News Forum - PM Prayut insists no plans to drop face-mask requirement in Thailand

[Stevejm]

44 minutes ago, TheDirtyDurian said:

Did you get a 1000 massages to come up with the 99.9% figure, or is it common Pattaya knowledge?

People who quote figures like 99.9% usually have no idea what the real data is

[Viggen8408]

4 minutes ago, Stevejm said:

People who quote figures like 99.9% usually have no idea what the real data is

Lies, damn lies and statistics

[Stevejm]

52 minutes ago, TheDirtyDurian said:

7. Viagra 

8. Gun (oops, not in America)

9. Overbearing sense of superiority

[Highlandman]

On 6/3/2022 at 1:01 AM, JamesR said:

I don't think so but if it does then come true then it will be the end of the tourist industry in relation to how it was pre covid.

But it will not make much difference as the majority of Thais are not connected with that industry and the downturn in tourism has had no affect on them.

You may not think so but mask wearing has taken on religious significance in Thailand. I've spent time scanning YT comments in Thai on this topic and 90% of them are: "I'm not taking off my mask".

I don't think the junta are willing to fully scrap the mask mandate, ever. I just don't see it happening. It will probably be somewhat eased in outdoor settings eventually, but those automatic mask detection doors at Lotus weren't installed only to be removed 2 years later. That's a sign of permanency if you ask me.

[Stevejm]

43 minutes ago, Highlandman said:

You haven't searched anywhere. I see negative comments literally everywhere. On the Bangkok Post, here, ASEAN Now, any Facebook page from Thai media (Khao Sod English, Thai Enquirer, Thai Examiner), any YouTube Channel or basically any media where Thailand is being discussed, it's universally negative regarding the continued mask mandates and also the Thailand Pass.

“Literally Everywhere” Hilarious How many of the negative mentions come from tourists who have been here or are considering coming? You even mention this forum which I already mentioned as being a source of negative mentions. I wonder how many of the negative mentions on the other platforms are the same people who post on this forum? I tried looking again and found one UK paper that appeared to mention Thailand’s mask mandate in a negative way but it was dated January 2022 and the full article was behind a paywall.

[Highlandman]

24 minutes ago, Viggen8408 said:

Not in the big centres anyway. Masks have always been a 'personal' thing for Thais in Bangkok in public. Can't relate that to home usage, but those close around me now, I suspect are wearing masks to bed (alone). I know one wears her mask while driving to and from work in her car... alone. Friggin' drama queen!

Define "always". Since March 2020 - absolutely.

I know what you mean - I see this one woman in my moo baan who is always masked while exercising. She never ever leaves her house without one on.

I also know of several neighbors who wear them at home and always put one on (if they're not already wearing it) to receive mail and parcels delivered to their homes.

[astro]

1 hour ago, Highlandman said:

Thai traditionalism and conservatism is similar to western liberal snowflakism.

Nah, similar attitude to Western rightwing nutters:

Fearful of anything unknown, unwilling to change what's no longer required and the need to dictate and be in control.

Hence, I don't see the mask mandate disappear any time soon.

[Stevejm]

1 hour ago, Highlandman said:

They're right and masks are a huge concern. A lot of people are going to Vietnam and other countries where mask wearing isn't the state religion as it is in Thailand.

Really? How many tourists have visited Vietnam since they reopened to tourists without Covid testing requirements in Mid May?

[Highlandman]

Just now, Stevejm said:

“Literally Everywhere” Hilarious How many of the negative mentions come from tourists who have been here or are considering coming? You even mention this forum which I already mentioned as being a source of negative mentions. I wonder how many of the negative mentions on the other platforms are the same people who post on this forum? I tried looking again and found one UK paper that appeared to mention Thailand’s mask mandate in a negative way but it was dated January 2022 and the full article was behind a paywall.

Not many international sources that aren't connected with Thailand in a personal way are interested in, or even realize how strict Thailand's mask mandate is, which is the strictest in the world. It's also the longest lasting and most complied with. Only other countries with similar levels of enforcement and compliance are the Philippines, Taiwan and Hong Kong. At one time or another, other countries were similarly strict (for example Qatar) but those countries ended all mask mandates, even indoors, months ago.

