News Forum - Thailand introduces strict screening for arrivals from countries with monkeypox

[Thaiger]

With more cases of monkeypox being reported in the UK and elsewhere, officials in Thailand are ramping up health screening for overseas arrivals. Just as Covid-19 entry restrictions are being eased, international travellers will need to complete a health declaration card on arrival in the kingdom. According to a Bangkok Post report, the card will have a QR code, which will contain information on symptoms and how to report them while in Thailand. Anyone thought to be carrying the virus will be given advice on where to seek treatment. The health screening follows the creation of an emergency centre to […]

The story Thailand introduces strict screening for arrivals from countries with monkeypox as seen on Thaiger News.

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[ThaiEyes]

Here we go again. Just when tourists thought it was safe, the government cooked up something else to control everything and keep the emergency decree indefinitely. This kind of news gets around and all that has to happen is for a few cases to pop up elsewhere, other than African nations, and we will be back to lockdown and restriction crap. Monkeypox is not a pandemic and if it were, it’s not that dangerous 

Edited May 24, 2022 by ThaiEyes

[Ivo_Shandor]

That's fun(n)(k)y, considering that from countries where monkeypox is endemic (RDC, Camerun, Nigeria, etc.), there has never been a specific declaration for the disease in the past. I wonder how they would take if other countries would do the same about dengue against Thai travellers. Too much obsession without rationality.

[Floor]

I don't get it. It's a very mild disease. Aren't there scientists? Where are they to tell governments to stop overreacting. We can not let people be screened all the time. It's not oke.

People that come to thailand never criticize thailand for the dangers and diseases there. It's normal, life comes with risks and some times you get sick or get pox It's always has been this way that's life. 

[ace035]

Time to panic again, Anutin & Opas.

[Cabra]

1000s of cases every year on the African continent and Thailand does not blink. 47 cases in USA in 2003 and nothing is said. Now this. I honestly fear for the future of Thailand and it's people with such random decision making. What I fear more is this is just now getting started (the media fear mongering)... I get monkeypox is showing up in more countries where it's not typical endemic, but screening using a self assessment screening card. Worthless. And now the media reports are it's spreading mostly due to sexual contract (note: it's not sexually transmitted, just spreading as a result of). If a single case does appear around Asoke/Nana it's likely game over for Thailand given this latest overreaction.

[ThaiEyes]

20 minutes ago, Cabra said:

1000s of cases every year on the African continent and Thailand does not blink. 47 cases in USA in 2003 and nothing is said. Now this. I honestly fear for the future of Thailand and it's people with such random decision making. What I fear more is this is just now getting started (the media fear mongering)... I get monkeypox is showing up in more countries where it's not typical endemic, but screening using a self assessment screening card. Worthless. And now the media reports are it's spreading mostly due to sexual contract (note: it's not sexually transmitted, just spreading as a result of). If a single case does appear around Asoke/Nana it's likely game over for Thailand given this latest overreaction.

Thailand will spin this into a story that drinking alcohol will cause transmission of Monkeypox. That would make Anutin happy. I don’t think he likes drinking and bars will likely be held back from opening again. 

[DiJoDavO]

They saw their chance, and they took it. Again, I think that the only ones concerned with monkeypox and covid, are the ones who can benefit from that. Either with providing the medicine for it or get more power out of it. 

[JJJ]

1 hour ago, Cabra said:

1000s of cases every year on the African continent and Thailand does not blink. 47 cases in USA in 2003 and nothing is said. Now this. I honestly fear for the future of Thailand and it's people with such random decision making. What I fear more is this is just now getting started (the media fear mongering)... I get monkeypox is showing up in more countries where it's not typical endemic, but screening using a self assessment screening card. Worthless. And now the media reports are it's spreading mostly due to sexual contract (note: it's not sexually transmitted, just spreading as a result of). If a single case does appear around Asoke/Nana it's likely game over for Thailand given this latest overreaction.

Honestly Thailand should just close their borders now.

Why look at things like cause of transmission and seriousness? Grandma surely might catch it.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/monkeypox-likely-spread-sex-two-raves-europe-expert-says-rcna30055

And we should be doubly worried since there’s no vaccine! 

https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/clinicians/smallpox-vaccine.html

[Ivo_Shandor]

7 minutes ago, JJJ said:

And we should be doubly worried since there’s no vaccine! 

https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/clinicians/smallpox-vaccine.html

from the same source:

Quote

JYNNEOS is also licensed specifically to prevent monkeypox.

Edited May 24, 2022 by Ivo_Shandor

[JJJ]

10 minutes ago, Ivo_Shandor said:

from the same source:

Friend doesn’t get sarcasm.  

There’s no vaccine much like grandma is likely to get it from a gay sex rave as reported in the first story. 
 

 

[Ivo_Shandor]

ah ok sorry I didnt'get it at first 5555555

[JJJ]

16 minutes ago, Ivo_Shandor said:

ah ok sorry I didnt'get it at first 5555555

Whenever I hear anything uttered from this government I wonder if it’s parody or serious. Sadly it’s mostly serious. 

