News Forum - Phuket to 8 foreign reps: your citizens must obey Covid-19 rules

[JamesR]

4 minutes ago, nobusinessofurs said:

I don't know where you live in Thailand, but in the region I live all thai are wearing masks. The only place I have heard of no masks being worn is in bars. Seems drinking causes people to show ignorance and downright NO common sense.

No it is the other way around, you have to be ignorant to want to go into a bar in this setting in the first place, they were ignorant and stupid before then entered. 

[Marc26]

11 minutes ago, JamesR said:

No it is the other way around, you have to be ignorant to want to go into a bar in this setting in the first place, they were ignorant and stupid before then entered. 

If the bar is outside and I am vaxxed

I am completely comfortable with going to outdoor bars 

Not saying I am 100% protected

 

But it is proven that it is very hard to contract covid outdoors

 

Now, I don't know how Omicron changes outdoor transmission, I can't find any info

 

But if you are vaxxed(or boosted) and careful, you should live your life a bit 

[TheDirtyDurian]

2 hours ago, Stonker said:

Read the original on which the usual Neill Fronde fantasy is based:

"Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew yesterday (Jan 7) met with the Consul Generals and Honoury Consuls of eight countries to remind them that their respective citizens must adhere to the COVID-19 health and safety protocols in effect on the island."

So what's your opinion based on, since i) if you've looked at the provincial case figures for the last few months they show very clearly that the complete reverse is the case and ii) there are  checks on those going in to Phuket, although they may well not be 100% effective, but  there are no checks at all on those leaving Phuket?

Checks going into Phuket were a joke when I went. 

[Lowseasonlover]

2 hours ago, Stonker said:

AFAIK the checks are only to see if tourists have completed their mandatory tests and time on the island in the 'Sandbox' - not if Thais have been vaccinated and been tested, as are required on arrival. 

That could be wrong as it may have changed, but I'll wait for your confirmation and when / if there's been any change.

Just after 9 am this morning driving through the check point to go off the island there was nobody there, 

[TheDirtyDurian]

2 hours ago, Lowseasonlover said:

I think you will find there is checks leaving the island, I will be able to confirm that later today

Nope. No checks leaving the island, as of 1 week ago anyway. 

[Cabra]

7 hours ago, 1l1 said:

The Honorary Consul of NOWAY

Edited 7 hours ago by 1l1

Projecting her response, no doubt. Lol

[TheDirtyDurian]

Loads of longnosed walking around in Phuket with no mask. 

If you want them to wear them, then enforce the rules. 

[Lowseasonlover]

25 minutes ago, JamesR said:

No it is the other way around, you have to be ignorant to want to go into a bar in this setting in the first place, they were ignorant and stupid before then entered. 

I had to go out the other night about 7-30 pm on the way back I drove the long way round along Rawai beach front I couldn't believe how busy the bars were, Im staying well away,

[AussieBob]

11 minutes ago, Lowseasonlover said:

Just after 9 am this morning driving through the check point to go off the island there was nobody there, 

Well I never would have thought that ...................    

 

[JamesR]

7 minutes ago, Lowseasonlover said:

I had to go out the other night about 7-30 pm on the way back I drove the long way round along Rawai beach front I couldn't believe how busy the bars were, Im staying well away,

I do that sometimes when I am there, Rawai, pass the view point, past Kata, Karon, down the mountain to Patong and up the mountain to Kathu.

Have you been down the street near the pier in Rawai where you buy crab, fish etc form the fisherman's wives on the right of the road and then take it across the road to the restaurants on the left where they cook it for you while you wait swigging on a beer. 

[AussieBob]

8 minutes ago, Lowseasonlover said:

I had to go out the other night about 7-30 pm on the way back I drove the long way round along Rawai beach front I couldn't believe how busy the bars were, Im staying well away,

We are all going to get Covid. Everyone gets the flu now and then. You cannot avoid it - it is inevitable.  In fact, you and I may have already had it and it only made us feel a bit 'off' for a day or two - which as you get older happens now and then  

My advice to anyone living/staying in Thailand is that unless you feel sick - do not get a test - self isolate.  That is what the Thais do, because they dont want to be 'locked up' for a couple of weeks - most just stay away from others for a week or so (unfortunately some just keep going).  If a Thai tests positive they pay nothing for medical or hostel (but will need to pay for extra food/drinks I understand), but if an Expat does then they have to pay.  Unless they are 'sick' and require hospital treatment and have insurance that specifically covers that like for tourists. Being quarantined/isolated in a 'hostel' is not covered under the vast majority of health insurance, nor for Expats living/staying in Thailand.      

