News Forum - Test & Go registration suspended – Here’s what we know about entry to Thailand

[Stonker]

27 minutes ago, Rangers said:

The virus has become that mild that a large amount of people don't have a clue they have it.

A construction company here tested the squad of 15 guys and 6 of them tested positive with not one single symptom. The guys were baffled. How many others are there like that, its quite incredible. 

No, the Omicron variant has become that mild - at least for some people, particularly the young and healthy like those working in a construction squad.

 

[JamesR]

9 minutes ago, Rangers said:

I got a bit lost with your argument a few posts ago to be honest, now you're just producing diarrhoea. Nobody said the virus wasn't dangerous when it came around, of course it was. But since then, things have moved on. We have vaccinated people 3 times and those not vaccinated have probably had the virus and therefore have the antibodies, on top of that the virus has mutated to something far less powerful (to say the least). So let's cut out trying to scare the sh*t out of people, I'm sure the world has suffered enough of that. Time to get a smile on your face and get on with your life again. 

I will stop the discussion here seeing as it is deteriorating into insults etc, have a good day, as you say get on with your life again. 

[Rangers]

12 minutes ago, Stonker said:

No, the Omicron variant has become that mild - at least for some people, particularly the young and healthy like those working in a construction squad.

Yeh because those 20 stone bricklayers are likely to be running marathons aren't they. 

[Alavan]

14 hours ago, JohninDublin said:

The TH Embassy in DUB has been closed since the start of the pandemic. Suggestions are that it will not reopen, as Ireland has never had an embassy in BKK. There are honorary Consuls in several cities within TH.

Check the website from the Thai embassy in London. There is a page about travelling to Thailand in covid times

[Stonker]

35 minutes ago, Rangers said:

Yeh because those 20 stone bricklayers are likely to be running marathons aren't they. 

I don't think it'd be unreasonable to suggest that those working on a building site are less likely to be in the 'clinically vulnerable' category.

We'll just have to agree to disagree over that.

[Stonker]

57 minutes ago, Rangers said:

But since then, things have moved on. We have vaccinated people 3 times and those not vaccinated have probably had the virus and therefore have the antibodies, on top of that the virus has mutated to something far less powerful (to say the least). So let's cut out trying to scare the sh*t out of people, I'm sure the world has suffered enough of that. Time to get a smile on your face and get on with your life again. 

Except that hasn't happened.

People here haven't been "vaccinated three times", at least with an effective vaccine. 51 million of the 100 million vaccinations have been with Sinovac or Sinopharm - mainly Sinovac - so ineffective against Delta or Omicron.

5 million have had a third dose / booster, but most of those had Sinovac so effectively apart from a few all they've had is a single dose not three.

Those who've "had the virus" and have natural immunity have immunity that also wanes over time and that isn't effective against Omicron.

... and while Omicron may well be "far less powerful" it's only one mutation and as it will infect far more people there's far more possibility of it mutating.

Instead of tip-toeing across the minefield until you've crossed it then relaxing,  you've not only relied on sticking your fingers in your ears but you're jumping up and down with a smile on your face aa you're alright so far.

[JohninDublin]

29 minutes ago, Alavan said:

Check the website from the Thai embassy in London. There is a page about travelling to Thailand in covid times

Thanks. But with all the probs encountered, I think I may have to delay this trip as I am still awaiting documentation for it. In the past 24 hours, I've discovered that the Covid Insurance Policy that I bought, does not cover me until I have been in TH for 14 days (replaced). No mention of this when I bought it. Agoda booked me into "SHA+" hotel, that was not SHA+. I have phoned the substituted hotel 3 times and emailed them twice asking them to send me the necessary confirmation email that I made, and it still has not arrived. My Hotel is non-refundable.

I am using Siam Legal to process the application and they will not process any applications that are less than 5 days away. As I write, I am 124 hours from take-off, which if Siam Legal are rigid about, leaves me 4 hours grace.

[astro]

"My Hotel is non-refundable."

- unless they breach the agreement, i.e. don't send the required confirmation.

Have you made sure airport pick-up and PCR test are included - it's a must.

