Officials reluctant to cancel Phuket sandbox, lifeline for desperate locals

[Paco]

6 minutes ago, Stardust said:

He ordered that covid stops in 4 weeks

Yeah let him stand in front of the covid and demand it at least we get rid of him

[Stardust]

4 hours ago, Objectivance said:

Peanut has arrived, stay in your rooms.

There must be a new variant of covid where you loose your mind not only your smell and taste.

[BlueSphinx]

4 minutes ago, Stardust said:

There must be a new variant of covid where you loose your mind not only your smell and taste.

Yes, it's Covidia Nervosa, a recently identified mental disorder.  Not to be confused with Covid-19, a relatively rare and easily treatable disease of the epithelium caused by the human-created SARS-CoV-2 virus. 

 

More info on causes, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of that debilitating disease can be found on this link, posted on the Controversial Covid Corner

https://thethaiger.com/talk/topic/2081-ccc-the-controversial-covid-corner/?do=findComment&comment=20974

[Objectivance]

13 minutes ago, Stardust said:

There must be a new variant of covid where you loose your mind not only your smell and taste.

Oh f*ck, loose mind, aka malleable thought!

[dmacarelli]

1 hour ago, triplebogey said:

That be true but it does not exist. There are not enough fully vaccinated locals with a real vaccine to handle the tourists. so at this time to say no restrictions is a pipe dream. in addition by their own numbers we are out of control with the local population. every plan that comes to mind starts with the IF that is never good. If we had the vaccine if we had the people properly vaccinated, if all the tourists were truly vaccinated and virus free, if the government had approached this problem as a problem and not a money grab. see this is going nowhere. the end result is obvious be aware of the facts and make a valued decision to come to the island or not. choice is up to the tourist. do your homework and do not complain. there are many other places in the world to go, and maybe when the people in charge see that they will change their ways maybe not.

So you are validating my contention, that the tourists would be the ones taking the risk, correct? And if so, why the restrictions on them, at all, now that Thailand is becoming it's own Covid hell?

[Bluesofa]

1 hour ago, Stardust said:

He ordered that covid stops in 4 weeks

Ah, King Canute of Covid. I see it must have ignored him before as he was 'self-isolating' last week.

[TobyAndrews]

5 hours ago, Stonker said:

You're right in theory, @Malc-Thai, but it's just not possible in practice.

How about all the delivery drivers?

Until people country-wide are vaccinated it's simply not possible, and all you're doing is polishing doggy-do.

All delivery driver should be people that have had two vaccinations. Isn't that logical?

Delivery driver meet many people over long distances. I doubt there are many delivery drivers visiting Phuket any way, and they are likely to be the same drivers every time. They should just make sure these few are vaccinated.

[TobyAndrews]

2 hours ago, Guevara said:

It may not be necessary to cancel the sandbox. According to Good Morning Thailand, cancellations for August alone are approximately 50%. If this figure increases, the sandbox could die a natural death. Mishandled and poorly thought through from the word go. The so called lockdown has been a farce from the beginning, pseudo, half hearted attempt at containing the spread. Still, Prayut is confident it will all be over in 2-3 weeks (maybe 4 weeks).

Is that right cancelations of 50% for August? Well the word is out. Tourists that intended to come have seen arrivals before them go into quarantine even though they were not contagious.

Some tourists in Phuket have just given up and gone home. Phuket is closing down, plus this latest rip off claim.

The scheme is failing and it is entirely Thailand's fault.

Take the simple matter of the costs of the tests. A blatant Thai rip off, yet the Thais in their arrogance think tourists were so in love with Thailand they would ignore the rip off. What they did not detect was most of those that arrived were persons who needed to arrive and not tourists.

 

[Stonker]

46 minutes ago, TobyAndrews said:

All delivery driver should be people that have had two vaccinations. Isn't that logical?

Delivery driver meet many people over long distances. I doubt there are many delivery drivers visiting Phuket any way, and they are likely to be the same drivers every time. They should just make sure these few are vaccinated.

Logical, yes.

 

Possible, no.

 

There simply aren't enough people vaccinated to keep Phuket going.

[Stonker]

5 hours ago, EdwardV said:

Except for the fact only a couple have tested positive upon arrival. Most test positive on the 2nd or 3rd test and per the article on this site. It’s thought most of those were infected in Phuket.

"Thought" by whom?

 

I'm not saying it's wrong, but if it's correct then those arriving are catching Covid quicker than anyone else here, and they may as well be holidaying unvaccinated in a chicken factory in Nakhon Nowhere, not fully vaccinated in an SHA+  hotel where the staff are all allegedly fully vaccinated on an island where 70% of the population are also allegedly fully vaccinated.

 

If they're catching Covid at that rate, that quickly, then there's a much bigger problem on Phuket than a shortage of tourists.

5 hours ago, EdwardV said:

Regardless that wasn’t my point. It was if Thailand’s only real concern is the welfare of the local businesses, then you should make it easier to arrive. 

Agreed, but how can that be the only real  concern?  If it is, then you may as well ignore Covid and just pretend everything's normal.

[Stonker]

2 hours ago, triplebogey said:

That be true but it does not exist. There are not enough fully vaccinated locals with a real vaccine to handle the tourists. so at this time to say no restrictions is a pipe dream. in addition by their own numbers we are out of control with the local population. every plan that comes to mind starts with the IF that is never good. If we had the vaccine if we had the people properly vaccinated, if all the tourists were truly vaccinated and virus free, if the government had approached this problem as a problem and not a money grab. see this is going nowhere. the end result is obvious be aware of the facts and make a valued decision to come to the island or not. choice is up to the tourist. do your homework and do not complain. there are many other places in the world to go, and maybe when the people in charge see that they will change their ways maybe not.

