News Forum - NEW RULES: Test & Go cut-off dropped, 3 new Sandboxes, 8+18 Blue Zones

[Thaiger]

So the new Covid-19 restrictions and regulations have been passed by the CCSA and put into effect by the Royal Thai Government now. What exactly are the rules now with Test & Go, Sandboxes, and Blue Zones? TEST & GO CUTOFF The Test & Go programme that allowed people to enter without quarantine, requiring only a short wait while their RT-PCR test results came back, has been suspended indefinitely since December 22. There had been a panic for those who had already been approved for a Thailand Pass under the Test & Go scheme as, for a while, no one […]

The story NEW RULES: Test & Go cut-off dropped, 3 new Sandboxes, 8+18 Blue Zones as seen on Thaiger News.

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[resetamy]

"Parts of the 18 Provinces"....so where I lived in Mueang Chiang Mai is a blue-zone, but where I lived in the MIDDLE NOWHERE Isaan (Amnat Chareon) is orange? Based on their own ideas and narratives, how does that make a lick of sense? Economic devastation, total and complete. RIP Thailand. 

[D-Boy]

Everything seems to go in ~2 week reviews.  Stay tuned for the end of the month.

[gazmo16]

Trying to advance book travel at the moment in a nightmare. I have a trip to the UK booked in April/May from BKK to London and return ( non refundable).  I have my fingers crossed they open Bangkok by then as the costs are already high enough without having to get a different flight back and staying in Phuket or somewhere else. 

Lets hope they now flip flop again and bring the T&G back in a month or two. 

[J121]

So some restaurants/bars in Blue Zones will be able to sell alcohol until 9pm. Wow .. bars open until 9pm? But perhaps a step forward. If they are SHA+ certified. And that should be rather easy right? ... No! It is made totally impossible if they try to follow the procedures that are plainly radiculous. One must for instance provide proof with an uploaded picture that "staff will observe the guests and inform the management if any suspicious symptoms are noticed". What picture to upload for the officials to verify that? And there are dozens of similar points that need to be verified with pictures. Apart from an upload of correct certificates and licences. I guess this procedure is made impossible so if a place wants their SHA+ they just give someone an envelope with the right amount. 

[Woifal]

I don't understand how stupid you have to be.  It is not the tourist who came into the country under the test and go scheme who brought the virus with it.  I've been in the Pattaya area for 5 weeks now.  I went to Soi Treetown 3 days before the New Year.  the devil is buried there.  Nobody cares if you are vaccinated, tested or sick.  Nobody adheres to the alleged SHA regulations, nobody checks anything.  there you have tougher checks if you want to take the ship to koh larn.  The main thing is to tear down the mask at the table and drink.  these are the young thais with the farangs who then infect each other.  this thai government is really too incompetent.

[vvdb.fr]

4 hours ago, resetamy said:

"Parts of the 18 Provinces"....so where I lived in Mueang Chiang Mai is a blue-zone, but where I lived in the MIDDLE NOWHERE Isaan (Amnat Chareon) is orange? Based on their own ideas and narratives, how does that make a lick of sense? Economic devastation, total and complete. RIP Thailand. 

not focus on one aspect of the problem.

we must limit the spread of the epidemic. in some regions it is more difficult to test so to prevent the risk, tougher restrictions have to be put in place.

it is classic risk management.

WHO offers this during an Ebola epidemic, for example.

Edited January 10, 2022 by vvdb.fr
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[AdvocatusDiaboli]

5 hours ago, resetamy said:

"Parts of the 18 Provinces"....so where I lived in Mueang Chiang Mai is a blue-zone, but where I lived in the MIDDLE NOWHERE Isaan (Amnat Chareon) is orange? Based on their own ideas and narratives, how does that make a lick of sense? Economic devastation, total and complete. RIP Thailand. 

You are correct … RIP …. As now those people will drive or ride their motorcycles from Amnat Chareon to Chiang Mai for a “meal” and then return home, increasing the possibility (high I suspect) of raising the road toll!