Even Chinese people are puzzled how Thailand's mask mandate is so much stricter than their own (outside of outbreak zones). My Chinese friend who's a school teacher in a rural part of Yunnan province hasn't had to wear a mask since June 2020!! Except for one short period of time last year when the mask mandate was re-instated (for a week or two), his school has been mask-free for 2 years now. He also doesn't need to wear a mask anywhere in town except on public transportation or at the airport.

If you remember back to 2020, on August 1, 2020, Phang-nga reinforced its mask mandate for all settings because ONE DJ in Bangkok got Covid. This is totalitarianism on steroids.

The reason why you think only "tourists" are complaining (when it's actually most expats as well) is because you're biased, as a masker yourself.

[Highlandman]

1 minute ago, Stevejm said:

Really? How many tourists have visited Vietnam since they reopened to tourists without Covid testing requirements in Mid May?

A substantial number I'm sure. Vietnam Airlines even operates non-stop flights to San Francisco.

There will never be any direct flights connecting Thailand and the USA again.

[Highlandman]

On 6/1/2022 at 8:12 PM, Stevejm said:

You don’t need a Thai policy just one that covers you for Covid in Thailand.

 I agree with your last paragraph but that applies to the whole world. Some countries are requiring booster jabs now including some European countries so travel is still more complicated than it used to be and will be much more attractive when there are no Covid related requirements. My friend recently travelled to USA and had to do an ATK witnessed by someone in USA over zoom so it’s not a perfect time to travel. Other countries like Vietnam also require insurance so it’s not just Thailand.

Vietnam isn't enforcing the insurance requirement anymore. It is in effect, gone. They're also much less strict on mask wearing than Thailand is. At one point, they were super strict but that was months ago. I hear some Vietnamese have stopped wearing masks on domestic flights despite being "mandatory".

Imagine if just one Thai stopped wearing a mask on board a domestic flight in Thailand. it would become a huge drama.

[Stevejm]

7 minutes ago, Highlandman said:

I also know of several neighbors who wear them at home and always put one on (if they're not already wearing it) to receive mail and parcels delivered to their homes.

Some people may choose to wear a mask when they interact with other people because they want to try to avoid catching it or passing it on to others. Are we now going to start bullying people for taking precautions for their own reasons? That wouldn’t be very fair would it?

[Highlandman]

On 6/3/2022 at 6:01 AM, Stevejm said:

Many ,if not most, tourists won’t know people who live here so back to my question how would potential tourists find out about the mask requirement?

I'm sure they would research it when they book their trip. THAI Airways also states that mask wearing on their flights continues to be mandatory.

[Highlandman]

On 6/3/2022 at 10:31 AM, Stevejm said:

I can only quote the people that I have actually spoken to. I wasn’t trying to suggest that no tourists know about the mask requirement just that the few that I know didn’t. Your last sentence certainly reflects my sentiments.

They must be quite ignorant because I would say the vast majority of tourists seem to be aware of it before they make the decision to come, including a few friends who just arrived here recently from Holland. I saw pictures of them on FB wearing their masks. If it were me, no way I would have come now.

One of them believes Thailand will start enforcing monkeypox PCR tests in 2 weeks time (not sure where she heard that) so decided it's "now or never" as they've been waiting to come back for more than 2 years now.

[Highlandman]

3 minutes ago, Stevejm said:

Some people may choose to wear a mask when they interact with other people because they want to try to avoid catching it or passing it on to others. Are we now going to start bullying people for taking precautions for their own reasons? That wouldn’t be very fair would it?

"Precautions" more like intense paranoia and hysteria to the point that they'll probably never be able to get back to normal.

Why is it that after all this time Thais still haven't been able to move on? They're as intensely paranoid now as they were in April 2020. Virtually no other country in the world is like this at this point in time, except for Taiwan, which is still going through a big wave, and mainland China (especially Shanghai and Beijing).

Meanwhile, in Cambodia, no one is wearing a mask outdoors (mandate lifted back in April) and most people have stopped wearing them even indoors despite the indoor mandate still being in place. However, the difference with Thailand is Cambodia ended the hysteria and fear mongering some time ago and thus they're not running away from maskless farang as Thais are still doing today.

In Vietnam, there remains an indoor and outdoor mandate. However, around half the population even in big cities like Hanoi have stopped wearing them outdoors. Even indoors, there is no longer universal compliance.

[Stevejm]

18 minutes ago, Highlandman said:

The reason why you think only "tourists" are complaining (when it's actually most expats as well) is because you're biased, as a masker yourself.

