The latest from CAAT - The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand

[lazarus]

2 minutes ago, boydeste said:

I get your point, but if you are unlucky you could spend your whole winter there at a huge expense!

If the price was reasonable and they guarenteed that only the people that arrived at the same time could spend time together in the zone and you all left together after then it could be an option. Do you think they could be that organised?

Personally I'd stay distanced from other people at the resort during the 14-day period (except for my daughter who'd be with me). Getting through the quarantine would be my goal and is more important than socializing for the two or three weeks. I could then relax, travel to my house upcountry, and visit with family.

If you wear a mask when around strangers, social distance if possible, wash your hands often, and stay away from other people during the quarantine period -- you should be fine -- good to go on with a longer trip to other parts of TH.  Basically, that's how I live now until the pandemic is declared over (due to a vaccine, zero cases, etc.).

[boydeste]

1 minute ago, lazarus said:

Personally I'd stay distanced from other people at the resort during the 14-day period (except for my daughter who'd be with me). Getting through the quarantine would be my goal and is more important than socializing for the two or three weeks. I could then relax, travel to my house upcountry, and visit with family.

If you wear a mask when around strangers, social distance if possible, wash your hands often, and stay away from other people during the quarantine period -- you should be fine -- good to go on with a longer trip to other parts of TH.  Basically, that's how I live now until the pandemic is declared over (due to a vaccine, zero cases, etc.).

Of course I would do that too, BUT I would bet that if anyone in your zone tested positive then you will not be allowed out.

[dcfc2007]

100,000k baht or more to spend 2 weeks locked in a hotel room. Wouldn't fancy that unless I was going there for 6 months or more. There will be no return of mass tourism for as long as the quarantine arrangements remain in place, travel bubbles or not. 

[lazarus]

1 hour ago, boydeste said:

Of course I would do that too, BUT I would bet that if anyone in your zone tested positive then you will not be allowed out.

Ahhh yeah...f*ckit... I can wait.

For the time being it's a lot easier to just stay home. Weather is nice here until December. No hassles with shopping or takeaway food...lots of choices. I'm just a few miles from the beach. Can always drive up to the mountains. Got a place to stay in Hawaii if they ever lift their quarantine.

Asia is not going anywhere anytime soon. Once Thailand fully "reopens" there should be some great deals. Even better in Cambodia and Vietnam.

Only immediate problem is my WeChat sessions with my pretty friend in Yunnan PRC might be soon blocked by the US gov'mint. It'll be funny when I need to use a VPN for the internet in the US after using them so often in the PRC.  

. . .

Don Mueang will be a welcome familiar sight one of these days...

 

Edited August 26, 2020 by lazarus

[Sea-Hawks]

On 7/21/2020 at 5:07 AM, simon said:

f**k all that, I,m going to Tenerife. Most others will do European holidays or just stay in there own countries. Prime minister of Thailand couldn't care less about  tourists going to Patts or anywhere else in Thailand. Hard times ahead in Thailand for most IMHO

...the more I read about this guy, feel the same and a number of other thoughts.  I’m not too much into politics, but with this covid & all this time on my hands, have seen & read far too many unpleasant things about the current Thai  PM

[Thai Spice]

30 minutes ago, Sea-Hawks said:

...the more I read about this guy, feel the same and a number of other thoughts.  I’m not too much into politics, but with this covid & all this time on my hands, have seen & read far too many unpleasant things about the current Thai  PM

The guy gave me a good impression the first year. After that he just went back to "Typical Thai politician" mode, and probably one of the worst.

 

 

[Toy Boy]

21 hours ago, boydeste said:

Wow, 3 weeks quarentine if ya want to travel on, can you imagine someone coming into the Zone during your last few days testing positive, then you will have to stay another 2 weeks plus and so on!

Deep pockets needed methinks!

Yeah, I'd wondered about that. You sign up for ASQ at a decent hotel, say 100K Baht for two weeks. As I understand it, they test you for C19 when you arrive and just before you leave. There have been many cases reported in state quarantine where the initial test was negative but the pre-release one was positive. If that happened you'd presumably have to spend another 14 days in ASQ at your own expense, but I can imagine some types refusing to pay. Do they take an imprint of your credit card when you go into ASQ, I wonder, lol?

Edited August 27, 2020 by Toy Boy

[Esco]

19 hours ago, dcfc2007 said:

100,000k baht or more to spend 2 weeks locked in a hotel room. Wouldn't fancy that unless I was going there for 6 months or more. There will be no return of mass tourism for as long as the quarantine arrangements remain in place, travel bubbles or not. 

In most ASQs people are allowed out after a couple days once they've had their 1st negative covid test. In places like the Amara Riverside where you have a balcony and great food it almost feels like a holiday albeit confined. I bet it will be the same for those resorts in Phuket. Bottom line its not as bad people make it out to be, if you're prepared to stay in one of the high end places. 

