General Reports

[QUOTE=MrEnternational;2512277]Which is the dumbest shit ever. I arrive at the airport and put all that information on my form. Then when I get to Pattaya, because I have a place there, I have to go down to the local immigration office within a certain time frame and fill out a form with the same information that was on the one I gave them at the airport. What is the purpose of filling the damn thing out at the airport if you have to self report or the place you are staying has to report you? Waste of paper and time.[/QUOTE]What actually happens if we don't go to Jomtien to report that we have arrived back to our Pattaya condo after a 3 month visit to Japan or a 1 night visit to Bangkok? Unless a guy reads Thai Visa how do people know to even do this? Not like they explain it to us when we get our Visa, at Immigration when we arrive, or rent/buy our condo.

Agree. No idea why we fill out the Arrival Card at the airport then have to go duplicate the information in Jomtien when we arrive in Pattaya.

[QUOTE=Franciscass;2512236]As I understand it neither Pfizer nor Moderna vaccines while reducing the odds do not prevent Covid infection. More relevant the data is not yet clear whether a vaccinated person who becomes infected can be a transmitter. Consequently its possible vaccines will not change requirements to quarantine. We may have to wait for herd immunity for that.[/QUOTE]Saw some good news today related to the Moderna vaccine. Preliminary results show it's better at preventing COVID disease (94.1% but also has substantial effect on preventing COVID infection (60%-70% Results based on swab testing of vaccine test participants versus placebo test participants). Pfizer expected to produce same kind of data in about February.

[QUOTE=MrEnternational;2512277]Which is the dumbest shit ever. I arrive at the airport and put all that information on my form. Then when I get to Pattaya, because I have a place there, I have to go down to the local immigration office within a certain time frame and fill out a form with the same information that was on the one I gave them at the airport. What is the purpose of filling the damn thing out at the airport if you have to self report or the place you are staying has to report you? Waste of paper and time.[/QUOTE]Isn't there an app to submit the TM30 form now? When I renewed my retirement visa in May the Bangkok Immigration Officer didn't mention that form and I'd heard they stopped bothering with it. Not that they officially dropped it. Just that they stopped bothering with it for now and the near future.

That was not the case the previous year I renewed. They were going nuts hassling everyone about that form in 2019.

And even though the onus to submit the TM30 form or pay a fine is on the owner or manager of the rental unit, not on the tenant, when the Immigration Officer tells you on the day you are trying to renew your visa that your landlord fucked up, didn't submit it and you'll need to go get the 800 baht or whatever fine from him before you can renew, the solution is YOU pay that 800 baht fine right then and there so you can finish everything that day and deal with your landlord about it later.

[QUOTE=NattyBumpo;2508509]This is a critical point. It means that virgin countries like LOS with quarantine measures in place are going to be very reluctant to open their borders even to vaccinated travelers until a significant percentage of their own population has been inoculated. This may postpone travel to Thailand for most of 2021. I sincerely hope I am wrong.
[/QUOTE]My guess (definitely only a guess), from following Thai news, is that they'll continue to require a 14 day quarantine long into 2021, even for vaccinated tourists. There's widespread popular support in Thailand for taking this conservative approach, and they may smart to do so, since we probably won't know whether vaccinated people can transmit the disease for quite a while. That said, it might be worth suffering through a 14 day quarantine.

Your information is dated. Just yesterday in Bangkok Post, government officials said they are considering lowering the quarantine days to 10 and will make a decision around mid January. They already have decided to allow low risk countries (including the US) to enter Thailand with an automatic 45 days, instead of the usual visa on arrival of 30 days. This is intended to compensate for the current 14 day quarantine, which is actually 16 days because your first day at the designated ASQ hotel is considered day zero, then 14 days in Quarantine and you check out the 16th day.

It still possible to ask for a longer stay by requesting a 60 day visa, which you can extend after that expiration up to 270 days. 10 days or 14 days, it's still too much for me. The expense for this ASQ stay plus the prison like circumstances is just too much at least for this hombre.

[QUOTE=YetAnotherGuy;2512815]My guess (definitely only a guess), from following Thai news, is that they'll continue to require a 14 day quarantine long into 2021, even for vaccinated tourists. There's widespread popular support in Thailand for taking this conservative approach, and they may smart to do so, since we probably won't know whether vaccinated people can transmit the disease for quite a while. That said, it might be worth suffering through a 14 day quarantine.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Tomasb;2513135]Your information is dated. Just yesterday in Bangkok Post, government officials said they are considering lowering the quarantine days to 10 and will make a decision around mid January. ... 10 days or 14 days, it's still too much for me. The expense for this ASQ stay plus the prison like circumstances is just too much at least for this hombre.[/QUOTE]True, though there's a lot of pushback on the quarantine reduction proposal. I'll be surprised if they do it, though I've been surprised a lot of times, so who knows? I've been thinking the same thing about the expense, though I do really miss Thailand.