I’m a masker am I? What does that mean? I mentioned tourists because a lot of people on this forum are suggesting that tourists would avoid Thailand because of the mask mandate so I was looking to see evidence of that in comments online. BTW you forgot Singapore when talking about strict enforcement of mask mandates which they have only recently dropped. Personally I don’t complain about mask wearing because the Covid restrictions that really negatively impacted me have already been lifted and the inconvenience of masking up is trivial in comparison . However I would be very happy if the requirement was dropped and mask usage was totally voluntary like when people with colds/ flu wore masks out of consideration for others pre pandemic. That would be a true indication that endemic status has been reached.

Edited June 5, 2022 by Stevejm

[Highlandman]

On 6/3/2022 at 4:14 PM, rc1 said:

As Thais start travelling overseas again, let's hope they quickly realise they are one of literally a handful of countries in the world still wearing masks.

Need the message to to sink in both internally and externally.

Phuket just reversed a decision to drop the outdoor mandate, obviously under pressure from govt, despite only 10 reported cases a day!!

No longer any health justification for mass masking, so why are they being worn?

Watching recent Thai travel vlogs I see Thais still religiously wearing their muzzles while abroad in countries where mask rules have either been completely lifted or at least relaxed.

In particular, it's amusing seeing Thais wearing their muzzles driving their cars in Laos, where literally no one in the countryside is wearing one. The brainwashing in Thailand must be the most extreme on the planet.

I mean we are talking about the only country where they're wearing masks in the TV studio!

[Stevejm]

14 minutes ago, Highlandman said:

I'm sure they would research it when they book their trip. THAI Airways also states that mask wearing on their flights continues to be mandatory.

So do Emirates but neither mentions that masks are mandatory in country. The Thailand embassy website also doesn’t mention it and the UK Foreign Office only mentions the requirement on public transport 

[Stevejm]

9 minutes ago, Highlandman said:

Watching recent Thai travel vlogs I see Thais still religiously wearing their muzzles while abroad in countries where mask rules have either been completely lifted or at least relaxed.

In particular, it's amusing seeing Thais wearing their muzzles driving their cars in Laos, where literally no one in the countryside is wearing one. The brainwashing in Thailand must be the most extreme on the planet.

I mean we are talking about the only country where they're wearing masks in the TV studio!

The only country that has masks used in tv studios? See below.My mother still wears a mask when she goes shopping in UK as do some other elderly people. Should I be telling her that she is brainwashed or just accept that a lady in her 80s might want to avoid an unnecessary illness?

 

Edited June 5, 2022 by Faz
image in breach of FG's removed

[Highlandman]

2 minutes ago, Stevejm said:

I’m a masker am I? What does that mean? I mentioned tourists because a lot of people on this forum are suggesting that tourists would avoid Thailand because of the mask mandate so I was looking to see evidence of that in comments online. BTW you forgot Singapore when talking about strict enforcement of mask mandates which they have only recently dropped. Personally I don’t complain about mask wearing because the Covid restrictions that really negatively impacted me have already been lifted and the inconvenience of masking up is trivial in comparison . However I would be very happy if the requirement was dropped and mask usage was totally voluntary like when people with colds/ flu wore masks out of consideration for others pre pandemic. That would be a true indication that endemic status has been reached.

And those people are correct. A lot of tourists ARE avoiding Thailand for this reason.

Yes, Singapore dropped outdoor masking well over 2 months ago. They also dropped the requirement to wear one in an office setting, provided there is no interaction with the public and social distancing can be maintained.

I understand the majority of Singaporeans continue to wear masks even outdoors, except while exercising, despite there no longer being a mandate to do so. Thailand will be the same, should the mandate ever be lifted.

I didn't forget to mention Singapore - I deliberately didn't because my point stands. Thailand's mask mandate is by far the longest lasting in the world and I remembered that Singapore's mandate didn't start until April 15, 2020 and was lifted outdoors on March 29, 2022 (Thailand's started on Mar 26, 2020 and remains ongoing). I did point out Qatar as being a country with very strict mandates back in 2020 and parts of 2021, but they scrapped it months ago. Not just outdoors but everywhere I think (except maybe airports and hospitals...)

Turkey was also super strict at one point but now there is no more mask wearing even at airports. I just saw recent footage - even the staff have stopped wearing them.

[Highlandman]

1 minute ago, Stevejm said:

The only country?

