torsdag 30 juni 2022

Thailand sees rise in severe COVID-19 cases after easing of restrictions | The sub-committee of the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has expressed concern over a spike in lung infections among COVID-19 patients and those needing ventilators.Thai PBS World

Thailand sees rise in severe COVID-19 cases after easing of restrictions

The sub-committee of the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has expressed concern over a spike in lung infections among COVID-19 patients and those needing ventilators, said CCSA Assistant Spokesperson Dr. Apisamai Srirangsan, after their meeting today (Thursday).

She said that lung infections increased from 598 on June 17th to 684 cases today and those requiring ventilators rose from 288 last week to 292 today, adding, however, that the increase had been anticipated after the relaxing of face mask wearing requirements in public places and the reopening of pubs and bars.

Nevertheless, she noted that the fatality rate remains stable.

Dr. Apisamai said that the key issue, to which the sub-committee has attached importance, is that the number of severe cases must be well within the capacity of the health system to cope, including the number of hospital beds.

Current hospital bed occupancy by COVID-19 patients is about 9.9%, which is manageable, but in some provinces such as Samut Prakan, the occupancy rate is 20%, but still within the 25% limit, said the CCSA assistant spokesperson.

Of the 14 fatalities reported today, she said that all were in a high risk group, which includes those who are over 60 years old and those with underlying diseases, including six who were unvaccinated.

She disclosed that 84% of people over 60 have received their first doses, 80.5% have received two doses but only 46.5% have received three doses, which is below the target.

The national target is that 60% of the population receiving three vaccine doses. Only Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan and Phuket have achieved this.

She disclosed that the CCSA, at its meeting next Friday, will assess the consequences of all the relaxed measures with the possibility of some measures being reviewed.

She stressed that the CCSA will not rush to dismantle all the remaining restrictions, but will tread cautiously.






Omicron BA.5 infections will increase before declining in August: Yong. The Omicron BA.5 subvariant is Thailand’s dominant strain for June, causing the disease to spread further, expert virologist Dr Yong Poovorawan said on Thursday. The Nation


Omicron BA.5 infections will increase before declining in August: Yong

He said infections would increase before declining in August and advised people to receive at least three Covid-19 vaccine jabs as well as booster shots periodically.

The number of Covid-19 patients has risen sharply in the past two weeks, especially children, he noted.

Citing Chulalongkorn University's Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology that he heads, Yong said each Covid-19 strain became the dominant one for only a short period.

He predicted Omicron BA.5 instead of BA.2 would be the country's dominant strain this month.

"Once a new strain becomes dominant, the virus will spread further," he said.

Omicron BA.5 infections will increase before declining in August: Yong

He said BA.5 can escape immunity provided by vaccines, so it is not surprising that vaccinated people can get infected with the virus again. However, he stressed that most patients developed mild symptoms.

Yong expected more than 10,000 people to be infected with Covid-19, more than ten times the figure in a Public Health Ministry report.

Thailand recorded 2,695 Covid-19 cases and 14 deaths on Thursday in the past 24 hours.

He said the death rate among Covid-19 patients is now lower than 0.1 per cent. Vulnerable people, the elderly aged 60 years or above, pregnant women, people with underlying diseases and the unvaccinated accounted for most deaths.

"Vaccines can reduce the severity of Covid-19, enabling many patients to receive treatment at home despite rising infections," the doctor pointed out.

Vulnerable people should receive Covid-19 antiviral drugs as soon as possible, Yong advised, recommending three drugs approved by the World Health Organisation – Remdesivir, Molnupiravir and Paxlovid.

"Vulnerable people should be given antiviral drugs within five days after developing symptoms," he added. 

