News Forum - Thailand News Today | Thailand no longer considers Covid “dangerous infectious disease”

[Stevejm]

1 hour ago, longwood50 said:

I am not blaming Thailand alone.  I think the majority of the world hit Covid with actions in the mistaken belief that they could do something to stop it.

I am not sure that countries thought they could stop it. I think in many cases they were trying to prevent hospitals becoming overwhelmed by the case load. Of course nobody back then had any idea what was going to happen but they will know next time.

[DesperateOldHand]

25 minutes ago, Stevejm said:

I am not sure that countries thought they could stop it. I think in many cases they were trying to prevent hospitals becoming overwhelmed by the case load. Of course nobody back then had any idea what was going to happen but they will know next time.

Any such next time will probably result in repeated actions.

[Stevejm]

1 hour ago, DesperateOldHand said:

Any such next time will probably result in repeated actions.

UK borrowed so much money to pay people to stay at home that they will probably be still paying off the loans from the last pandemic when the next one hits

[rc1]

8 hours ago, Stevejm said:

If people here are slow to drop the usage of masks it’s up to them isn’t it? If it helps protect infected people from breathing viruses over others it’s not a totally bad thing. I know someone who works in an international school in Bangkok who has to do an ATK twice a week so a positive test can still have serious consequences even if people don’t get ill and I won’t begrudge them doing whatever they think helps to stay virus free.

This is the thing though, they shouldn't be doing regular ATK tests as a requirement anymore.

That's not moving on. The consequences are due to a disproportionate response, not the virus itself. 

With the mass mask wearing, this is just keeping the pandemic in people's minds, while doing little to nothing to actually prevent the transmission. 

But yes overall-  it is improving, but a long way to go compared to the rest of the world. 

[Stevejm]

3 hours ago, rc1 said:

This is the thing though, they shouldn't be doing regular ATK tests as a requirement anymore.

That's not moving on. The consequences are due to a disproportionate response, not the virus itself. 

With the mass mask wearing, this is just keeping the pandemic in people's minds, while doing little to nothing to actually prevent the transmission. 

But yes overall-  it is improving, but a long way to go compared to the rest of the world. 

I agree but it’s going to be difficult with masks. Every Western government website that I looked at ( AUS, UK, US, NZ) still state that masks “ reduce” transmission of the virus and recommends that they be used in certain indoor situations ( whether anyone listens or not is a different matter).This is the latest recommendation for NZ.

https://www.health.govt.nz/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-health-advice-public/covid-19-use-face-masks-

I think it’s going to be difficult to convince people not to wear masks but at least the mandate has been dropped which is the first step in the right direction.

[rc1]

2 hours ago, Stevejm said:

.This is the latest recommendation for NZ.

https://www.health.govt.nz/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-health-advice-public/covid-19-use-face-masks-

I think it’s going to be difficult to convince people not to wear masks but at least the mandate has been dropped which is the first step in the right direction.

 

NZ has one of the most conservative settings remaining for covid in the world, only recently properly opened borders , has a 7 day isolation for household contacts, and still mandates masks in supermarkets.  

The authorities and media in Thailand need to come out and say its OK to not wear a mask, and not necessary for covid anymore.  

In the meantime, less and less people wear them everyday, but it's a slow road back to normality and seeing many smiling faces again.  

[Stevejm]

1 hour ago, rc1 said:

NZ has one of the most conservative settings remaining for covid in the world, only recently properly opened borders , has a 7 day isolation for household contacts, and still mandates masks in supermarkets.  

The authorities and media in Thailand need to come out and say its OK to not wear a mask, and not necessary for covid anymore.  

In the meantime, less and less people wear them everyday, but it's a slow road back to normality and seeing many smiling faces again.  

Yes I understand. I think the problem will be convincing people that it doesn’t matter if they get Covid. As long as people are concerned about getting it they will be likely to take precautions like wearing a mask. I think that is a difficult concept to sell because even with vaccination and less severe variants everyone that I know who has had it wouldn’t like to get it again.Maybe it will take a while. Maybe a more realistic approach is to convince people first that it isn’t necessary to wear a mask outside and take it from there.

[Chaimai]

2 hours ago, rc1 said:

NZ has one of the most conservative settings remaining for covid in the world, only recently properly opened borders , has a 7 day isolation for household contacts, and still mandates masks in supermarkets.  

The authorities and media in Thailand need to come out and say its OK to not wear a mask, and not necessary for covid anymore.  

In the meantime, less and less people wear them everyday, but it's a slow road back to normality and seeing many smiling faces again.  

 

 

They did come out and say that the wearing of masks was no longer necessary in public..........it is the caveats (plus Thai mentality) that causes confusion and the conclusion that is just easier to keep wearing a mask.

 

 

Though it is no longer necessary to wear a mask in Thailand, the new rule comes with some conditions, Deputy Public Health Minister Satit Pitutecha said on Friday.

“Those in the high-risk group, unvaccinated persons and patients must also wear a facemask when close to others.”

