General Reports

[Franciscass]

Whatever one feels about the possibility of contracting the virus and even if contracting it the likelihood of it being serious there is no denying the effect whether voluntary or forced it has on the lives of people.

Going forward the big news will be out of the US where the response has been criminally slow with a head in the sand attitude about what was happening worldwide. Almost zero testing and an administration believing a miracle will blow it all away.

With over 2 million testing kits coming on stream watch out for an exponential rise in confirmed cases.

How that effects mongering here in Thailand? Fewer high spending yanks travelling depressing still further demand for services.

A semi-regular once or twice a month of mine who works the club circuit and the escort end told me her earnings are down 50% and she no longer refuses offers she would have laughed at months ago. Now she is a relatively expensive trick 5 k up for a couple of hours.

Girls working the lower end of the market such as Thermae seem from posts for some reason to holding firm to 2500 but turning down 2000 and continually later finding themselves going home empty handed cannot last forever.

Whether it has an impact on service levels is a different and I feel more complicated equation.

So good news for us ex-pats I guess even if sadly it's not for the best of reasons.

[Banana Boi]

My Thai-GF flew in from Tokyo / Narita to DMK in March 1 and was put into self-quarantaine for 2 weeks.

Curious to how strict they are monitoring her self-quarantine. Is someone calling her at a random time during the day to make sure she is at home? What are the rules regarding her ability to go buy food and necessities for 2 weeks? If I just return from a vacation my fridge is usually quite empty.

[TheTank85]

I had booked my trip on Feb 20. After watching a lot of youtube videos of the scenario in Thailand o decided to postpone it. I am planning a trip in April. Hopefully due to the climate by then things should be back to normal. I just can't understand when the whole world is concerned about the virus how come tourists I Thailand are still enjoying freely in pubs and bars and discotheques. Also what scared me was what would happen if I get a freelancer to my room unknowing that she was infected. I'm damn sure the virus would spread thru contact.

I too am hoping for the best till April. Till then I am keeping a close watch of the situation thru posts and YouTube videos.

I guess we are on the same boat. If you would like to chat we me add me on wazzap.

I am also planning to be in Thailand in the middle of April and leaving at the end of the month.

Would be great to discuss the situation and maybe meet up if we have overlapping plans.

PM if you want to exchange digits.

Rgds,

TheTank.

[Daddy San]

My Thai-GF flew in from Tokyo / Narita to DMK in March 1 and was put into self-quarantaine for 2 weeks.

[Margaya]

"No compulsory quarantine of visitors to Thailand" quote from today's BKK Post:

"Health authorities on Friday said they would not order the compulsory quarantine of visitors from countries hit hard by coronavirus, as the kingdom struggles to balance health fears with the needs of its flatlining economy.

The holidays of possibly tens of thousands of people were cast into doubt on Tuesday when the health minister insisted a quarantine of all entrants from China, including territories of Hong Kong and Macau, Italy, Iran, South Korea, would be imposed.

On Friday health authorities spiked the plan, instead "recommending" arrivals from the four countries stay indoors and report to authorities for monitoring.

"We recommend home quarantine," Sukhum Kanchanapimai, permanent-secretary of the Public Health Ministry told reporters.

Travellers from the four countries will have to "report on their health status daily", said Tanarak Plipat of the Disease Control Department, or risk "punishment" under the law.

Seoul blasts Japan's quarantine decision.

Growth forecast cut, Iran cases surge by 50%: Virus update.

Returning 'little ghosts' face quarantine..

The shot of suvarnabhoomi is looking very scary and telling. Just 2 weeks ago, things were very quite but this is terrible. I took the plunge considering several factors and remained undecided till about 100 hours before departure.

I would NOT travel now even if I am offered a free ride. No, Thank you.

[Member #4698]

"No compulsory quarantine of visitors to Thailand" quote from today's BKK Post:

"Health authorities on Friday said they would not order the compulsory quarantine of visitors from countries hit hard by coronavirus, as the kingdom struggles to balance health fears with the needs of its flatlining economy.

The holidays of possibly tens of thousands of people were cast into doubt on Tuesday when the health minister insisted a quarantine of all entrants from China, including territories of Hong Kong and Macau, Italy, Iran, South Korea, would be imposed.

On Friday health authorities spiked the plan, instead "recommending" arrivals from the four countries stay indoors and report to authorities for monitoring.

"We recommend home quarantine," Sukhum Kanchanapimai, permanent-secretary of the Public Health Ministry told reporters.

Travellers from the four countries will have to "report on their health status daily", said Tanarak Plipat of the Disease Control Department, or risk "punishment" under the law.

Seoul blasts Japan's quarantine decision.

Growth forecast cut, Iran cases surge by 50%: Virus update.

