CHAOS comes before the true creation of the universe
[QUOTE=NattyBumpo;2453448]Good reportage, Paw. Thanks.
I just have one question: doesn't this pending economic disaster facing the tourist industry and all other related sectors of the economy add incredible pressure on the Government to open up the friggin' country? To put back up the welcome sign and let anyone who want's to visit, visit and bring their hard currency with them. Yeah, temperature test new arrivals - for sure - and look for visual signs of illness, but let the risk tolerant tourists back in now, before it is too late. Meanwhile, as the country reopens, tell grandma and grandpa to self isolate for the good of the nation. That is the path forward unless the politicians are willing to accept the prevention being far worse than the virus itself. But which country has the guts to open up 1st? HA HA. That is the real question.[/QUOTE]I wished it was that simple. Unless you are an economics guru (and even then because those expert and models haven't always been right), it's hard understand the complexity of this "world," not just Thailand crisis. You have a world wide economic crisis because you have a world wide public health crisis, not the other way around. I have an MBA in Global Business and an MHA with a minor in Health Studies plus worked in the Infectious Disease and HIV / AIDs department at a high level and I am still confused as fuck. But you know why? It's because those at the top aren't tell us everything and because technically, they don't know everything as well. Anybody, who tries to compare this to anything in the past isn't being fair. Why? The world economy is not the same as it was during Spanish Flu or anything previous. We are a global economy with the service sector outweighing the manufacturing sector or farming sector. It was not like this way back when. So the whole social distancing, no gathering thing is going to kill the world's economy by destroying the service sector. Don't believe any of the numbers they tell you. Just ask yourself how did they come up with them, and did they miss or left out any valid data points. For example, Thailand has only 3000 confirmed cases as reported. How many potentially "unconfirmed" is my next question? They will say "we don't know. " Then the answer IS "we don't know how many total cases in Thailand. " Do not mislead the people especially the uneducated that you have this under control by flashing only 3000 everyday on the news. You really have to play the devil's advocate.
To answer your question, all I can say is that things are pretty much allow to open in Pattaya besides entertainment and a few others. But yet, most are still shut down either by choice or didn't pay the rent. They are failing or know they will fail. This will snowball. Trust me, if Thailand was still making money before the shutdown, they would have still stayed open. My suggestion, was they should have trapped ALL their tourists here instead of scaring them off. They could have given incentives like, free COVID insurance, reduced hotel, transportation, attractions, and and tour rates, extended all visas and stamps free for 6 months, and kept things opened with precautions. I wonder how many tourists would have waited it out in Thailand? Remember what the tourism industry is. You are willing to pay foreign money to a country or business to look a giant statue or attraction. You come and buy useless crap that you can probably get at home cheaper. The profit margin is pretty high. Also a good indicator is to watch the non-casual and fine dining restaurants. If places like Sea Zone (not even open) or El Guacho (ask someone in BKK) do bad, so will the entertainment business. That's a solid predictor for entertainment, travel, and tourism. So no use in opening. People want free (beaches and parks) or low cost things to do during this time, not luxury. Sex tourism is a luxury. Think about it, we are part of "the HAVES" not the "Have nots."
The world has its eyes on the USA and Sweden right now because of their approach. If they fail, all hell breaks loose. I think you guys know why. It's the domino effect and the result of our interdependence on each other in this world. The Bretton Woods Agreement and the mighty US Dollar. If I was some of these other countries right now, I would send my best and my brightest or as much as possible to help out the USA from failing. That should have been done in the beginning when it started in China and it should have happened with other issues like starvation in Africa, and the wild fires in Australia. Imagine if the world put Pro -Sports or EDM Festivals on hold, in their respective countries and used that money and resources to wipe out a current crisis 10,000 miles away. We live with a "not in my backyard" mentality, yet we all share the same really big back yard with giant puddles and the same air. This is chaos, when nothing makes sense anymore.
Sign in sheets and QR scans
[QUOTE=LittleBigMan;2452611]Is anyone tired of having to sign in and out everywhere you go yet!
SNIP[/QUOTE]They say it's to track down Coronavirus infected. But nobody can read the handwriting, fake telephone numbers, and most don't even sign or log out. My guess is that they are tracking consumers spending habits and retail and business costumer visits in order to actually do a contraction. What that means is that for example there are 3 women's clothing store or 3 pharmacies in same area, you track consumers because eventually government has to step in and close some in the future because of the recession. It's how money gets funneled. They can't let the rent and utilities keep on while business owners keep holding out for a miracle trying to keep their shops open. Things get worse that way. They also don't want their bail out money going on luxury items. Just like a bunch of kids being told by parents how to spend their money during times of hardship. But the government does it on the down low and you don't even realize what's going on.