[LoongFred]

1 hour ago, JohninDublin said:

Thanks. But with all the probs encountered, I think I may have to delay this trip as I am still awaiting documentation for it. In the past 24 hours, I've discovered that the Covid Insurance Policy that I bought, does not cover me until I have been in TH for 14 days (replaced). No mention of this when I bought it. Agoda booked me into "SHA+" hotel, that was not SHA+. I have phoned the substituted hotel 3 times and emailed them twice asking them to send me the necessary confirmation email that I made, and it still has not arrived. My Hotel is non-refundable.

I am using Siam Legal to process the application and they will not process any applications that are less than 5 days away. As I write, I am 124 hours from take-off, which if Siam Legal are rigid about, leaves me 4 hours grace.

Good luck John. Now is the time for "luck of the the Irish " or a

Leprechaun. 

[Rain]

Oh dear - 

The convoluted process will be changing again before anyone realizing. 

Doubling or tripling the chaotic mess.

[JohninDublin]

2 hours ago, astro said:

"My Hotel is non-refundable."

- unless they breach the agreement, i.e. don't send the required confirmation.

Have you made sure airport pick-up and PCR test are included - it's a must.

Thanks for that: PCR test is booked with PSAS. I did request an airport transfer, but I am still waiting to hear about this. I received the confirmation about 10 minutes, which has eaten into 24 hours of a very narrow timeframe remaining. I'll follow up on the transfer now.

[JohninDublin]

1 hour ago, Rain said:

Oh dear - 

The convoluted process will be changing again before anyone realizing. 

Doubling or tripling the chaotic mess.

I would not bet against that.

[Rangers]

On 12/27/2021 at 3:58 PM, Stonker said:

Except that hasn't happened.

People here haven't been "vaccinated three times", at least with an effective vaccine. 51 million of the 100 million vaccinations have been with Sinovac or Sinopharm - mainly Sinovac - so ineffective against Delta or Omicron.

5 million have had a third dose / booster, but most of those had Sinovac so effectively apart from a few all they've had is a single dose not three.

Those who've "had the virus" and have natural immunity have immunity that also wanes over time and that isn't effective against Omicron.

... and while Omicron may well be "far less powerful" it's only one mutation and as it will infect far more people there's far more possibility of it mutating.

Instead of tip-toeing across the minefield until you've crossed it then relaxing,  you've not only relied on sticking your fingers in your ears but you're jumping up and down with a smile on your face aa you're alright so far.

I see the UK are close to moving from a 10 day isolation period to a 5 day for anyone with Omicron. Weird that, Considering how dangerous you keep telling us it is. Could it be that the scary posts you have been making are in actual fact, false?

[Stonker]

4 hours ago, Rangers said:

I see the UK are close to moving from a 10 day isolation period to a 5 day for anyone with Omicron. Weird that, Considering how dangerous you keep telling us it is. Could it be that the scary posts you have been making are in actual fact, false?

'I' don't keep telling you how "dangerous" anything is, or making "scary posts" - I'm simply repeating confirmed facts and what the experts are saying.

If you think those facts are "false" feel free to show how, etc.

[Rangers]

2 hours ago, Stonker said:

'I' don't keep telling you how "dangerous" anything is, or making "scary posts" - I'm simply repeating confirmed facts and what the experts are saying.

If you think those facts are "false" feel free to show how, etc.

Even your "experts" have all backtracked. The terrifying numbers simply aren't there. You cannot create fear in people when there's nothing there to be scared of. Isolation periods are being halved, why? Because the virus is that mild and it barely lasts a few days. You refuse to believe it but one day you'll need to face up to it. It's over, no more scaring people. 

[Stonker]

1 hour ago, Rangers said:

Even your "experts" have all backtracked. The terrifying numbers simply aren't there. You cannot create fear in people when there's nothing there to be scared of. Isolation periods are being halved, why? Because the virus is that mild and it barely lasts a few days. You refuse to believe it but one day you'll need to face up to it. It's over, no more scaring people. 

I only wish that were true, and the sooner it is the better, but unfortunately as yet it's not.

The only thing that's changed so far is that Omicron deaths and hospitalisations have gone from 14 out of 129 a few days ago, the last time I gave them, to 53 out of 766 yesterday.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-omicron-daily-overview

That's not trying to "create fear" or "scaring people", just looking at the actual numbers and reading what many experts actually say rather than what you'd like them to be and say.

But, of course, the UKHSA's figures could be wrong ...