Spot on, @triplebogey.

 

If Covid had never happened, if Harry Potter was real, etc.

[triplebogey]

1 hour ago, dmacarelli said:

So you are validating my contention, that the tourists would be the ones taking the risk, correct? And if so, why the restrictions on them, at all, now that Thailand is becoming it's own Covid hell?

I do not see how starting every thought with the word IF gives you validation. I am of the thought that I do not invite people to my home unless it is clean. Thailand is not clean at this moment in time so i see no reason to invite tourists in. if you are determined to be where you should not have been invited i guess you just play by the available rules of engagement.. 

[gummy]

13 minutes ago, triplebogey said:

I do not see how starting every thought with the word IF gives you validation. I am of the thought that I do not invite people to my home unless it is clean. Thailand is not clean at this moment in time so i see no reason to invite tourists in. if you are determined to be where you should not have been invited i guess you just play by the available rules of engagement.. 

An interesting answer, I will try and think of a question for it.

[vlad]

3 hours ago, Stardust said:

He ordered that covid stops in 4 weeks

Maybe he should pay a visit to Cheweng beach Samui where the proverbial is about to hit the fan. bye bye Samui lunchbox or whatever there calling themselves.

[BIGGLES]

If they really want to kick start the Phuket economy, then stop trying to make it difficult for people to holiday there.

Make it a condition of  entry that only fully vaccinated people will be allowed onto the island. NO EXCEPTIONS, including children,  the disabled, the medically infirm and uncle Tom Cobely and all. Including delivery drivers. The Thai's are the problem,  not the tourists.

Make it a condition of airline carriage.

The Thai's  should insist  that the tests are taken in your home country.

 Fully vaccinated people should take two tests. Test one, 21 days before departure, this would allow for  any incubation period of the virus. Then they  should be tested 72 hours before departure. If negative  then good to go. That should be all that is required by the Thai government. 

All the current requirements for  entry,  are a total hinderence and for all but the most determined, are just putting people off even more.

They should also try giving tourists incentives to go, not dreaming up ways to fleece them.

 

[Stardust]

1 hour ago, vlad said:

Maybe he should pay a visit to Cheweng beach Samui where the proverbial is about to hit the fan. bye bye Samui lunchbox or whatever there calling themselves.

Yes it is better at the momen in Thailand not use the fan and a warning sign not switch on and if do so go down fast!

[EdwardV]

2 hours ago, Stonker said:

"Thought" by whom?

 

Agreed, but how can that be the only real  concern?  If it is, then you may as well ignore Covid and just pretend everything's normal.

By whom? - Thaiger article from Sunday "New Covid-19 infections drop, still worrisome for Phuket Sandbox" stated: Of the 22 Sandboxers that have tested positive for Covid-19, 16 of them were on their second or third test, meaning they likely contracted it on the island.

While I'm inclined to be doubtful like you, I don't see enough data to claim otherwise. There is no report stating where these 22 people are from, what age (we know some are children therefore unvaccinated), or what vaccines they got jabbed with. All thing that are well known by the government. Data that could give any prospective tourist a better idea of the risks in coming to Thailand at the present time. 

 

Only real concern? - Not that I really think that, but Thailand sure does seem to act that way. From stating they would not open unless 70% of the population was fully vaccinated. To then redefining what fully vaccinated really means is a single shot of Sinovac. To now despite rising infections on Phuket the governor "is reluctant to put an end to the financial lifeline for desperate locals. "  along with all the other goalpost changes over the months since opening. Now they want to cut the required stay to 7 nights as long as the next 7 are on another "sealed" island. To going full steam ahead with opening other locations.  I  don't know any other way to read that do you?

[dmacarelli]

 

I do not see how starting every thought with the word IF gives you validation. I am of the thought that I do not invite people to my home unless it is clean. Thailand is not clean at this moment in time so i see no reason to invite tourists in. if you are determined to be where you should not have been invited i guess you just play by the available rules of engagement.. 

You have not addressed my issue, on any practical level. 

[dmacarelli]

 

It may not be necessary to cancel the sandbox. According to Good Morning Thailand, cancellations for August alone are approximately 50%. If this figure increases, the sandbox could die a natural death. Mishandled and poorly thought through from the word go. The so called lockdown has been a farce from the beginning, pseudo, half hearted attempt at containing the spread. Still, Prayut is confident it will all be over in 2-3 weeks (maybe 4 weeks).

It was all a big farce for the media anyway, and likely 80% returning ex-pats. At this stage, virtually everything this administration does is either fake, felonious, or fraudulent. 

[TobyAndrews]

 

It was all a big farce for the media anyway, and likely 80% returning ex-pats. At this stage, virtually everything this administration does is either fake, felonious, or fraudulent. 

I quite agree and include farcical, false, feebleminded, foolish, foolhardy, and frustrating.

[triplebogey]

 

You have not addressed my issue, on any practical level. 

That is good to hear. i hate getting involved in practical issues. they usually lead to conversations without levity. i can do that at work. so to paraphrase the words of some great person " triplebogey has left this thread" 

[Thaitoonic]

Perhaps an additional hoop for sandbox travellers should be that they do a daily 4 hour shift in a ma/pa shop or the like to enable them to open whilst all their staff are still on the mainland waiting for their jabs and are unable to return to work