[dcfc2007]

18 minutes ago, Esco said:

In most ASQs people are allowed out after a couple days once they've had their 1st negative covid test. In places like the Amara Riverside where you have a balcony and great food it almost feels like a holiday albeit confined. I bet it will be the same for those resorts in Phuket. Bottom line its not as bad people make it out to be, if you're prepared to stay in one of the high end places. 

Where are they allowed to go? The guys I've followed on twitter don't seem to have had that experience, one was even made to wait in an empty hotel room whilst his bedroom was deep cleaned. Regardless, I wouldn't go on holiday to spend 14 nights in a hotel that I can't decide to leave if I don't like, or want to try something new. It will be fine for guys on long stays etc, but it rules out 99% of holidaymakers. 

Edited August 27, 2020 by dcfc2007

[boydeste]

2 hours ago, Toy Boy said:

Yeah, I'd wondered about that. You sign up for ASQ at a decent hotel, say 100K Baht for two weeks. As I understand it, they test you for C19 when you arrive and just before you leave. There have been many cases reported in state quarantine where the initial test was negative but the pre-release one was positive. If that happened you'd presumably have to spend another 14 days in ASQ at your own expense, but I can imagine some types refusing to pay. Do they take an imprint of your credit card when you go into ASQ, I wonder, lol?

In Cambodia they take a $3000 deposit off you up front, then you get what's left back at the end.

[dcfc2007]

Anyway, I think quarantine etc will be a thing of the past by December. More and more countries now starting to realise we have to live with this virus, hunkering down until a vaccine comes through is not a viable option. By this time next year this whole sorry fiasco will be forgotten about, and it will be pretty much business as usual. 

[Nightcrawler]

1 hour ago, dcfc2007 said:

Anyway, I think quarantine etc will be a thing of the past by December. More and more countries now starting to realise we have to live with this virus, hunkering down until a vaccine comes through is not a viable option. By this time next year this whole sorry fiasco will be forgotten about, and it will be pretty much business as usual. 

I hope you are right, but I am not sure that it would be forgotten by any sense of the word, especially while so many are still dying and economies will or would be in recovery.  

The World is still learning about the Virus and how to control the spread. No doubt the Pandemic will not go on forever but at the same time, whilst some Countries appear to have it under control,it is still gaining control over others and it is  a Worldwide problem. 

Like yourself, I am optimistic, but still cautiously so. 

We are all currently living with the Virus in our own way. 

Going back to "normal" though is another matter. 

I think it will take a number of years for the World to fully recover and in many cases the damage caused by the virus is irreparable. 

Regardless of which school of thought we may have about C19, we simply cannot ignore the shear volume of premature  deaths it has caused and is still causing. 

We will slowly ADAPT 

I am now socialising again, and more or less leading a normal life. I still won't use Public transport and spend more time driving. That's a choice I make. It is not imposed. 

I think that unless we are hit by a substantial Second Wave either locally or internationally, w shall all continually adapt to the changes. 

Like most of us here, long distance travel has been a major sacrifice and mainly through restriction rather than choice 

But its not life or death.just a major fu©King inconvenience. 

Edit

This post is probably more suitable to the C19 non Thailand thread but then I would not be replying to your post

So apologies for that

 

 

[dcfc2007]

14 minutes ago, Nightcrawler said:

I hope you are right, but I am not sure that it would be forgotten by any sense of the word, especially while so many are still dying and economies will or would be in recovery.  

The World is still learning about the Virus and how to control the spread. No doubt the Pandemic will not go on forever but at the same time, whilst some Countries appear to have it under control,it is still gaining control over others and it is  a Worldwide problem. 

Like yourself, I am optimistic, but still cautiously so. 

We are all currently living with the Virus in our own way. 

Going back to "normal" though is another matter. 

I think it will take a number of years for the World to fully recover and in many cases the damage caused by the virus is irreparable. 

Regardless of which school of thought we may have about C19, we simply cannot ignore the shear volume of premature  deaths it has caused and is still causing. 

We will slowly ADAPT 

I am now socialising again, and more or less leading a normal life. I still won't use Public transport and spend more time driving. That's a choice I make. It is not imposed. 

I think that unless we are hit by a substantial Second Wave either locally or internationally, w shall all continually adapt to the changes. 

Like most of us here, long distance travel has been a major sacrifice and mainly through restriction rather than choice 

But its not life or death.just a major fu©King inconvenience. 

Edit

This post is probably more suitable to the C19 non Thailand thread but then I would not be replying to your post

So apologies for that

 

 

I'm not going through all this bollocks again. Believe the media BS, deluded beyond belief. 

[Nightcrawler]

9 minutes ago, dcfc2007 said:

I'm not going through all this bollocks again. Believe the media BS, deluded beyond belief. 

I am not asking you to. But I would add that if anyone thinks it will all be over by December, then perhaps there is also a degree of delusion. But a nice thought, nevertheless 

If you are right, I will make a post congratulating you on your foresight 

[Thai Spice]

2 hours ago, dcfc2007 said:

I'm not going through all this bollocks again. Believe the media BS, deluded beyond belief. 

