News Forum - Thailand drops outdoor face mask requirement

[Tim_Melb]

3 minutes ago, dbrenn said:

A case of mass hysteria 

No it's a fact. 

[Stevejm]

32 minutes ago, Transam said:

Oh, you're not a Brit then......

With a name like Transam I suspect American. Presume you were talking about the 60s/ 70s sitcom

[Stevejm]

11 minutes ago, Tim_Melb said:

No it's a fact. 

A lot of people seem to want to diminish the seriousness of Covid for some reason. I don’t really understand why.

[Cabra]

1 hour ago, dbrenn said:

learn from it so that it isn't repeated unnecessarily. History isn't on our side though

Historically, not one on the human races strong points. We are better at learning after doing something right rather than after doing something wrong. Here is to a better future

[Soidog]

18 hours ago, Stevejm said:

That’s not fair he might have a medical condition that makes it uncomfortable.

I know and have seen many people in the U.K. claim to have medical reasons why they can’t wear masks. On trains and other public transport, any member of staff who claims not to be able to wear a mask even has an official looking exempt badge they wear. What struck me however, was I’ve never seen this in Thailand. Whatever strange and unusual medical conditions these Europeans have doesn’t seem to affect SE Asian people. Odd that isn’t it

[Stevejm]

12 minutes ago, Soidog said:

I know and have seen many people in the U.K. claim to have medical reasons why they can’t wear masks. On trains and other public transport, any member of staff who claims not to be able to wear a mask even has an official looking exempt badge they wear. What struck me however, was I’ve never seen this in Thailand. Whatever strange and unusual medical conditions these Europeans have doesn’t seem to affect SE Asian people. Odd that isn’t it

The expat in question could potentially have used that excuse if he had a medical excuse. Conversely I remember a report where Noel Gallagher was challenged on a train because he wasn’t wearing a mask and his excuse was that there was no point in him wearing a mask because everyone else was wearing one so there were no viruses floating around for him to inhale. Entitled and stupid. What a combination! You could also download exemption cards to print out from the NHS even though they weren’t legally required and I know people who used them just to be different. ( mainly scousers)

[HolyCowCm]

15 hours ago, dbrenn said:

Quite. We fought various bloody wars to be free from government interference in our lives, starting from the tradition of the Magna Carta. Those who are worried about catching the lurgy are very welcome to isolate themselves. Nobody is forcing them to go out. 

Flimsy, leaky cloth masks don't do anything anyway, beyond being a badge of compliance. 

 

So with this logic it would reason to gather that surgeons should just do surgery on everyone without masks or rubber gloves and a head covering.

Today as flying back to CM from BKK I was really glad that masks were mandatory and the staff on board made many checks and told everyone who had their mask down or off to put them back them on.  One person 2 rows behind me has a sneezing fit and the foreigner girl sitting next to me a cold (sinus congestion and excessive mucus with runny nose. Not her fault but it did make me more comfortable knowing the germs had some sort of barrier. But I just came off of a trip in the Phuket Krabi area. No one is wearing masks, and yest it did feel good to pretend to be back to normal.

 

[dbrenn]

29 minutes ago, HolyCowCm said:

So with this logic it would reason to gather that surgeons should just do surgery on everyone without masks or rubber gloves and a head covering.

Today as flying back to CM from BKK I was really glad that masks were mandatory and the staff on board made many checks and told everyone who had their mask down or off to put them back them on.  One person 2 rows behind me has a sneezing fit and the foreigner girl sitting next to me a cold (sinus congestion and excessive mucus with runny nose. Not her fault but it did make me more comfortable knowing the germs had some sort of barrier. But I just came off of a trip in the Phuket Krabi area. No one is wearing masks, and yest it did feel good to pretend to be back to normal.

Don't go out. You'll worry less.

[HolyCowCm]

4 minutes ago, dbrenn said:

Don't go out. You'll worry less.

Had covid twice already. Both D and O. All I am saying is I felt I had more of a chance being protected on the flight not getting the girls cold if it was that or the sneezer's germs 2 rows back with everyone havoing maskes on in a sealed tube like an aircraft. 

I also did say that in the south on my holiday that just ended 4 days ago ( 7 days total) was great because we were all able to disregard the masks as 90% of everyone was maskless in the open outside. Phuklet to Krabi and islands. Not worrying but I find masks do create some sort of a shield barrier against germs going out or from being ingested. Not living in a bubble. I was also just in Issan the last 3 days and everyone there where I was at was wearing masks. Totally different vibe and thing there.