Returning 'little ghosts' face quarantine.

A British man who entered the kingdom from Hong Kong became the country's 48th confirmed case of the virus, health authorities said.

But the number detected has remained surprisingly low, in a country visited by tens of millions of people each year.

Speculation is pointing at a limited testing regime in a country determined not to frighten off visitors.

Friday's announcement, for now, ends a week-long barrage of conflicting information, which baffled holidaymakers hunting winter sun and spotlighted the conundrum posed to a country reliant on tourist dollars and exports.

Thailand attracts some 40 million foreigners a year. But the impact of the virus has seen visitor numbers collapse.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand confirmed Thursday the country could see a loss of six million visitors in 2020.

As a result, the country's tourist-reliant economy has hit the skids, with the impact of Covid-19 crisis hacking back at already sluggish growth forecasts to as low as 2% this year.

With exports seizing up to China and other coronavirus-19 hit nations, experts warn Thailand is facing a hammer blow to its economy. ".

Ok, so the odds of my trip to LOS ticked up a tad today. Ha Ha. Stay tuned for what happens next week.

[Paolo99]

Thai all wear their masks if they can get their hands on one so not to spread the virus but how many Europeans or Americans walk around everywhere with a mask on?

Wait that the virus come in their own town with confirmed death cases and they will wear these masks as well if they can still find some of them.

[Turgid]

"The WHO is recommending that elderly travellers and those with underlying health conditions delay or avoid travel to areas that are experiencing ongoing transmission of COVID-19. That is because the disease, while mild in some 80 percent of cases, can be fatal for people who are above 65 years or who have chronic illnesses.

That list of countries experiencing local transmissions is updated daily by the WHO. In Asia, it currently includes China, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.

European countries on the list are Italy, France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Greece and Romania. Three countries in the Middle East are listed. Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon.

In the Americas, the United States, Canada and Ecuador have reported transmission of COVID-19 infections.

Only one African country is on the list. Algeria.

Australia in the Oceania region is also on the list.

Governments have also put out their own travel warnings. But this varies from country to country. ".

[Syzygies]

The announcement, dated Monday and published in the Royal Gazette on Thursday, classified South Korea, China, Macao, Hong Kong, Italy and Iran as "dangerous communicable disease areas".

No quarantine measure has been officially announced, but Public Health Ministry spokesman Rungrueng Kitphati told Reuters on Thursday it would come into effect on Friday.

So France, Germany and USA omitted for now. Hundreds instead of 1000's of cases.

[Syzygies]

The Immigration Officer will see 2 immediate things which are your passport and your Arrival Card. My guess would be if either of these are from a restricted entry country you will be under quarantine protocol. This includes a connecting flight from Taiwan since the Arrival Card shows the last flight you took before arrival to Thailand.

A few Asian countries like Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Philippines are doing a "poor job" at reporting the virus but I don't think Thailand is one of them. Thai all wear their masks if they can get their hands on one so not to spread the virus but how many Europeans or Americans walk around everywhere with a mask on? I was in Chicago last week and not a single non-Asian was wearing a mask. Germany's active cases doubled overnight to 545.

imo Thailand is doing the responsible thing. They want to know where to find you for the 14 day period after your arrival so they can contact you in case there may have been a chance you were infected like on your plane or an outbreak that happened at a connecting airport.

Top experts agree there is little point to wearing a mask if you are feeling well. It becomes ineffective after a fairly short time, due to moisture. Washing hands and not touching the face is a far more important measure.

So wearing a mask could identify yourself as sick, or not so smart, or feeling prejudice from non-Asians (assumed to be carriers). If it can effectively stop people from touching their face, it would have a use, but I doubt that somewhat. Maybe we should all wear gloves to remind us not to touch the face. My Thai Mrs has several masks of different types. They could be useful in former times against dust, bugs, smoke (slightly) etc. I suspect I will have to take one of these to keep her happy.

Meanwhile thanks for the warning. I had planned to fly to a remote province on return from Germany. That is looking a bit unlikely now. Might well be disallowed. I might be asked to hole up in a Bangkok Hotel, and no room cleaning service.

The Mrs. Keeps me informed of the total bullshit rumours too. Some are quite funny, like this Corana Virus was manufactured from HIV and other viruses combined, ha ha. Some how that was distorted result of minor DNA similarities and the way virus attacks human cells. Also that USA naturally must have had a major hand in getting this virus out there, including being a party to the Wuhan lab releasing it. These silly rumours must be circulating in Thai media I guess, some originate from dumb politicians. Mrs also seems to believe the Planet Nibiru exists and has had major influence on earth's natural disasters, like floods. She tells me all sorts of things, and I am surprised she thinks I could believe any of it. She knows I am a big skeptic type. Hard enough to even nod a yes to her when hearing about Buddhist re-incarnations in the next life.