[QUOTE=Tomasb;2513135]government officials said they are considering lowering the quarantine days to 10 and will make a decision around mid January. [/QUOTE]With the 500 reported new cases yesterday, they may rethink that one.

[QUOTE=NicFrenchy;2513452]With the 500 reported new cases yesterday, they may rethink that one.[/QUOTE]Yes. A lot of dating site girls come from that Bangkok metropolitan area.

Thailand reports daily COVID record of more than 500 cases.
A sharp rise in cases mostly linked to shrimp market in Samut Sakhon, bringing Thailand's infections to more than 4,800.
[URL]https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/19/thailand-reports-daily-covid-record-of-more-than-500-cases[/URL]

[URL]https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2037767/quarantine-golf-courses-to-be-named[/URL]

This would make quaratine more bearable.

[QUOTE=NicFrenchy;2513452]With the 500 reported new cases yesterday, they may rethink that one.[/QUOTE]Wow. Just checked. 576 new cases in 1 day. Total cases up until yesterday was 4,331. Thailand has done 1.2 million tests for 69 million people. Compare this to some countries with similar population. UK 60 million tests. France 30 million tests. Italy 24 million tests.

[QUOTE=BananaBoi;2513462]Wow. Just checked. 576 new cases in 1 day. Total cases up until yesterday was 4,331. Thailand has done 1.2 million tests for 69 million people. Compare this to some countries with similar population. UK 60 million tests. France 30 million tests. Italy 24 million tests.[/QUOTE]Then a question arises regarding the reason for 24-60 times more testing in those other countries. Was it because 24-60 times more of those people were exhibiting symptoms, sick enough to visit a doctor or go to a hospital where they would then be given a test?

These lastest Thai tests appear to have been routine tests for migrant workers in the food industry, primarily from Burma, 90% of whom exhibited no symptoms.

The new and deadly strain from south Africa could be a problem in future and may not have a vaccine possible to handle it.

[URL]https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1374779/covid-strain-latest-new-coronavirus-variant-south-africa-young-adults[/URL]

[QUOTE=Berrys66;2513578]The new and deadly strain from south Africa could be a problem in future and may not have a vaccine possible to handle it.

[URL]https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1374779/covid-strain-latest-new-coronavirus-variant-south-africa-young-adults[/URL][/QUOTE]Daily Express umm not exactly the Lancet when it comes to medical science.

All virus's mutate, covid has already done so several times. The problem with the new variant is it's increased contagiousness which impacts the are factor. Almost all epidemiologists familiar with the science behind the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines which work by attacking the protein spikes ability to attach to the infected host do not believe this new variant impacts that efficacy.

[QUOTE=EihTooms;2513479]Then a question arises regarding the reason for 24-60 times more testing in those other countries. Was it because 24-60 times more of those people were exhibiting symptoms, sick enough to visit a doctor or go to a hospital where they would then be given a test?

These lastest Thai tests appear to have been routine tests for migrant workers in the food industry, primarily from Burma, 90% of whom exhibited no symptoms.[/QUOTE]This round of tests was triggered by a 67 year-old lady who ran a stall at the seafood market going to hospital with symptoms, getting tested and proving positive. The Thai track and trace mechanisms then kick in and they test anyone who is likely to have been in contact, or even could possibly been in contact. This was how they bought the last cluster in the first outbreak under control at Cherng Talay in Phuket. Lock down the area and test repeatedly. It also what they did in Pattaya during lockdown on the hunch that it could be a hotbed of infection (it wasn't).

Banana Boi. Testing numbers as a measure are a very blunt tool. Thailand had around 500,000 negative domestic (I. E. Not quarantined inbound travellers) tests between late May (the last Phuket case) and the next domestic case which was the Bangkok DJ. If you test the symptomatic, those that seek a test and even anyone who is admitted to hospital for whatever reason (certain hospitals did this as a precaution) and they are all coming back negative, there is very little appetite from either the Health authorities or the general public for imposing the regular sticking of a 15 cm Q-tip up peoples nostrils against their will.

[QUOTE=Berrys66;2513578]The new and deadly strain from south Africa could be a problem in future and may not have a vaccine possible to handle it.

[URL]https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1374779/covid-strain-latest-new-coronavirus-variant-south-africa-young-adults[/URL][/QUOTE]I read the strain is from the UK. UK is basically cut off from the world at the moment.

Funny reading about all those travelers in the UK freaking out because they can't get home now. I have no sympathy. They shouldn't have been traveling to the UK to begin with! If I travel to Thailand and they had a lot of cases before I travelled I wouldn't be botching about it. If you can't afford to take 6 months off work or work abroad don't travel internationally. Simple.