[stevenkongju]

2 hours ago, Rain said:

Time to shut down the borders.

And how does that help? There are 10s of thousands of cases already here in Thailand. Stopping even 100 infected people a day from entering the LOS will do zero in stopping the spread. The official numbers don't even tell half the story. Those are only people who are able to get PCR tests. How many have tested positive on ATKs and tried, but were not able to get a PCR, or simply decided to keep the result to themselves because they need to work. That leaves out those who just don't bother testing at all.

[Manu]

18 minutes ago, Lowseasonlover said:

I had to go out the other night about 7-30 pm on the way back I drove the long way round along Rawai beach front I couldn't believe how busy the bars were, Im staying well away,

I was in Patong in October through the sandbox for a week, bars were already full, Halloween party was very crowded, live music everywhere, etc... My friend was there in September and it was already like that. As far as I know, there has not been any hecatomb of deaths in Phuket since.

There are two choices: vaccinated or not, if you are scared you stay away, or, vaccinated or not, if you are not scared you choose to live your life. But at the end of the day, it has been 2 years of this madness now, it could be going on for years to come and personally, I am not prepared not to live my life anymore since the scared ones are staying away anyway although fully vaccinated (what was the point), I have personally choosen to be vacinated to live my life, not to be scared and stay away!!

[JJJ]

5 minutes ago, stevenkongju said:

And how does that help? There are 10s of thousands of cases already here in Thailand. Stopping even 100 infected people a day from entering the LOS will do zero in stopping the spread. The official numbers don't even tell half the story. Those are only people who are able to get PCR tests. How many have tested positive on ATKs and tried, but were not able to get a PCR, or simply decided to keep the result to themselves because they need to work. That leaves out those who just don't bother testing at all.

Total agree. In pure number terms the actions of 70 million Thai will always be exponentially more significant than what maybe 150,000ish tourists at any time?  
 

The number of new CONFIRMED infections now exceeds arrivals when Thai Pass was open and it appears no one is even surveilling construction camps and factories (wouldn’t want to upset the billionaires) for real numbers.  

the government has already seen what happened in South Africa, UK, USA and did nothing to prepare sensible solutions based on the now known risk presented. But blaming tourists and the population seems much more satisfying cover.    

Castigating a few consuls with no connections to the supposed offenders helps little. 
 

 

[Saltire]

24 minutes ago, AussieBob said:

We are all going to get Covid. Everyone gets the flu now and then. You cannot avoid it - it is inevitable.  In fact, you and I may have already had it and it only made us feel a bit 'off' for a day or two - which as you get older happens now and then  

My advice to anyone living/staying in Thailand is that unless you feel sick - do not get a test - self isolate.  That is what the Thais do, because they dont want to be 'locked up' for a couple of weeks - most just stay away from others for a week or so (unfortunately some just keep going).  If a Thai tests positive they pay nothing for medical or hostel (but will need to pay for extra food/drinks I understand), but if an Expat does then they have to pay.  Unless they are 'sick' and require hospital treatment and have insurance that specifically covers that like for tourists. Being quarantined/isolated in a 'hostel' is not covered under the vast majority of health insurance, nor for Expats living/staying in Thailand.      

Agree.

The chances of an arriving tourist contracting Covid (Omicron) are getting higher every day and if current predictions are accurate, many will test positive on their day 5 test and end up in a hospitel, hospital or, if they are lucky, self isolation. Why come here to get Covid, stay home and get treated much better. Wait till we see what the Omicron wave leaves behind.

 

[Paco]

Thailand wants always money, so make the fees higher like in Europe  40000 baht seriously makenit a 500000 baht fee 2 problems solved thailand get money and foreigner will listen on a few of course...

[TheDirtyDurian]

1 hour ago, JamesR said:

I do that sometimes when I am there, Rawai, pass the view point, past Kata, Karon, down the mountain to Patong and up the mountain to Kathu.

Have you been down the street near the pier in Rawai where you buy crab, fish etc form the fisherman's wives on the right of the road and then take it across the road to the restaurants on the left where they cook it for you while you wait swigging on a beer. 

Not actually that cheap for seafood that place. Marketed as such, but it's still tourist prices. 

[think-and-ask]

1. most people in world, who never really are interested in government-statements,
so they are not, against, and who not follow these rules, think,
1.1 these viruses are not dangerous ( expect who is very sick already ),
vaccine is not, safe and working ( enough ),

1.2 and government ( rule makers, numbers of institute-experts ),
vaccine producers, are very corrrupt, of the view of the world.
1.3 what ( 1.2 ) is a fact, same for
news /press and google /info search, is very corrupt.