I usually catch some sort of virus after a long flight, more often than not, so I expect to be slightly unwell with a normal cold after long flights. Takes a long time to test properly for the new one (e. G. 24 hours), so I don't know how they evaluate who should be tested. I had a sore throat the day before yesterday, 2. 5 days after flights, but so what?

Is this Corona going to be as bad as former Flu pandemics like the Spanish flu 1918 to 1920? Seems unlikely since it was reported to have killed about 1. 7% of the worlds population with death rate of 2 to 3%. Surely modern methods will contain this one better and make it more survivable for the otherwise healthy strong people.

I am somewhat resigned to the Thai fatalist culture, thinking that could easily catch this new virus regardless of precautions, simply because I don't have the option to isolate myself for a long time right now. Have.

[Member #4698]

The Immigration Officer will see 2 immediate things which are your passport and your Arrival Card. My guess would be if either of these are from a restricted entry country you will be under quarantine protocol. This includes a connecting flight from Taiwan since the Arrival Card shows the last flight you took before arrival to Thailand.

imo Thailand is doing the responsible thing. They want to know where to find you for the 14 day period after your arrival so they can contact you in case there may have been a chance you were infected like on your plane or an outbreak that happened at a connecting airport.

This is from the BKK Post March 5:

"Six places defined as dangerous zones".

"The government has defined four countries and two territories as dangerous zones and restrictions may follow to prevent the outbreak of coronavirus.

The announcement, dated Monday and published in the Royal Gazette on Thursday, classified South Korea, China, Macao, Hong Kong, Italy and Iran as "dangerous communicable disease areas".

No quarantine measure has been officially announced, but Public Health Ministry spokesman Rungrueng Kitphati told Reuters on Thursday it would come into effect on Friday.

"Thais and foreigners who came from these places would have to go through self-quarantine for 14 days at home or in a hotel room, where they have to report themselves to the authorities every day or officials will come to check on them," Dr Rungrueng said.

The message here is ominous. No one is going to visit Thailand if a self quarantine is put into effect that means you can't leave your hotel or move around freely and the Thai Government knows this. Fortunately, my flight is through Narita, but this announcement makes me nervous, not the friggin' virus, which is just a bat flu. The odds of my visiting LOS this April just went down a tad, just like the stock market. 555. The odds of my visiting Sao Paulo just went up a tad.

Interestingly, I had dinner tonight with a couple friends at a favorite Italian restaurant in south Florida, USA. There must have been 100 customers in the restaurant drinking, dining, and having a nice night. No panic here. The weather was balmy.

[Beijing4987]

Is it time for a separate thread concerning the newest and subsequent viruses?

[Banana Boi]

After seeing the above information, I wonder how this may or may not affect Airline Connections coming into BKK. Coming from US West Coast I go thru Taiwan on Eva, will this cause the required quarantine and 14 day health checks?

The Immigration Officer will see 2 immediate things which are your passport and your Arrival Card. My guess would be if either of these are from a restricted entry country you will be under quarantine protocol. This includes a connecting flight from Taiwan since the Arrival Card shows the last flight you took before arrival to Thailand.

I find it difficult to believe that the risk is higher in Germany than in Thailand. The Germans are probably doing a better job at reporting infections than the Thais.

A few Asian countries like Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Philippines are doing a "poor job" at reporting the virus but I don't think Thailand is one of them. Thai all wear their masks if they can get their hands on one so not to spread the virus but how many Europeans or Americans walk around everywhere with a mask on? I was in Chicago last week and not a single non-Asian was wearing a mask. Germany's active cases doubled overnight to 545.

imo Thailand is doing the responsible thing. They want to know where to find you for the 14 day period after your arrival so they can contact you in case there may have been a chance you were infected like on your plane or an outbreak that happened at a connecting airport.

[Turgid]

List of countries and territories at high risk of the Covid-19 infection: Japan, Germany, South Korea, China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Taiwan, France, Singapore, Italy, and Iran.

After seeing the above information, I wonder how this may or may not affect Airline Connections coming into BKK. Coming from US West Coast I go thru Taiwan on Eva, will this cause the required quarantine and 14 day health checks?

I find it difficult to believe that the risk is higher in Germany than in Thailand. The Germans are probably doing a better job at reporting infections than the Thais.

[StLouisMo2010]

List of countries and territories at high risk of the Covid-19 infection: Japan, Germany, South Korea, China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Taiwan, France, Singapore, Italy, and Iran.

After seeing the above information, I wonder how this may or may not affect Airline Connections coming into BKK. Coming from US West Coast I go thru Taiwan on Eva, will this cause the required quarantine and 14 day health checks?