[palooka]

5 hours ago, resetamy said:

"Parts of the 18 Provinces"....so where I lived in Mueang Chiang Mai is a blue-zone, but where I lived in the MIDDLE NOWHERE Isaan (Amnat Chareon) is orange? Based on their own ideas and narratives, how does that make a lick of sense? Economic devastation, total and complete. RIP Thailand. 

Ahh, you found the Pnut logic, if it doesn't make sense do that.

[palooka]

29 minutes ago, vvdb.fr said:

not focus on one aspect of the problem.

we must limit the spread of the epidemic. in some regions it is more difficult to test so to prevent the risk, tougher restrictions have to be put in place.

it is classic risk management.

WHO offers this during an Ebola epidemic, for example.

So the places that have low instances of Covid you shut them down and the places with high (running wild) instances are to carry on as normal with no tougher restrictions because they have testing facilities.

Classic risk management according to Pnut maybe.

[NeillF]

4 hours ago, J121 said:

One must for instance provide proof with an uploaded picture that "staff will observe the guests and inform the management if any suspicious symptoms are noticed". What picture to upload for the officials to verify that? And there are dozens of similar points that need to be verified with pictures. 

This is very true. I have personally posed for some of these ridiculous photos in order for hotels around me to get the SHA+ certificate.

Such strange posed photos like a customer sitting at a table with staff in masks and gloves holding sanitiser looming ominously behind them. Or masked and gloved staff holding a spray bottle of disinfectant shot with motion blur to give the appearance they are RACING out of reception to respond to a sanitisation emergency!

It's like a game of pictionary, trying to act out abstract concepts for a photo. Show us... "staff is thinking about Covid-19 guidelines at all times!"

[gundam0315]

4 hours ago, palooka said:

So the places that have low instances of Covid you shut them down and the places with high (running wild) instances are to carry on as normal with no tougher restrictions because they have testing facilities.

Classic risk management according to Pnut maybe.

all about the money, the govt don't give a damn about their citizen's safety.  Only those profiting are those on top making the rules that have land/businesses in these "blue zones".  What a joke 

[Jason]

Yep...complicated rules that will end up In no tourists! For those whose plans are simple, go to one place...stay there and then return home....complicated but not impossible. For those who want to travel everywhere in Thailand and do whatever they please.....forget it!!

[DesperateOldHand]

9 hours ago, yetanother said:

"Meanwhile, the 69 provinces designated as orange zones can operate most businesses as normal with Covid-19 precautions, including restaurants though they are not allowed to sell alcohol.'

ok , so blue zones CAN sell alcohol in restaurants to pursue the almighty tourist dollar but other zones , probably lower infection,case,hospitalization rates , cannot;

makes perfect sense, thai style

As long as the elite are able to benefit in one form or another.

It's all good.

What crisis? 

[DesperateOldHand]

9 minutes ago, Jason said:

Yep...complicated rules that will end up In no tourists! For those whose plans are simple, go to one place...stay there and then return home....complicated but not impossible. For those who want to travel everywhere in Thailand and do whatever they please.....forget it!!

Though, I believe that this restricted free travel will pass reasonably soon - as it did the first time during their original entry programs. Appears to be the temporary knee-jerk reaction to another false panic.

[Paulw]

It has to be complicated because its Thailand and it creates total confusion due to being impractical, thats their logic!!

 Owing to Thailands current situation they need to pursue the tourist dollar in order to keep struggling business's open which provides employment and puts food on many families tables!!!

Its ok for these government workers & HiSo's as they are not effected by these lockdowns & restrictions, they don't apply to them or they just choose to ignore them and carry on as usual. I know it happens in Hua Hin & Samui with many bars & clubs blatantly remaining open and totally ignoring the alcohol bans!! 

[Jason]

This is starting to. Sound like something out of the comedy "flying high". "The Blue Zone is for loading and unloading. There is no parking in the Orange Zone!!!"