[Poolie]

6 minutes ago, JJJ said:

Whenever I hear anything uttered from this government I wonder if it’s parody or serious. Sadly it’s mostly serious. 

Whenever you hear anything REPORTED from this government....................well it's a different story.

[DiJoDavO]

23 minutes ago, JJJ said:

Friend doesn’t get sarcasm.  

There’s no vaccine much like grandma is likely to get it from a gay sex rave as reported in the first story. 
 

So now we have to be afraid of gay people pulling you into a sex rave too apparently? Just because that's a way to spread it?

We should start some kind of bingo. Put some random things on a paper and whenever it's something we are being told to fear or be a cause of something we need to fear, we can circle it. Let's see who gets bingo first. 

I already got mosquitos, monkeys, gay sex rave and Russians. 

[Poolie]

20 minutes ago, DiJoDavO said:

So now we have to be afraid of gay people pulling you into a sex rave too apparently? Just because that's a way to spread it?

We should start some kind of bingo. Put some random things on a paper and whenever it's something we are being told to fear or be a cause of something we need to fear, we can circle it. Let's see who gets bingo first. 

I already got mosquitos, monkeys, gay sex rave and Russians. 

Ladyboys.  HOUSE!!

[DiJoDavO]

3 minutes ago, Poolie said:

Ladyboys.  HOUSE!!

What do they spread? 

[Poolie]

12 minutes ago, DiJoDavO said:

What do they spread? 

Nowt, but they'll nick your tomfoolery.

[JJJ]

40 minutes ago, Poolie said:

Whenever you hear anything REPORTED from this government....................well it's a different story.

Well that’s just fan fiction. You know they sit home looking longingly at a portrait of Xi in total awe. 

[Poolie]

4 minutes ago, JJJ said:

Well that’s just fan fiction. You know they sit home looking longingly at a portrait of Xi in total awe. 

Bit excessive and totally unnecessary, but if they must, well...........

[Guevara]

9 minutes ago, JJJ said:

Well that’s just fan fiction. You know they sit home looking longingly at a portrait of Xi in total awe. 

Rumour has it that Chan-o-cha has a full size inflatable 'toy' of Xi

[Soidog]

2 hours ago, Poolie said:

Whenever you hear anything REPORTED from this government....................well it's a different story.

How else would you hear anything if it was reported. Unless you are a member of the Thai Government? 

[Highlandman]

4 hours ago, ThaiEyes said:

Thailand will spin this into a story that drinking alcohol will cause transmission of Monkeypox. That would make Anutin happy. I don’t think he likes drinking and bars will likely be held back from opening again. 

Personally I couldn't really care less about the bars (though i wish them all the best - it's an important livelihood for many thousands of people) - I care more about the complete removal of travel restrictions (no more Thailand Pass, testing, vaccination and insurance) and no more face diapers.

[ThaiEyes]

7 minutes ago, Highlandman said:

Personally I couldn't really care less about the bars (though i wish them all the best - it's an important livelihood for many thousands of people) - I care more about the complete removal of travel restrictions (no more Thailand Pass, testing, vaccination and insurance) and no more face diapers.

Yeah I really don’t care about bars either, but it would be good for the economy. Ending travel restrictions would be at the top of my list also

[Highlandman]

I'm not saying they will shut the borders again like they did in 2020, but this is looking suspiciously like January 3, 2020 again. That's when the disease control department first started "screening" visitors from Wuhan, which was expanded to all Chinese nationals only a week later. I traveled across the land border to Myanmar and back mid-January 2020. They set up tables in front of immigration and basically pulled any Chinese national over to record their passport details, take a photo and some basic medical info. Not being Chinese, I was thankfully able to bypass this and proceed on my way as normal. No one wore a mask yet (the odd Chinese person aside).

By February 2020 when I again traveled to Myanmar but this time through a different border crossing, they were setting up temperature screening, which went into operation on my return 1 week later. The Burmese side was busy putting up plexiglass screens. Medical forms were handed out to arrivals from certain countries, which later became anyone holding a passport from these countries, nevermind if they haven't been back to their home countries for years and only traveled to Myanmar or Laos on a day trip. There was talk of Italians, Chinese, Iranians and South Koreans being denied entry or re-entry based on their nationality alone. Or being required to fill out said health form and being subjected to extra scrutiny.

Early March 2020 I went to Laos. There was no screening in place there yet, but reportedly there was intense screening along the Myanmar border and also the border with Malaysia. Days after my return to Thailand, every arrival was given a TM8 health form and for each passing day, new restrictions were rolled out to the point of 14-day quarantines and a complete ban of all foreigners coming in, for around 2-3 months beginning in early April.

I just hope Thailand and the rest of the world won't go down the same path again this time round. Right now I give it a 50/50 chance of that happening, but we'll have to wait and see. Too early to tell at this point.