[dbrenn]

1 hour ago, HolyCowCm said:

Had covid twice already. Both D and O. All I am saying is I felt I had more of a chance being protected on the flight not getting the girls cold if it was that or the sneezer's germs 2 rows back with everyone havoing maskes on in a sealed tube like an aircraft. 

I also did say that in the south on my holiday that just ended 4 days ago ( 7 days total) was great because we were all able to disregard the masks as 90% of everyone was maskless in the open outside. Phuklet to Krabi and islands. Not worrying but I find masks do create some sort of a shield barrier against germs going out or from being ingested. Not living in a bubble. I was also just in Issan the last 3 days and everyone there where I was at was wearing masks. Totally different vibe and thing there.

Apparently, the risk of catching bugs on aircraft is lower than it seems.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10918293/amp/Qantas-calls-masks-scrapped-international-flights.html

Of course the boss of Qantas might have a vested interest, but he does quote some science on HEPA filters, people facing the same way, etc.

Air tends to move towards the back of aircraft, because that's where the exit valves are, so I wouldn't worry about the girl a couple of rows back sneezing. 

[hardright]

I don't see a problem. Except of course the vigilant mask wearers will now not be able to give the ole stink eye to the terrible non mask wearers. 

[Stevejm]

55 minutes ago, dbrenn said:

Apparently, the risk of catching bugs on aircraft is lower than it seems.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10918293/amp/Qantas-calls-masks-scrapped-international-flights.html

Of course the boss of Qantas might have a vested interest, but he does quote some science on HEPA filters, people facing the same way, etc.

Air tends to move towards the back of aircraft, because that's where the exit valves are, so I wouldn't worry about the girl a couple of rows back sneezing. 

It’s interesting that the requirement to wear masks is dependent on the requirements of the destination but “Qantas passengers travelling overseas must still show proof of vaccination”

[dbrenn]

5 minutes ago, Stevejm said:

It’s interesting that the requirement to wear masks is dependent on the requirements of the destination but “Qantas passengers travelling overseas must still show proof of vaccination”

Agreed. Covid rules have been arbitrary from the start. In Oz, people still had to scan QR codes everywhere, even when there were 100,000 covid cases per day, and the NSW state government admitted it had given up on contact tracing. The reason given was that it "made people feel safe". 

So much for following the science. 

[Stevejm]

1 hour ago, dbrenn said:

Agreed. Covid rules have been arbitrary from the start. In Oz, people still had to scan QR codes everywhere, even when there were 100,000 covid cases per day, and the NSW state government admitted it had given up on contact tracing. The reason given was that it "made people feel safe". 

So much for following the science. 

The UK spent billions developing a “ world leading” contact tracing scheme ( that turned out to be useless) by awarding contracts to unqualified, well connected companies ( same for testing and PPE contracts). Sounds more like following the money than the science to me. To mitigate the loss they are even looking at burning the PPE to generate power!!

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jun/10/4bn-of-nhs-covid-ppe-to-be-burned-as-it-is-unusable-says-committee-report

Edited June 19, 2022 by Stevejm

[Stevejm]

1 hour ago, Transam said:

The Guardian really is an ant-everything rag, they just dig for "I told you so"....

As for the Gov giving business to chums, I suspect any big company/boss that can provide speed for a supply request, do not belong to the Labour Party.... 

How about parliament’s own records then? Many other sources for that story not just the Guardian.

https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/127/public-accounts-committee/news/171306/4-billion-of-unusable-ppe-bought-in-first-year-of-pandemic-will-be-burnt-to-generate-power/

Or how about TI’s reporting

https://www.transparency.org.uk/COVID-contracts-conflict-2020-2021-year-corruption-took-centre-stage

PS It’s easy to commit to supply orders quickly if you don’t supply usable equipment but still get paid

Edited June 19, 2022 by Stevejm

[riclag]

7 hours ago, dbrenn said:

Don't go out. You'll worry less.

For me a sneeze has always been concerning , more so now !

But I understand the cons and pros

Hopefully people who are ill will dawn a mask( doubt it ) and those who feel the necessity to wear one ,up to her,( like my wife)  will too.

