News Forum - Phuket hotels to offer isolation rooms for asymptomatic guests who refuse hospital

[Thaiger]

Phuket hoteliers have come up with a solution for asymptomatic guests who test positive for the Omicron variant but refuse to be transferred to hospital. Kongsak Khoopongsakorn from the Thai Hotels Association says in order to keep Phuket’s re-opening going, tourists who test positive but have no symptoms should be offered isolation facilities at their hotel instead of having to fork out for a hospital bed. The Bangkok Post reports that hoteliers have reported challenges in persuading guests who test positive without symptoms to go to hospital. As most insurance schemes will not cover hospital treatment for asymptomatic patients, guests […]

The story Phuket hotels to offer isolation rooms for asymptomatic guests who refuse hospital as seen on Thaiger News.

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[TheDirtyDurian]

Can't blame the hotels for trying to keep things going, but I think as more and more cases get into the news about guests being transferred to hospital, or being stuck in a hotel, people will cotton on to what taking a holiday to Thailand might entail if they weren't already aware. 

Can only see arrivals dropping from here on in. 

[TheDirtyDurian]

Having said that, as a way of seeing my family, I'd still do Phuket covidbox as it's better than quarantine, but for genuine tourists, they'd have to be crazy wouldn't they?!

[Stonker]

54 minutes ago, Thaiger said:

Phuket hoteliers have come up with a solution for asymptomatic guests who test positive for the Omicron variant but refuse to be transferred to hospital. Kongsak Khoopongsakorn from the Thai Hotels Association says in order to keep Phuket’s re-opening going, tourists who test positive but have no symptoms should be offered isolation facilities at their hotel instead of having to fork out for a hospital bed. The Bangkok Post reports that hoteliers have reported challenges in persuading guests who test positive without symptoms to go to hospital. As most insurance schemes will not cover hospital treatment for asymptomatic patients, guests […]

The story Phuket hotels to offer isolation rooms for asymptomatic guests who refuse hospital as seen on Thaiger News.

Read the full story

Another piece of "creative writing" by Maya Taylor, with a slant on what "most insurance schemed will not cover" that differs markedly from the source article in the Bangkok Post.

Despite that, the Sandbox and Test 'n'Go schemes are disasters that were waiting to happen that will inevitably damage either tourists or Thailand or, almost certainly, both.

Tourists have been allowed to enter with insurance cover that either doesn't cover the mandatory requirements at all or only does so by refunding the costs after they've been paid by the tourists, with hospitals demanding a 100,000 deposit from tourists who pick a fight over paying a 50 baht entrance fee, paid by tourists and Thais alike.

They've also allowed tourists to stay in cheap SHA+  hotels that are neither staffed nor able to operate as SQ hotels with the additional security and facilities required, ... and allowed the limited international hospitals on Phuket to charge extortionate rates for quarantine.

Now everyone here is going to suffer the consequences of prioritising short term gains for a very few ahead of anything else.

 

[Stonker]

10 minutes ago, TheDirtyDurian said:

... but for genuine tourists, they'd have to be crazy wouldn't they?!

It all depends what the tour companies and travel agents were telling them.

It's all very well blaming the tourists for not doing due diligence (as I have and do), or being "crazy", but some are clearly not the brightest bulbs in the box and if they're offered a package that claims to cover not only hotel costs but the mandatory insurance as well and it doesn't but is still accepted by Immigration it's hardly all their fault.

[Easterneye]

I feel sorry for the Thais having to go along with this nonsence .

I feel sorry for travellers that get swept off to hospital and get massive bills their insurance won’t cover

I feel pleased that like myself my thai misses won’t attempt to travel to Thailand under these crazy rules

Good luck with it all Thailand 

[ace035]

1 hour ago, Easterneye said:

I feel sorry for the Thais having to go along with this nonsence .