This is an example of virtue signalling.

Canada has to the best of my knowledge scrapped outdoor mask wearing a long time ago (last year) with indoor mandates mostly having been scrapped too, except in limited settings and in Quebec. All other provinces no longer require them since maybe 3 or 4 months.

[Highlandman]

9 minutes ago, Stevejm said:

I’m a masker am I? What does that mean? I mentioned tourists because a lot of people on this forum are suggesting that tourists would avoid Thailand because of the mask mandate so I was looking to see evidence of that in comments online. BTW you forgot Singapore when talking about strict enforcement of mask mandates which they have only recently dropped. Personally I don’t complain about mask wearing because the Covid restrictions that really negatively impacted me have already been lifted and the inconvenience of masking up is trivial in comparison . However I would be very happy if the requirement was dropped and mask usage was totally voluntary like when people with colds/ flu wore masks out of consideration for others pre pandemic. That would be a true indication that endemic status has been reached.

You're a pro masker. So obviously these mandates don't bother you nearly as much as they bother me and judging from the other respondents on here, over 90% of us here.

[Highlandman]

On 6/3/2022 at 4:37 PM, Transam said:

Not so sure about that, Thai folk know the Japanese are pretty clever folk, and many Japanese wore masks well before covid....

 https://web-japan.org/trends/11_culture/pop202008_mask-culture.html

That is true. Japan was well known pre-Covid as the country most associated with mask wearing worldwide. I think this title may now go to Thailand.

This is because Japan has ended outdoor mask mandates and for much of Covid, their mandates were more advisory in nature as opposed to featuring draconian enforcement or punishment for non-compliance.

There is also a small but vocal group of freedom fighters in Japan who simply don't follow these sort of mandates, something that doesn't really exist in Thailand (though I am aware of a very tiny group here in Thailand, but they are so small as a group they barely register in the consciousness of the majority and even they generally mask up in settings where masking is enforced such as malls so as to not cause a scene). Meanwhile in Japan, those who don't want to mask up simply don't, without any legal or other repurcussions.

I attribute the differences in attitude due to Thailand's draconian rules under the emergency decree, whereas in Japan, the only repurcussions if any, are from a social standpoint. That being said, in recent years and decades, there has been a growing counterculture developing in Japan of non-conformists in what has traditionally been a very conformist society.

Thailand on the other hand has never struck me as a conformist society with exceptions here and there, until now, during Covid. I just can't understand how a group of people can be so afraid of a little cold so as to wear a mask on a motorcycle but no helmet.

It would make sense to me if they took everything seriously, like the Singaporeans and Taiwanese do, and thus be consistent. By comparison, in Myanmar for instance, people simply don't wear masks unless they're forced to and penalties are actively being applied. At the beginning of Covid, I expected Thailand to be like this but instead everyone complied, which is just strange because they don't comply with road rules.

[Highlandman]

On 5/31/2022 at 10:08 AM, DiJoDavO said:

Says the guy who went to America (which has higher numbers than here) without face mask

Don't these guys communicate with each other? 

Still expecting what I said a week ago lol

ROFL. You must be being sarcastic.

As much of a buffoon as Anutin is, there is no way he would ever come out with such a plan. The idea behind mask wearing continuing to remain mandatory is to control Thais, not a few foreign tourists here and there.

Anutin has said he wants to enforce mask wearing on tourists mainly because tourists aren't as religious in their mask wearing habits as Thais are.

I can assure you if the mandate is ever lifted, it will be Thais who will continue to wear them.

[Highlandman]

On 5/31/2022 at 10:49 AM, rc1 said:

Absolute madness if they don't drop it mid June. 

They'll soon be one of the only countries in the world with a broad mandate. 

They won't be dropping it in mid-June. They don't want to lose face a second time.

I think the best case scenario is a minor easing of outdoor mandates ONLY probably only in green and blue zone provinces (though these will be the majority after rezoning occurs later this month) effective July 1.

This means no more official mask mandates on beaches and at parks or anywhere social distancing is possible when outdoors.

However, this is the best we can hope for. Any further easing won't be until August, when it is possible that all provinces will be allowed to breathe freely outdoors, but not yet indoors.

It's hard to predict what they might decide beyond August, but I am sure they will drag this out for as long as possible. I can totally see Thailand as being the last country in the world to drop mask mandates (if they're ever dropped completely).