haven't even taken a mask out with me

Not for any defiant reason 

I simply didn't think about it because it's really not required

 

Except 7-11    😀

 

And I honestly don't feel any negativity from Thais

In Bangkok if I was walking by a crowded area outside I would put it on out of respect 

 

But if I am just walking by a few people I don't

 

In massage shops, a lot of tourists don't wear a mask

I do, because I feel if the massage girl has to while working than I should as well

 

I was at my hotel gym the other morning and the 2 Asian girls next to me were wearing masks and were on their treadmills before I got there

I didn't have to, but I wore my mask while running 

It absolutely sucked but I felt it would be disrespectful if I didn't 

  • Like 2
7 hours ago, Manu said:

I can tell you that on Koh Chang, for every single restaurant , even the ones on the beach wide open in the fresh air, I extremely rarely (I say that but it is pratically never) see one single Thai person not arriving with their mask on (mostly they go to Thai restaurants but some go to foreign ones too and it is the same although usually their farang owners do not care and wear it when they are here to take it off as soon as they are gone). I also can see that, I would say at least 50% of the foreign tourists (amongst the handful that are here now) are also doing so, I guess they do not feel confortable not doing so, I guess it must be confusing for them when they realise many farangs are not doing so to realise eventually these ones live here. There are also farang/Thai couples living in Thailand and usually the Thai partner is wearing it forcing the other part to wear ittoo. All these people are constantly wearing it walking about in the fresh air with nobody around them, or on their bikes (I see plenty in their cars too), etc... I do not know how it is in other tourist hotspots right now, but the mask here is everywhere also due to the fact that it became a prime destination for local tourists for the past 2 years while the foreign ones are becoming a tiny minority. So basically it is an island in Thailand with Thai tourists and it is currently as I describe it.

As for bars (and some nightlife venues), the few that survived the past 2 years and a few that reapeared recently as the hope of huge arrivals of foreign tourists is rising, they have been opened for quite some time. Thai tourists do not go there, they are quasi empty cause of course, there are only very few people that usually go there, the foreign tourists, but also people living here simply going out. These places should not even be opened in the first place, so mask or not, nobody cares of course. And by the way, I was in Patong back in October last year, it was already so.

So spending your holiday here, sure on the beach nobody will break your balls if you do not wear it, on the streets (well the single main road), amongst the many Thais all wearing it, you will get some bad looks and hopefully nothing more but up to you if you want to offend them or feel somehow awkard, in night bars where Thais do not go, well that goes without saying. Everywhere else you will have to wear it for sure (going to the pool of your resort for example), for a start to be able to travel all the way to here. But for sure it is not a place right now where I personally would spend my 2/3 weeks holiday after a whole year of working hard. Like I said in a previous post, I am going back to the UK for 2 months next months, and I am looking forward to see only full faces again. I love the Land of Smile, not so much this current Land of Mask.

I get your point and it's a good one

 

I'm thinking of my little world of actually being here and reading these forums

 

A lot of tourists wouldn't read the forums and know what's the scene on the ground 

  • Like 1
On 5/14/2022 at 5:03 PM, Marc26 said:

I am very mask compliant, I would say

Like on the ferry from Koh Phangan 

It says you have to wear a mask and we were inside the ferry so I didn't and wouldn't take my mask off

Even though I could without any issue

That being said, I've probably have worn my mask 20% of the time, and most of that was inside my big hotel in Bangkok 

The last 2 nights on Samui I haven't even taken a mask out with me

Not for any defiant reason 

I simply didn't think about it because it's really not required

Except 7-11    😀

And I honestly don't feel any negativity from Thais

In Bangkok if I was walking by a crowded area outside I would put it on out of respect 

But if I am just walking by a few people I don't

In massage shops, a lot of tourists don't wear a mask

I do, because I feel if the massage girl has to while working than I should as well

I was at my hotel gym the other morning and the 2 Asian girls next to me were wearing masks and were on their treadmills before I got there

