News Forum - Back to the future – the resistance to taking off masks in Thailand | OPINION

[Thaiger]

Walking along the streets of Bangkok this morning I may as well be in a time loop. There was only one person not wearing a mask as I walked to breakfast. Me. Everyone else, everyone, was wearing a face mask, just like over the past 2 years and 2 months. It was 7.30am, it’s not as if it was busy. Some sort of campaign to encourage Thais to remove their masks will certainly be needed to ween them off the habit. The new Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt did his bit yesterday inviting the media to his morning run at Lumpini […]

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[rc1]

Great piece Tim.

No one should be discriminated against for choosing not to wear a mask, when it is now a voluntary measure.

In addition, private businesses should not be making these 'rules' (unenforceable though they may be)  when the government has now said, they are no longer necessary for public health. 

Recommending is fine, but mandating is over.

As for the ban on eating/drinking on domestic flights - why is that in place now? Ludicrous. Time for it to go.

This will all change, it will be slow.  But everyone can do their bit day by day , by exercising their right to live their lives without face coverings - should that be their personal choice.  I would add, if they are more comfortable in a mask, wear it, but do start to ask yourself, why?

 

 

 

[Faraday]

I was in town (udon thani) at 08:30 having breakfast, & the majority of people were still masked up.

Perhaps they don't know that masks don't need to worn?

[Scarface]

It's a country of hypochondriacs...let's face it they like wearing them. Odd people, but I suppose that makes me even more odd as I've ended up living among them.

[palooka]

How about only the beautiful girls have to remove their masks?

Beetle nut suckers can keep them on.

[Oracle]

2 friends traveled in Bangkok last week, fully vaccinated, not into nightlife and in an upscale hotel.  Both tested positive for Covid 4 days after arrival.  I'll arrive next week, and I'll wear a mask in public transport (rail/taxis) and public indoor areas (malls/elevators).  Don't care what others think.

[mrengthai]

I've had exactly the same experience whilst walking around the streets near my condo in the Chatuchak area.

I walked past many Thais, most of whom were walking alone with nobody within 5m of them and ALL were wearing masks.

These same people will no doubt be more than welcome to sit in a small restaurant with many other maskless people in close proximity, it's truly bewildering to me.

[Guest1]

1 hour ago, palooka said:

How about only the beautiful girls have to remove their masks?

Beetle nut suckers can keep them on.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As we can watch at ever sexy selfie photo shot! 

[riclag]

37 minutes ago, Oracle said:

2 friends traveled in Bangkok last week, fully vaccinated, not into nightlife and in an upscale hotel.  Both tested positive for Covid 4 days after arrival.  I'll arrive next week, and I'll wear a mask in public transport (rail/taxis) and public indoor areas (malls/elevators).  Don't care what others think.

Now if only the sick( walking spreaders) would concur!

[Cabra]

The news of no mask required, while most welcomed, is being accompanied by news of new omnicron variants being detected in THA and of increased hospitalizations. The mayor of Bk can jog all day without his mask but most Thais are still be scared into submission by the media. 

[Richard1944]

Considering its no longer needed to have a mask on in public, looks like everyone loves and prefers to keep it on, am sure when the tourists arrive they will be surprised to see no land of the the smiles as promoted, Thailand is the only country in the world that is masked up, even is no longer mandated to.

Maybe we need a new mandate to take the masks off so fresh exygen can start to repair the lungs.

[DiJoDavO]

"So what the hell had changed since the big announcement. According to my experience over the past 3 days – not much at all." 

What has changed is that I can now put it off finally. You'll see some people walking without mask even at busy places. But yeah the majority still wears it. Just a few will put it off already. I guess for others it'll take a bit of time. 

[DiJoDavO]

3 hours ago, Cabra said:

The news of no mask required, while most welcomed, is being accompanied by news of new omnicron variants being detected in THA and of increased hospitalizations. The mayor of Bk can jog all day without his mask but most Thais are still be scared into submission by the media. 

2 years of fear porn really messed people up. Getting people to take off the masks will require the same hardcore 24/7 propaganda as that time they were scaring the shit out of everyone. But then do it against masks. 

The funny but sad part is that just like some people here, most Thai people somehow don't want to embrace the good news. Only the terrible news, and will even ignore all the good news parts. 

[Metoo]

I'd put money on it being a year before they remove them. 

[Richard1944]

Am sure all those who keep the mask on won't do it forever, or will they ?

[Pinetree]

I worked for a good few years in both Taiwan and Hong Kong, many years before covid.  In both countries, and in Japan, mask wearing was common place.  Covid has only reinforced this typical behavior and it will take a great deal to change that habit here in Thailand. It may well be here for good.  

[Grumpish]

One place I may continue wearing a mask - outdoors in Bangkok. But that is down to the air quality, normally I have a bad cough within a couple of days there but my last visit back in December, wearing a mask all the time, nothing at all. 

[Faraday]

Spent most of the day around town, shopping, eating & buying clothes for my lovely gf in Central.

Got quite a few looks from the bemasked, & people were still checking their temperature at the entrance.

I can only summise that they just don't know masks aren't required, apart from gubbermint buildings etc.

NB. My first sentence reads as if I was eating clothes.

I wasn't.

But thought I'd clarify this, as bluesofa will no doubt be shaking his head at me poor grammer.

@Bluesofa

[oldschooler]

9 hours ago, Scarface said:

It's a country of hypochondriacs...let's face it they like wearing them. Odd people, but I suppose that makes me even more odd as I've ended up living among them.

Bad mistake to live in close proximity to Thais. Noise dogs parking pollution rubbish etc 

[Chatogaster]

This week, the rule to wear masks that was in place for 100+ weeks was retracted. Within days, an opinion piece appears, complaining about the majority of people still wearing masks and how that collective behavior triggers the author to have a feeling of being a pariah (implying that that is a problem that is due to everybody except the author him/herself), to which I can only say: relax! There's also a suggestion in the article that mask wearing by the public could be a detrimental to the influx of tourists, to which I can only say: get realistic.

[Scarface]

1 hour ago, oldschooler said:

Bad mistake to live in close proximity to Thais. Noise dogs parking pollution rubbish etc 

Erh, I actually meant as in living in Thailand, obviously. I take your point about noisy dogs though.

 

Don't tell me, you have it all worked out?

[PapayaBokBok]

the non stop white male diatribe of grievance over a damn face covering is stunningly pathetic to me....

but not one word about putting on underwear --or socks--or a shirt.....what a bunch of crybabies smh

[Skip]

17 hours ago, Oracle said:

2 friends traveled in Bangkok last week, fully vaccinated, not into nightlife and in an upscale hotel.  Both tested positive for Covid 4 days after arrival.  I'll arrive next week, and I'll wear a mask in public transport (rail/taxis) and public indoor areas (malls/elevators).  Don't care what others think.

Good for you... I will be the one without the mask

[Fanta]

Freedom of choice is a good thing. Expecting others to conform to your choice is a bad thing.

[Chaimai]

51 minutes ago, Skip said:

Good for you... I will be the one without the mask

 

 

Nobody cares.

 

Up to you.