 

 

The Interior Ministry, meanwhile, has tasked all provincial governors to make locals aware of the conditions behind the lifting of the mask mandate to prevent a misunderstanding that people can now remove their mask anywhere.

“People need to be aware that the pandemic has not ended, and that facemasks still provide protection,” Interior Ministry’s permanent-secretary Suttipong Juljarern said on Friday.

“Only fully vaccinated persons in non-high-risk groups can go mask-free in public places, though facemasks will still be required in certain places like air-conditioned buildings, entertainment venues, hospitals, public gatherings and in areas with poor ventilation.”

 

 

 

 

[Stevejm]

2 hours ago, Chaimai said:

They did come out and say that the wearing of masks was no longer necessary in public..........it is the caveats (plus Thai mentality) that causes confusion and the conclusion that is just easier to keep wearing a mask.

Though it is no longer necessary to wear a mask in Thailand, the new rule comes with some conditions, Deputy Public Health Minister Satit Pitutecha said on Friday.

 

“Those in the high-risk group, unvaccinated persons and patients must also wear a facemask when close to others.”

The Interior Ministry, meanwhile, has tasked all provincial governors to make locals aware of the conditions behind the lifting of the mask mandate to prevent a misunderstanding that people can now remove their mask anywhere.

“People need to be aware that the pandemic has not ended, and that facemasks still provide protection,” Interior Ministry’s permanent-secretary Suttipong Juljarern said on Friday.

“Only fully vaccinated persons in non-high-risk groups can go mask-free in public places, though facemasks will still be required in certain places like air-conditioned buildings, entertainment venues, hospitals, public gatherings and in areas with poor ventilation.”

Perhaps they should have a campaign to tell people not to wear masks outside as a starting point. They can say that tourists might not like the optics.

[rc1]

13 hours ago, Stevejm said:

Perhaps they should have a campaign to tell people not to wear masks outside as a starting point. They can say that tourists might not like the optics.

They need campaigns for sure. The government and officials need to lead by example and stop wearing masks in their briefings and appearances.

Each individual can make a difference by - choosing not to wear one, and discussing with their friends and family why it's no longer needed in most settings, for most people. 

[Janneman]

On 8/20/2022 at 1:25 PM, Stevejm said:

I am not sure that countries thought they could stop it. I think in many cases they were trying to prevent hospitals becoming overwhelmed by the case load. Of course nobody back then had any idea what was going to happen but they will know next time.

I was on the Azores when Covid arrived. One of the few places in the world that did stop it. They just halted all arrivals and departures with either boats or planes. After 5 months they opened up, and 3 months later they had Covid all over the islands.

Being stranded like that was actually quite nice. Good food, nice weather, lots of hikes, beaches, volcanoes... And I was like the only tourist on each island I visited

[Stevejm]

6 hours ago, rc1 said:

They need campaigns for sure. The government and officials need to lead by example and stop wearing masks in their briefings and appearances.

Each individual can make a difference by - choosing not to wear one, and discussing with their friends and family why it's no longer needed in most settings, for most people. 

It may be difficult to change old habits as the only thing that has really changed is the mandate. The virus is still everywhere and if people don’t want to get it they may feel that continuing to wear a mask is still worthwhile. I found an interesting recent article on the subject of mask wearing in Asia.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-01/japan-singapore-south-korea-omicron-wave-and-mask-wearing-impact/101266844?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web

If people don’t mind wearing masks what reason can the government give to people to stop wearing them when the reason for wearing them is still present?

[rc1]

7 hours ago, Stevejm said:

It may be difficult to change old habits as the only thing that has really changed is the mandate. The virus is still everywhere and if people don’t want to get it they may feel that continuing to wear a mask is still worthwhile. I found an interesting recent article on the subject of mask wearing in Asia.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-01/japan-singapore-south-korea-omicron-wave-and-mask-wearing-impact/101266844?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web

If people don’t mind wearing masks what reason can the government give to people to stop wearing them when the reason for wearing them is still present?

That article is a jumbled mess . Those countries have been getting much higher cases and transmission recently, despite mass mask wearing, vs countries that do not wear masks at all. Japan has been recording over 200,000 cases a day. 

The reason the government can give is-  it is simply no longer necessary, and almost every other country in the world has stopped doing it.

Thailand doesn't want to become a nation of permanent "face pants"  wearers, as mentioned Japan is, not that it is doing them any good!!! 

[Stevejm]

2 hours ago, rc1 said:

That article is a jumbled mess . Those countries have been getting much higher cases and transmission recently, despite mass mask wearing, vs countries that do not wear masks at all. Japan has been recording over 200,000 cases a day. 

Actually Singapore cases are dropping but Korea and Japan are going up.

I think telling people that it is no longer necessary will take a long time to get across because people know that the virus is still everywhere which is why I suggested that starting by saying that wearing masks outside is unnecessary might be a good idea.

Oddly enough Ireland is running TV ads reminding people that the pandemic is not over and asking them to continue taking precautions like mask wearing inside, hand washing and distancing for the benefit of people who may have underlying health issues than your personal protection but they are probably unique in taking that approach.