I didn't have to, but I wore my mask while running 

It absolutely sucked but I felt it would be disrespectful if I didn't 

That was exactly my point of my first response to you. While it is fine with you, on and off and not really knowing when you should or not, and doing it out of respect, etc... so many people just do not even want to think about it. So many people did have a very bad experience in their own country when it was mandatory. The same so many people who will not think twice when they find out it is still mandatory, regardless if they even know if in some situations it is fine or not, to have to judge if they have to out of respect or not, etc... And it is the same so many people who will not want to face that for their 2/3 weeks holiday and that Thailand will lose as tourists.

9 hours ago, Manu said:

That was exactly my point of my first response to you. While it is fine with you, on and off and not really knowing when you should or not, and doing it out of respect, etc... so many people just do not even want to think about it. So many people did have a very bad experience in their own country when it was mandatory. The same so many people who will not think twice when they find out it is still mandatory, regardless if they even know if in some situations it is fine or not, to have to judge if they have to out of respect or not, etc... And it is the same so many people who will not want to face that for their 2/3 weeks holiday and that Thailand will lose as tourists.

I don't disagree with putting off tourists 

 

But you live here, obviously I don't have to tell you that it's pretty obvious when you should put a mask on out of respect

 

And quite honestly, if you don't care about being respectful and don't put on a mask, no one will say anything

 

Unless you go into 7-11

They will taser you and beat you with a cane 5555

56 minutes ago, oldschooler said:

Everybody here by now has either had Omicron or not.

Wow, what a revelation! 😂

 

Does this have any bearing on wearing a mask, one way or the other?

Edited by astro
1 hour ago, oldschooler said:

No. They Don’t & They Won’t.

Everybody here by now has either had Omicron or not.

Let this masking shit GO now ffs. 

It’s worth pointing out that Thailand is not a pariah when it comes to requirements for wearing  masks. Masks are mandatory in Indoor situations in Singapore and are recommended in many other countries particularly in Asia. In fact mandatory ATK tests are in place for entry to some entertainment establishments in Singapore. Masks are apparently most effective at reducing transmission of the virus to other people but  it seems to me that many westerners don’t seem to understand the concept of doing things out of consideration for others and are more interested in the inconvenience to themselves. This was clear pre pandemic when people going to work with a cold or flu bug in Thailand would often wear masks out of consideration for other people. This practice is widespread across Asia but virtually unheard of in places like UK IMO. Personally I find requirements to wear masks is not a big impact to my life so I am not going complain about it. I am just happy that I can travel freely again and things are generally getting better.

Edited by Stevejm
Typo
On 5/12/2022 at 12:18 PM, 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. 

The emergency decree didn't stop the massive protests back in October 2020 and isolated ones in 2021. Besides, some of those protestors clashed with police over a lack of mRNA vaccines!! Those aren't real freedom fighters and the government knows there won't ever be any large scale anti-Covid protests. The few that were held (starting December 2021) were very small in scale and all went smoothly.

I think the emergency decree is for control, but I don't agree that it has much to do with the anti-government demonstrators. It's more about ensuring Anutin can sell all his masks (among other things).

On 5/12/2022 at 3:57 PM, JohnC said:

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 

Ideally, the mandate needs to be scrapped completely ASAP. If they scrap it everywhere except public transport and hospitals, it would be enough to get most tourists back and make expats feel comfortable again though. That's because most of us don't have to go to a hospital at all (or regular basis) and some of us never use public transport.

It would be crazy if Thailand still insisted on mask wearing come October. By then, no other country will still be insisting on this.

  • Like 2
On 5/14/2022 at 1:03 AM, Marc26 said:

Holy crap you guys are still sitting on the internet talking about masks in Thailand 

Come to Thailand 

I'm here, you don't have to wear a mask outside if you don't want to

No one cares.....