🔴 #COVID19 update on Thursday ⬆️ 2,695 new cases ⏺ 14 deaths ⬆️ 23,931 active cases ⬆️ 684 serious cases. TNR / Richard Barrow



onsdag 29 juni 2022

🔴 #COVID19 update on Wednesday ⬆️ 2,569 new cases ⬆️ 14 deaths ⬆️ 23,029 active cases ⬆️ 665 serious cases. TNR / Richard Barrow



Airfares from Bangkok are already reaching crazy levels. ASEAN NOW


image.jpeg

File photo for reference only

 

ANALYSIS | by Michael Bridge

 

With the government's announcement canceling the requirement for the Thailand Pass, hotel quarantine and pre-travel Covid-19 tests, Thailand is expecting a surge in air traffic.

 

"Travel will see a strong resurgence because conditions [for entry] will return to almost pre-Covid normality' said a CAAT director.

 

Signs of recovery emerged in the first quarter of this year, when Thailand saw a total of 11.26 million passengers, up 2.5 million from the previous quarter.

 

There were 108,987 flights throughout Thailand in the first quarter, up 21,277 from the previous quarter, according to CAAT.

 

It is anticipated that Thailand's aviation market is likely to be "the most active" in Asia along with Singapore which have also followed the relaxation of entry regulations.

 

Domestic air travel is also recovering well thanks to relaxed rules, high vaccination rates, and the reduced severity of Omicron, he added.

 

However, the growing demand for air travel is being offset by fallout from the war between Russia and Ukraine, the CAAT chief said. 

 

The rising cost of fuel is adding to airlines' costs and would likely force them to raise airfares in the second quarter of this year.

 

Crazy Price Rises

 

Well, his predictions seem to be coming true, as the urge to travel by a global population coming out of the pandemic and lockdowns is gaining momentum.

 

This coupled with the fuel hikes have made airlines look at the budgets and schedules and inevitably we the passengers must pay more.

 

Only a few months ago it was possible to book a return ticket from Bangkok to London Gatwick for THB19,000 return with Scoot, the Singapore-owned budget airline.

 

Now if you wish to book a return ticket with Scoot for travel in July the fare quoted online is THB31,400.

 

Hardly a budget rate anymore!

 

According to online booking system Kayak the cheapest flights out of London to Bangkok were flying with Thai Airways and ITA Airways at THB44,663. https://www.kayak.co.th/flights/

 

And the total trip each way with various stops is 25 hours, not exactly relaxing, more like an endurance test.

In the past, I have flown with Qatar Airways to London via Doha for around Thb25,000.

 

On their website the lowest return fare offered in July was THB56,340.

 

Fares in Vietnam rise by the hour

 

Airfares have risen in the last several months, with customers reporting hikes within hours, as summer travel demand booms after two years of Covid-19.

 

A media representative for budget airline Vietjet said fuel accounts for around 40 percent of operating costs. When fuel prices crossed $100 per barrel, airlines' operating costs increased by 50 percent, she added.


International airfares have risen by 25-30 percent, with the HCMC-South Korea and HCMC-San Francisco routes recording prices of VND10-13 million and VND41-45 million, respectively.


The US fares up by 50%


More Americans are also taking to the skies this summer than there are available plane seats, driving up ticket prices as airlines grapple with surging fuel costs, staffing challenges and smaller fleets.


Airfares at American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines — the three largest domestic carriers — shot up nearly 50% for the week ending May 23 compared to a year ago, according to an analysis by Cowen, a financial services firm.


It is also expensive to go by road for domestic trips, with petrol at an all time high, so perhaps the answer is to head for the railway stations.


If you like an adventure, I suppose you could have flown to Hanoi and got a train to Kunming and then taken the trans-Siberian express to Moscow and trains to London.


One problem here….the trains are not running through Russia for obvious reasons.


So maybe you will need to book a slow boat to Europe instead.





1.7m people visit Phuket up until June. New Covid cases on island at 15 per day. Phuket has welcomed more than 1.7 million visitors during the first five months of this year, generating over 26 billion baht in revenue for the resort island, says the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Bangkok Post

1.7m people visit Phuket up until June
Tourists visit a walking street in the Old Town zone of Phuket. (Photo: Achadthaya Chuenniran)
Tourists visit a walking street in the Old Town zone of Phuket. (Photo: Achadthaya Chuenniran)

Phuket has welcomed more than 1.7 million visitors during the first five months of this year, generating over 26 billion baht in revenue for the resort island, says the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

Nanthasiri Ronnasiri, director of the TAT's Phuket Office, said on Tuesday that hotel rooms in Phuket used to be 75% booked before the pandemic. But the hotel reservation rate declined to 19.47% in 2020 and 7.75% in 2021.