I feel sorry for travellers that get swept off to hospital and get massive bills their insurance won’t cover

I feel pleased that like myself my thai misses won’t attempt to travel to Thailand under these crazy rules

Good luck with it all Thailand 

Watch out for false positive especially asymptomatic, it will be a big time scam if send to the hospital instead of SHA PLUS or AQ Hotels & later on get bill for between B150K-B300K since the hospital tell you not covered through the COVID-19 insurance. It will keep on happening over and over again. As it stands right now, not worth to travel to Thailand & check back next month.

[Stefan65]

People are complaining about lost income, well if they are not allowed to run a business  even if they are vaccinated what’s the reason behind this government’s decisions…. The government is running Thailand into total bankruptcy

[Poolie]

9 minutes ago, Stefan65 said:

People are complaining about lost income, well if they are not allowed to run a business  even if they are vaccinated what’s the reason behind this government’s decisions…. The government is running Thailand into total bankruptcy

Have you asked the Government? Perhaps they'll tell you?

[Johnmc17]

Could someone please explain what the required COVID insurance actually covers. As I only ever see what it doesn't cover 

[Stonker]

1 hour ago, Johnmc17 said:

Could someone please explain what the required COVID insurance actually covers. As I only ever see what it doesn't cover 

It all depends if you mean what it's meant to cover, which is mandatory, or what you can get away with to get past immigration.

 

[Stonker]

2 hours ago, ace035 said:

... it will be a big time scam if send to the hospital instead of SHA PLUS or AQ Hotels & later on get bill for between B150K-B300K since the hospital tell you not covered through the COVID-19 insurance. It will keep on happening over and over again. As it stands right now, not worth to travel to Thailand & check back next month.

It's not up to the hospital to decide if you're covered or not as that's not their decision to make - that's up to your insurers.

[Stonker]

1 hour ago, Stefan65 said:

People are complaining about lost income, well if they are not allowed to run a business  even if they are vaccinated what’s the reason behind this government’s decisions…. The government is running Thailand into total bankruptcy

Who, exactly, is "complaining about lost income"?

Despite all the weeping and wailing here and by farang bar owners and hoteliers, and despite all the protests and complaints about everything from school uniforms to LGBT issues, Thai "people" are noticeably NOT "complaining about lost income", not demanding bars are opened, not asking for tourists to be allowed in, etc.

Doesn't that suggest a flaw in your argument?

[Johnnyb2]

36 minutes ago, Stonker said:

Who, exactly, is "complaining about lost income"?

Despite all the weeping and wailing here and by farang bar owners and hoteliers, and despite all the protests and complaints about everything from school uniforms to LGBT issues, Thai "people" are noticeably NOT "complaining about lost income", not demanding bars are opened, not asking for tourists to be allowed in, etc.

Doesn't that suggest a flaw in your argument?

 

I guess you are hiding in your house somewhere on your pension visa or not even in Thailand. Millions of Thais lost their businesses and jobs. That's a fact. If you think they are not unhappy you clearly know very few Thais.

Just because you are alright doesn't give you the right to disrespect people and showcase your lack of empathy all day long on this forum. People are suffering man

[Stonker]

1 hour ago, Johnnyb2 said:

I guess you are hiding in your house somewhere on your pension visa or not even in Thailand. Millions of Thais lost their businesses and jobs. That's a fact. If you think they are not unhappy you clearly know very few Thais.

Not "hiding" anywhere - living a normal life in Thailand as I have for nearly 30 years, pretty much completely unaffected by Covid apart from wearing a mask when I go out.

Apart from those farangs I knew when living in the city some years ago the only people I know here are Thais, because that's what all those around here are!

I realise that a lot of Thais in the tourist industry industry have lost their jobs, but what's a "fact" is that "Despite all the weeping and wailing here and by farang bar owners and hoteliers, and despite all the protests and complaints about everything from school uniforms to LGBT issues, Thai "people" are noticeably NOT "complaining about lost income", not demanding bars are opened, not asking for tourists to be allowed in, etc."

If you disagree, then give some examples. ANY examples .

Of course people are "unhappy" with the situation, but they'd be a lot more "unhappy" if the factories had to close with the loss of even more OT, if schools continue to close, and if more eople are sick and die - none of that seems to worry you.