Beach, I'm literally staying on the beach

Haven't seen one person wearing a mask

Restaurants,bars.....walk in with no mask

They don't care

On the ferry today to/from Koh Phangan 

About 30% took off their masks once seated

Thais and tourists

NO ONE CARES

Except guys on the internet.......

The strictest place is 7-11!!!

Well go to the beach in Rayong then. Although 80% of people on the beach are not wearing masks, 20% are, nearly all of them Thai (as well as a few Chinese men). Even some of the farang are wearing masks at the beach bar and nearby restaurants, though not many.

I noticed very little difference in mask wearing prevalence in greater Bangkok compared with Rayong (or Chonburi which I passed along the way).

Of course no one cares or expects you to wear a mask on the beach. BUT the fact so many people wore one, says volumes about how brainwashed this country has become and this seems to apply also to some of the expats here too.

Good to see no one complying in Phangan but that must be an anomaly as the rest of the country is still very deeply entrenched in the mask wearing religion.

  • Like 3
On 5/12/2022 at 4:34 PM, rc1 said:

Correct, while the rst of the world drops masks even on flights and airports, Thailand seems to be an alternate reality. 

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/eu-lifts-face-mask-requirements-flights-airports/story?id=84646609

Will it take Thais to start travelling internationally again to realise the rules need to change? 

I saw some pictures of a group of 3 Thais, one a former flight attendent for Bangkok Airways travel to Holland. Just outside the Amsterdam airport, one of them (a girl) was pictured wearing her muzzle. Thais absolutely love wearing them. I'm sure she was the only one wearing her mask in the whole vicinity.

On 5/12/2022 at 5:27 PM, Soidog said:

By keeping the mask mandate, even after declaring Covid endemic, allows justification to keep the Emergency decree. They can justify it with the excuse that we still need to be vigilant to control the virus. Therefore masks and the Emergency decree are still required. Emergency decree means no street protests or mass gatherings and hence political stability. 

Yet they haven't officially extended the emergency decree beyond the end of the month yet. In a related article, it was stated that they're looking at ways of enshrining mask wearing in law even without the decree. So I think the idea that just because the emergency decree is lifted means no more mask wearing is a little naive.

Street gatherings and protests still happened during the emergency decree. Remember October 2020? Or 2021?

On 5/12/2022 at 9:55 PM, Tim_Melb said:

So much crap in this thread about masks being political. Masks are not political they are neither a political statement nor a political oppression, they are a life saving tool period. 

Don't spout crap about them being ineffective because that's crap too. The only masks that are ineffective are light weight cloth masks and those stupid masks designed for sun and wind protection on motorcycles. Surgical masks and better if worn properly block between 30% and 95% of the particles that transmit Covid-19 depending on the type of mask. These are the FACTS and they are indisputable.

It can be argued that when most of a population is vaccinated that wearing masks is not necessarily needed to protect the general population that are not vulnerable. But high level rated masks will continue to be necessary for vulnerable people while Covid is in circulation and seeing that it is likely to be in circulation for all the foreseeable future masks are going to be necessary for those individuals and their regular close contacts for the foreseeable future. 

While having mask mandates will largely become a thing of the past very soon, encouraging the general public to continue using them as added protection for the vulnerable is a good thing not a bad thing and most definitely not a political thing. If you believe it's a political thing then you need to take a good hard look at yourself in the mirror because masks are not the problem, YOU ARE! 

I laugh at your naivety. Firstly, masks have been politicized in most countries on Earth, particularly in Thailand where they're worn in the TV studio with no one around! That is a political statement.

Secondly, you really believe mask mandates will be a thing of the past in Thailand soon? Read the article first. I think you're going to be in for a rude awakening when you find that you still have to wear a mask to enter a supermarket at the end of the year or next year.

Not saying that is guaranteed to happen, but make no mistake, Thailand is not about to do a 180 on mask wearing anytime soon, especially when they still can't dispense with this nonsense on TV.

Edited by Highlandman

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