As Phuket's economy is highly dependent on the tourism industry, the government has stepped up measures to help spur demand, she said.

Since the launch of the Rao Tiew Duay Kan (We Travel Together) tourism stimulus campaign, the proportion of domestic tourists rose to 80% of the total last year, the same level as foreign tourists prior to the pandemic in 2019, according to Ms Nanthasiri.

Furthermore, she said more than 200,000 foreign tourists had visited Phuket with the launch of the Sandbox scheme from July to December last year.

From the beginning of this year to May 31, around 1.73 million tourists visited the island, of them 132,472 were domestic travellers, Ms Nanthasiri added.

The island has earned 26.5 billion baht from tourist spending, of which 14.4 billion baht came from Thais, indicating an increase in the number of domestic tourists lately, she said.

As a tourism-reliant economy, Phuket has recovered faster than other provinces, with the hotel reservation rate for the first five months of the year standing at 28.27% on average, Ms Nanthasiri said.

Phuket is the most popular province for tourists in the South, according to Ms Nanthasiri.

Somsuk Samphanprateep, deputy chief of the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office, said the Covid-19 situation on the island has improved as new daily infections now stand at an average of 15.

Despite the easing of the face mask mandate, masks are still required for the high-risk "608" group, and in crowded areas. The group comprises people aged 60 and older, those with underlying conditions and pregnant women.

Phuket is ready to enter the post-pandemic phase on Friday, he said. 





tisdag 28 juni 2022

Thai Health Minister Anutin tests positive for Covid-19 | Thaiger

 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Thai Health Minister Anutin tests positive for Covid-19
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The Thai Deputy PM and Minister of Public Health, Anutin Charnvirakul, has tested positive for Covid-19 after arriving back from a UNAIDS meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. The minister was reported to have only mild symptoms at this time as he had already completed 6 doses of Covid vaccine.

Autin and other authorities from the Ministry of Public Health, Foreign Affairs, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, and Phuket Provincial Governor had joined the BIE 170th General Assembly in Paris between June 19 – 20.

Then, the group travelled to Geneva to join the meeting with The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS to discuss the Special Expo 2028, in which Phuket is vying to host between June 21-24 in that year.

Anutin arrived in Thailand on June 26 with muscle pain and a sore throat and later found that he was positive for Covid-19 with an ATK test. According to the report, the minister would quarantine for at least a week, or until he was able to produce a negative Covid test.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, Kiatiphum Wongrajit, who travelled together, also tested positive and had similar symptoms.

The report from Channel 3 explained that the two men were likely to have been infected while working aboard because they had to meet and talk with many people. Both of the men were fully dosed with approved Covid vaccines before their travels.

Anutin once said in an interview to the media…

"I need a thick armor because the Covid-19 can stab me anytime while working".

He received a Pfizer vaccine as his 6th dose on June 13, just prior to his departure to Europe. Overall, he received 2 doses of SinoVac, 2 doses of AstraZeneca, and 2 doses of the Pfizer mRNA vaccine. After his 6th vaccination he continued working immediately without any side effects.

Kiatiphum claimed that "this proved that the Covid-19 vaccine was safe and important because it could effectively help prevent severe symptoms and death after infection".

For foreigners the mercurial public health minister is infamous for his comments about foreigners when he was handing out free face masks in the early days of the pandemic in Thailand.

"Many farang dress dirty and don't shower. As hosts we have to be very careful."

Anutin's disparaging and xenophobic comments about 'white' foreigners (farang) made international headlines at the time.

"Today I visited Chiang Mai and noticed that there are almost no Chinese tourists. All you see are 'farang'. Not only that, but 90% of Thais are wearing masks. However, none of the farang are wearing masks This is the reason our country is being infected all around. We should be more careful of the farang than Asians."