[Fundok]

On 6/17/2022 at 6:41 PM, Rookiescot said:

Yes of course. Why should you be minorly inconvenienced in order to protect others.   

It's, as always, a matter of balance. How many of those being particulary vulnerable are really and effectively protected if everyone (how many?) is obliged to wear masks? Outdoors the risk to get infected is typically neglible as the aerosols containing the virus are disbursed (save for large congestions i.e. sport venues or densely crowded places). Given the minimal risk and the huge number of people affected by the outdoor mask mandate its removal was long overdue. Those with special conditions are free to wear masks as they deem appropriate.

[AdvocatusDiaboli]

On 6/17/2022 at 4:34 PM, Thaiger said:

Today, Thailand’s Covid-19 taskforce announced that face masks will no longer required in airy, outdoor spaces in Thailand. The change will come into effect upon its publication in the Royal Gazette, probably on July 1.

News Forum - Thailand drops outdoor face mask requirement

Bad title, as Thailand is dropping the Mask requirement, ….. it hasn’t dropped it. Definitely a click bait title.

[KaptainRob]

 

Note well

The perpetrators of the ~20 off-topic posts just removed are short-listed for holidays if this occurs again in the News section.  Read the rules guys and please respect those who wish to read commentary that's ON TOPIC.

THANKYOU

[Dmitrii]

On 6/17/2022 at 11:48 AM, notpoor said:

suffer from wearing a flimsy mask for a few minutes? it's all in your mind. 

*Offensive comment removed *

Moderator 

Probably he meant wearing a real mask like N95 or KN95?

It feels very different when you wear a N95 mask.

[Highlandman]

On 6/18/2022 at 4:30 PM, Soidog said:

I know and have seen many people in the U.K. claim to have medical reasons why they can’t wear masks. On trains and other public transport, any member of staff who claims not to be able to wear a mask even has an official looking exempt badge they wear. What struck me however, was I’ve never seen this in Thailand. Whatever strange and unusual medical conditions these Europeans have doesn’t seem to affect SE Asian people. Odd that isn’t it

SE Asia (especially Thailand) is "one size fits all". It's a socialist, dictatorial mindset here. The government and private businesses openly discriminate against those who can't wear masks.

I've heard stories of parents going shopping at Villa Market being told their newborn babies must be masked or they will be booted from the store.

Also, SE Asians don't know they have individual rights or the right to bodily autonomy. Europeans do.

The mindset is different. SE Asians blindly follow orders, Europeans generally ask questions and rebel against perceived injustices or "over the top" dictates.

I should point out that not all SE Asian countries are alike. I've noticed in Myanmar, Laos and during various times even in Vietnam, locals don't universally follow masking rules. Thailand is an extreme example of over the top conditioning, which you won't see in most neighboring countries.

In 2020, hardly anyone wore a mask outdoors in Laos, and even indoors it didn't really catch on (except on board domestic flights) until around April 2021, when the government implemented a second lockdown.

In Vietnam, after strictly enforcing masks before even Thailand did beginning in February 2020 and especially between March and May, by June nearly everyone stopped wearing masks, even in some hospitals! This same pattern has played out whenever the authorities stop strictly enforcing them following each wave. The longest period of strict adherence to mask wearing began between February and April 2021 and ended around April of this year, when the Vietnamese quickly started ditching masks, despite the mandate still being in force.

Burmese people largely stopped wearing masks outdoors over a year ago and even indoors, there's not much mask wearing going on except in major cities like Yangon, but even there it's not 100%. Some people will enter malls and indoor spaces maskless, and that seem to be no problem, unlike in Thailand where it's viewed akin to a "crime".

[Highlandman]

On 6/18/2022 at 7:49 AM, JJJ said:

Yay! So they removed a mask mandate that wasn’t really a mandate even though they threatened you with fines and ridiculously forced news readers (some of who were reading the news alone) to wear a mask on tv to virtue signal. 

Also the difference when it’s required and not required is so vague

These medicrats have so little credibility with a substantial swath of the population they might never be listened to again.  

Anutin stated recently that news readers were never forced to wear their muzzles on screen. Within hours of that, most news stations promptly removed them.

Obviously it was about virtue signaling, but probably a decision made by TV stations not the government.

There is one guy with a segment on Voice TV who never wore a mask on screen (nor did his guests) and he was the only one who openly questioned all of this.