It's a balance, and all people like you seem interested in is Thailand ripping tourists off and not opening the bars so you can have a holiday with the rather lame excuse that "people are suffering man".

[TheDirtyDurian]

11 hours ago, Stonker said:

It all depends what the tour companies and travel agents were telling them.

It's all very well blaming the tourists for not doing due diligence (as I have and do), or being "crazy", but some are clearly not the brightest bulbs in the box and if they're offered a package that claims to cover not only hotel costs but the mandatory insurance as well and it doesn't but is still accepted by Immigration it's hardly all their fault.

I meant more that they'd have to be crazy to run the risk of a forced quarantine. Nothing to do with insurance, although that may be a part of it 

[TheDirtyDurian]

5 hours ago, Stonker said:

Not "hiding" anywhere - living a normal life in Thailand as I have for nearly 30 years, pretty much completely unaffected by Covid apart from wearing a mask when I go out.

Apart from those farangs I knew when living in the city some years ago the only people I know here are Thais, because that's what all those around here are!

I realise that a lot of Thais in the tourist industry industry have lost their jobs, but what's a "fact" is that "Despite all the weeping and wailing here and by farang bar owners and hoteliers, and despite all the protests and complaints about everything from school uniforms to LGBT issues, Thai "people" are noticeably NOT "complaining about lost income", not demanding bars are opened, not asking for tourists to be allowed in, etc."

If you disagree, then give some examples. ANY examples .

Of course people are "unhappy" with the situation, but they'd be a lot more "unhappy" if the factories had to close with the loss of even more OT, if schools continue to close, and if more eople are sick and die - none of that seems to worry you.

It's a balance, and all people like you seem interested in is Thailand ripping tourists off and not opening the bars so you can have a holiday with the rather lame excuse that "people are suffering man".

Plenty of examples of Thai people complaining about the current situation.

I'm not going to find links for them because I've got better things to do, but to state that they don't exist is disingenuous.

[TheDirtyDurian]

 

Actually, there's one right there!

 

 

[TheDirtyDurian]

Took me 30 seconds

[TheDirtyDurian]

"Due to disease control measures in place over the past eight months, Nora dancers have not been allowed to perform and now say they are struggling financially."

[oldschooler]

8 hours ago, Stonker said:

It all depends if you mean what it's meant to cover, which is mandatory, or what you can get away with to get past immigration.

So Imm. are now “experts” on Insurance & Medical as well as Banking.

Surely Insurance Policies are validated for pre-flight Thailand Pass ?

[oldschooler]

33 minutes ago, TheDirtyDurian said:

Plenty of examples of Thai people complaining about the current situation.

I'm not going to find links for them because I've got better things to do, but to state that they don't exist is disingenuous.

But you must give examples of the “bleedin’ obvious ” like sunrise, water being wet and gravity .  Thais in the tourist industry are simply overjoyed right now with no income ……aren’t they ……chance for extended vacation?

[Stonker]

7 hours ago, TheDirtyDurian said:

Plenty of examples of Thai people complaining about the current situation.

I'm not going to find links for them because I've got better things to do, but to state that they don't exist is disingenuous.

Not "disingenuous" - just accurate .

[Stonker]

7 hours ago, oldschooler said:

So Imm. are now “experts” on Insurance & Medical as well as Banking.

Surely Insurance Policies are validated for pre-flight Thailand Pass ?

No, they're not - it would mean contacting each individual insurance company for each applicant which is obviously impractical.

[Stonker]

7 hours ago, TheDirtyDurian said:

Actually, there's one right there!

Sorry, but no there's not.

There's a vast difference between between people complaining because they're struggling financially, asking for financial support, etc, which is clearly what you're talking about and which I agree with 100%, and people asking for bars and borders to be opened as the solution which I'd thought was clearly what I'm talking about.

Edit:

If that isn't clear that's my mistake, as I've simply got bored of repeating the difference every time this point comes up.