2. this days, government- numbers /statistics say this ( 1.1 ).
and very few times, this ( 1.1 )  is also said on tv.
2.2 and some high courts in known countries, said, no to some restriction-rules.

3. and is not a secret, most positive tested people, are not sick.
( not really, but also, most of humanity are not 100 % healthy ).
3.2 what now ? to believe, is never to know. and
to trust in personal unknown people, in a very corrupt world, is helpful ?

Edited January 9, 2022 by think-and-ask

[Stonker]

3 hours ago, KaptainRob said:

Stonker, you should have been in CM over the NY holiday.  We had 1000's of southerners here, 95% Thai, 5% farang tourists or expats.  Each evening they partied hard and barely a mask to be seen.  I'd say Patong was much the same except proportions reversed.

So, who is to blame, who encouraged NY celebrations and opened venues for entertainment and alcohol?  It was only natural that people would party and not wear masks as prtyy hard to talk, or dance, let alone drink with one on.

If you think the overall proportion of Thais not wearing masks is as high as the overall proportion of farangs and foreign tourists not doing so then you need to get out of your "party" areas a bit more.

3 hours ago, KaptainRob said:

who is to blame

A very different point, where I agree with you, but that doesn't change who are the main culprits breaking the rules.

 

3 hours ago, KaptainRob said:

IMO, let Omicron run its course and let the party continue

Unfortunately, as far as I know, no-one has yet discovered a way of opening an area up to Omicron without also opening it up to all other variants so even if for the sake of argument Omicron is as harmless as some claim (and all the evidence is that it isn't where the old or those with medical conditions are concerned) then you're effectively saying 'let Covid run its course and let the party continue'.

Are you sure you've thought this through?

[RampantRabbit]

Perhaps  he  should  look  more at his  own brethren who break almost every  rule  made in Thailand, day  in day  out.

[RampantRabbit]

10 hours ago, Stonker said:

Comparing the proportion of Thais breaking Covid restrictions with the number of foreigners clearly doing so, Thais don't need to be taught - and this is about Covid restrictions, nothing else.

Read  again its says breaking RULES, only mentioning covid as ONE  of those  rules

 

Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew met today with Consul Generals and Honorary Consuls from 8 countries to ask them to warn their citizens to follow the rules – especially Covid-19 regulations 

[oldschooler]

“ Look at Us being Strict on Dirty Farang” Govt. Publicity Politics Again. Consuls powerless here. Thai Govt. and Private Premises only, can enforce the rules.

[AdvocatusDiaboli]

6 minutes ago, RampantRabbit said:

Perhaps  he  should  look  more at his  own brethren who break almost every  rule  made in Thailand, day  in day  out.

Prove it! …. For that to occur they will need to be caught by the active and efficient Thai police. …. Oh I see what you mean

[Stonker]

2 hours ago, nobusinessofurs said:

I don't know where you live in Thailand, but in the region I live all thai are wearing masks. The only place I have heard of no masks being worn is in bars. Seems drinking causes people to show ignorance and downright NO common sense.

Exactly, absolutely, whatever else we may disagree on.

I don't know where this 'alternate' Thailand is, apart  from at 'party' time in big city bars.

Maybe they see twenty farang tourists without masks and twenty Thais and count that as 'the same', ignoring that there are rather a lot more Thais here than farangs.

I seldom see any farangs, apart from when I very occasionally go to the city, but of the few I do see maybe 25% aren't wearing a mask properly in public (and that's normally, not in bars). On the other hand I see plenty of Thais and in the last couple of years I've seen a lot less than one in maybe ten thousand not doing so.

There's simply no comparison.

Maybe I need to go party in the big city bars more ... ...

[Guest1]

11 hours ago, Thaiger said:

Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew met today with Consul Generals and Honorary Consuls from 8 countries to ask them to warn their citizens to follow the rules – especially Covid-19 regulations – while visiting the island and all of Thailand.

And why is the Governor not telling the BiB's , that THEY have to go after them? Straight away, charge 2000 for not wearing a mask properly! Tell the mall's, 7/11's, .... they will be closed 3 days for for cleaning, if any pictures get out, that people walking around with the nose over the mask or the mask not on or under the chin. 

It is not so difficult, Governor. Oh crap, it is difficult: don't kill the cow you wanna milk!

On the other hand: That cow thing is not stopping the BiB's, to go after tourists on motorcycles, NOT WEARING A MASK or /and helmets. So why not on wealking pedestrians, too??