Edited June 22, 2022 by Highlandman

[Highlandman]

On 6/18/2022 at 7:58 AM, rc1 said:

Lets hope the TV news readers actually take off the masks now.............

The majority did, as of June 8th soon after Anutin told them in an interview "the government never forced you to wear masks on screen".

[Stevejm]

1 hour ago, Highlandman said:

SE Asia (especially Thailand) is "one size fits all". It's a socialist, dictatorial mindset here. The government and private businesses openly discriminate against those who can't wear masks.

I've heard stories of parents going shopping at Villa Market being told their newborn babies must be masked or they will be booted from the store.

Also, SE Asians don't know they have individual rights or the right to bodily autonomy. Europeans do.

The mindset is different. SE Asians blindly follow orders, Europeans generally ask questions and rebel against perceived injustices or "over the top" dictates.

I should point out that not all SE Asian countries are alike. I've noticed in Myanmar, Laos and during various times even in Vietnam, locals don't universally follow masking rules. Thailand is an extreme example of over the top conditioning, which you won't see in most neighboring countries.

In 2020, hardly anyone wore a mask outdoors in Laos, and even indoors it didn't really catch on (except on board domestic flights) until around April 2021, when the government implemented a second lockdown.

In Vietnam, after strictly enforcing masks before even Thailand did beginning in February 2020 and especially between March and May, by June nearly everyone stopped wearing masks, even in some hospitals! This same pattern has played out whenever the authorities stop strictly enforcing them following each wave. The longest period of strict adherence to mask wearing began between February and April 2021 and ended around April of this year, when the Vietnamese quickly started ditching masks, despite the mandate still being in force.

Burmese people largely stopped wearing masks outdoors over a year ago and even indoors, there's not much mask wearing going on except in major cities like Yangon, but even there it's not 100%. Some people will enter malls and indoor spaces maskless, and that seem to be no problem, unlike in Thailand where it's viewed akin to a "crime".

Socialist? You must be American. Americans don’t seem to be able to distinguish between countries which enact social policies ( like universal health care) and communism.. I’ve heard stories from UK where people have refused to wear masks on a train because there is no point if everyone else is wearing them. Is that individual rights or selfishness. The later being apparent in spades in the west. Many people in SE Asia wore masks pre pandemic if they had to go out when they had a cold. Is that blindly following or consideration for others?

Edited June 22, 2022 by Stevejm
Typo

[Stevejm]

2 hours ago, Highlandman said:

SE Asia (especially Thailand) is "one size fits all". It's a socialist, dictatorial mindset here. The government and private businesses openly discriminate against those who can't wear masks.

I've heard stories of parents going shopping at Villa Market being told their newborn babies must be masked or they will be booted from the store.

Also, SE Asians don't know they have individual rights or the right to bodily autonomy. Europeans do.

The mindset is different. SE Asians blindly follow orders, Europeans generally ask questions and rebel against perceived injustices or "over the top" dictates.

I should point out that not all SE Asian countries are alike. I've noticed in Myanmar, Laos and during various times even in Vietnam, locals don't universally follow masking rules. Thailand is an extreme example of over the top conditioning, which you won't see in most neighboring countries.

In 2020, hardly anyone wore a mask outdoors in Laos, and even indoors it didn't really catch on (except on board domestic flights) until around April 2021, when the government implemented a second lockdown.

In Vietnam, after strictly enforcing masks before even Thailand did beginning in February 2020 and especially between March and May, by June nearly everyone stopped wearing masks, even in some hospitals! This same pattern has played out whenever the authorities stop strictly enforcing them following each wave. The longest period of strict adherence to mask wearing began between February and April 2021 and ended around April of this year, when the Vietnamese quickly started ditching masks, despite the mandate still being in force.

Burmese people largely stopped wearing masks outdoors over a year ago and even indoors, there's not much mask wearing going on except in major cities like Yangon, but even there it's not 100%. Some people will enter malls and indoor spaces maskless, and that seem to be no problem, unlike in Thailand where it's viewed akin to a "crime".

Didn’t you used to complain about the outdoor mask mandate and now it’s been dropped you are complaining about the historical compliance with it. Surely it’s time to move on with life and forget about the past. Mask mandate, TP, insurance, pre flight tests and test and go have all been dropped now which are all positive steps so I think it’s time to move on and look to the future.