 

[Michael0510]

On 12/25/2021 at 9:27 AM, Stonker said:

I think it's fair to say that whatever else we disagree on, most of us agree that any travel is 'risky' at the moment and those risks should be minimised as should unnecessary travel.

While travellers may be happy with the risk they're taking that's their choice, which is fine, but for those here - mainly Thais - they don't have any choice and they still have to take a risk whether they like it or not.

Very few Thais are going to get any benefit from the few tourists arriving, and very few have much sympathy for those in Pattaya or Phuket - but they all have to take the risk, wherever they are.  They don't have any choice about it, so why should they be happy when the risk is increased, regardless of how much it's increased?

Why should they think it makes any sense to knowingly increase the risk, however much it's by, when there's nothing for them to gain by it, directly or indirectly?

First of all, life is risky in general. Living means takings risks. The only way to avoid risks is to kill yourself right away. So you are arguing against living. 

Travelling is not risky in general. Not keeping social distance or not wearing mask is risky. But you can travel with keeping social distance and wearing a mask and you can not travel and not keep social distance and not wearing a mask.

Closing borders only makes sense if the virus is not in the country yet. Many countries did that wrong, like the US. And if you close the borders, you pay a high price for it.

Tourism is lowering the risk for Thais to get infected by corona as it’s the reason, why they got vaccinated that fast. Without tourism the percentage of full vaccinated people in Thailand were on the level of South Africa.

I’ve been in Thailand five times last year. I’ve seen a lifeless Phuket and a lifeless Bangkok. It’s simply wrong, that only a few Thais benefits from tourism. There are millions of Thais who benefits from tourism directly or indirectly.

[Stonker]

1 hour ago, Michael0510 said:

First of all, life is risky in general. Living means takings risks. The only way to avoid risks is to kill yourself right away. So you are arguing against living. 

Travelling is not risky in general. Not keeping social distance or not wearing mask is risky. But you can travel with keeping social distance and wearing a mask and you can not travel and not keep social distance and not wearing a mask.

Closing borders only makes sense if the virus is not in the country yet. Many countries did that wrong, like the US. And if you close the borders, you pay a high price for it.

Tourism is lowering the risk for Thais to get infected by corona as it’s the reason, why they got vaccinated that fast. Without tourism the percentage of full vaccinated people in Thailand were on the level of South Africa.

I’ve been in Thailand five times last year. I’ve seen a lifeless Phuket and a lifeless Bangkok. It’s simply wrong, that only a few Thais benefits from tourism. There are millions of Thais who benefits from tourism directly or indirectly.

Bizarre.

I'm not "arguing against living", but against putting others at an unnecessary risk which isn't balanced out by the benefits.  Rather different.

I simply have no idea what "Not keeping social distance or not wearing mask is risky. But you can travel with keeping social distance and wearing a mask and you can not travel and not keep social distance and not wearing a mask." is supposed to mean.

I'm not talking about "closing borders" and neither is anyone else here who's not in favour of tourism.  I'm talking about tourism and encouraging people to travel, whether that's internationally or domestically. Two totally different perspectives.

The idea that "Tourism is lowering the risk for Thais to get infected by corona as it’s the reason, why they got vaccinated that fast. Without tourism the percentage of full vaccinated people in Thailand were on the level of South Africa" is just bizarre and completely without any basis in fact - you may just as well have said they got "vaccinated that fast" because someone kicked a lampost.

... and 'yes' there are "millions of Thais who benefits from tourism directly or indirectly" but very few who will do so from the very limited numbers coming here at the moment or even if Thailand opened its borders with minimal restrictions - many more millions, though, have been affected by losing work in factories and industry due to Covid and to losing their education.  Don't they matter, as long as you can come to visit Thailand and pat yourself on the back that you're helping put some life into Phuket, and comment that you've never seen a farang not wearing a mask or breaking Covid rules but you've seen hundreds of Thais doing so, and that Sinovac is an effective vaccine ?

 

 

[Rain]

Time to close the borders permanently to the most undesirable - 

Then....a purge of those same undesirable foreign residents. 

In the end, beneficial to Thai society. 

[Michael0510]

5 hours ago, Stonker said:

Bizarre.

For your information: “Bizarre” doesn’t mean “Yes, you are absolutely right.” But I see, where your misunderstanding is coming from.