Anybody who thinks this will be over one day is deluded.

This thing is here to stay, same as cancer, pneumonia, malaria and 100's of other diseases. 

And it makes no sense at all to put the world upside down for this one.

But if people are happy with all the madness going on, and clap with both hands, up to them.

But they shouldn't complain ! 

The world has gone mad. Sadly.

 

 

[cosceguinhas]

The trouble is, It's all up in the air - the proposals change daily, which causes a lot of confusion, and there's no guarantee that the Prime Minister will accept them.

The timetable for the latest I've seen (the "Phuket Model") seems to be:

1. Book flight and hotels in advance.

2. Arrange Covid-19 health insurance for Thailand.

3. Take Covid-19 test 72 hours before departure (for me, a deal-breaker - if positive, I would have to write off the prepaid cost of flight and hotel - my travel insurance doesn't cover this)

4. Another test on arrival.

5. 14 days quarantine confined to the grounds of the chosen resort (I know a few people who would go for this, but not many)

6. 7 days free to travel within Phuket.

7. Another Covid-19 test.  If negative, free to travel around Thailand until your visa runs out.

8. Leave Thailand.

9. Repeat

This model might be applied to Koh Samui, Chang Mai and other tourist areas, but Pattaya was not on the list.

Some people might be able and willing to go for it, but IMHO very few.

 

[boydeste]

5 hours ago, cosceguinhas said:

The trouble is, It's all up in the air - the proposals change daily, which causes a lot of confusion, and there's no guarantee that the Prime Minister will accept them.

The timetable for the latest I've seen (the "Phuket Model") seems to be:

1. Book flight and hotels in advance.

2. Arrange Covid-19 health insurance for Thailand.

3. Take Covid-19 test 72 hours before departure (for me, a deal-breaker - if positive, I would have to write off the prepaid cost of flight and hotel - my travel insurance doesn't cover this)

4. Another test on arrival.

5. 14 days quarantine confined to the grounds of the chosen resort (I know a few people who would go for this, but not many)

6. 7 days free to travel within Phuket.

7. Another Covid-19 test.  If negative, free to travel around Thailand until your visa runs out.

8. Leave Thailand.

9. Repeat

This model might be applied to Koh Samui, Chang Mai and other tourist areas, but Pattaya was not on the list.

Some people might be able and willing to go for it, but IMHO very few.

 

I think it will be restricted to Islands for obvious reasons. 

[Freee!!]

34 minutes ago, boydeste said:

I think it will be restricted to Islands for obvious reasons. 

Last time I looked, Chang Mai wasn't (on) an island.

[Jambo]

13 hours ago, Nightcrawler said:

I am not asking you to. But I would add that if anyone thinks it will all be over by December, then perhaps there is also a degree of delusion. But a nice thought, nevertheless 

If you are right, I will make a post congratulating you on your foresight 

Sadly, I believe you are absolutely correct.

It is September in 3 days and the only possibilities Thailand are currently offering to a select group of "tourists" is absolute bollocks. To start with most tourists do not have enough available holiday entitlement in one go to take 4 weeks the first two of which will be in a very restrictive and expensive quarantine hotel. So that is going to be a non-event.

My two daughters plus grandaughter have rebooked to visit me in Thailand in mid-March and I so hope I am wrong but I just do not see them making that trip. Thailand seems to be focused on preserving their low reported incidents of Covid19 irrespective of the damage they are doing to their own tourist industry and all the Thai's that find themselves currently unemployed.

[boydeste]

10 hours ago, Freee!! said:

Last time I looked, Chang Mai wasn't (on) an island.

Exactly,  that's why I don't think it will apply to CM. 

Time will tell.

[Stillearly]

this was after Emirates announced ticket to BKK on sale from 1st Sept
 

[lazarus]

CCSA names groups that can return

"Long-term foreign residents and foreigners with permanent residences in Thailand stranded overseas will receive priority when seeking to return to Thailand, under strict disease control measures.

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said the panel will recommend allowing these two groups of foreigners back into Thailand as they have high purchasing power..."

. . .

...guess we know where their priorities are.

story: https://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/easy/1976147/ccsa-names-groups-that-can-return

[john luke]

Long-term foreign residents and foreigners with permanent residences in Thailand stranded overseas will receive priority when seeking to return to Thailand, under strict disease control measures.
 

 

How are the above persons defined?

Immigration status or de facto ownership of residence?

[lazarus]

29 minutes ago, john luke said:

Long-term foreign residents and foreigners with permanent residences in Thailand stranded overseas will receive priority when seeking to return to Thailand, under strict disease control measures.
 

 

How are the above persons defined?

Immigration status or de facto ownership of residence?

Size of their bank account.

[cableguy007]

Just had a email from Qatar Airways cancelling my wife and sons return flights to Thailand for 26th September and full refund !

Edited August 29, 2020 by cableguy007