"At the moment it is winter in Europe and farang come to Thailand to hide from the disease. Many farang dress dirty and don't shower. As hosts we have to be very careful."

SOURCE: Channel 3




🔴 #COVID19 update on Tuesday ⬆️ 1,761 new cases ⬇️ 13 deaths ⬇️ 22,458 active cases ⬆️ 638 serious cases. TNR / Richard Barrow



måndag 27 juni 2022

Covid fear lingers in Krabi despite face mask mandate being eased. DESPITE the government having announced on Friday that people may now take off their face masks, many tourist business operators and workers in Krabi province are still worried about catching Covid-19 because there are people doing so everyday and the virus is also mutating, TV Channel 7 said today (June 27). - Thai Newsroom

Covid fear lingers in Krabi despite face mask mandate being eased

DESPITE the government having announced on Friday that people may now take off their face masks, many tourist business operators and workers in Krabi province are still worried about catching Covid-19 because there are people doing so everyday and the virus is also mutating, TV Channel 7 said today (June 27).

In lifting the face mask mandate the government said those who are vulnerable and infected should continue wearing them and while it is now up to the rest of the general public whether they do so or not, they were told these masks are essential in crowded or poorly ventilated places.

Reporters from this TV channel visited some popular tourist spots in this southern province and saw that some foreign tourists had already started taking off their face masks but Thai tourists were still wearing them.

They then questioned some tourist business operators and workers who said they remained worried about Covid bouncing back and spreading rapidly again with added fear of this virus mutating.

Mr. Chinnupong Sakchan, 41, who operates a shuttle van from Krabi International Airport to town said he was not convinced that the Covid outbreak had eased and told all tourists using his service they had to wear a face mask throughout the ride.

A masseuse at an Ao Nang beach parlour said she continued wearing a face mask as she has since the start of the pandemic even though it is no longer compulsory to do so. Where the customers are concerned, some wear the mask, others don't with the parlour not forcing anyone on this issue because it is their right to do so or not.

However she added that she remained worried about Covid resurging again.

Meanwhile the Public Health Ministry said this morning that there were 1,735 Covid cases and 15 deaths over the past 24 hours with this taking the cumulative confirmed total since Jan. 1 to 2,292,455 and since the start of the pandemic 4,515,890.

Today's 15 fatalities raised the death toll to 30,607.

Another 2,138 patients were cured taking total recoveries since Jan. 1 to  2,293,894 while 22,895 patients are still undergoing treatment.




Thailand to be "post pandemic" this week, not endemic. Post-pandemic or endemic? As Covid-19 is now projected to affect only small to medium sized slices of the population going forward, the Public Health Ministry will declare Thailand to be in post-pandemic mode from this Friday, according to health permanent secretary Kiattiphum Wongrajit. | Thaiger

Thailand to be "post pandemic" this week, not endemic

Post-pandemic or endemic?

As Covid-19 is now projected to affect only small to medium sized slices of the population going forward, the Public Health Ministry will declare Thailand to be in post-pandemic mode from this Friday, according to health permanent secretary Kiattiphum Wongrajit.

July 1 coincides with the abolition of the Thailand Pass pre-travel digital gateway for overseas visitors, along with the compulsory health insurance called at US$10,000.

"We will keep to our schedule to announce a post-pandemic era on July 1.And what we expect to see is only small or medium clusters that will not do any harm to our public health service. The disease will be under control."

Rather than labelling Covid-19 as an endemic from July, the health ministry is prepared to declare a post-pandemic phase.

They had decided to hold off until the World Health Organisation officially declares Covid-19 to be endemic.

While Kiattiphum confirmed the arrival of the two additional Covid-19 subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, he claimed that their effects and risk of transmission had not yet been fully studied. The number of severely affected patients admitted to hospitals has not changed in Thailand whilst there had been a rise in both cases and hospitalisations in other countries.

After July, Thailand is fully open to the rest of the world (excepting the need to produce a negative PCR or ATK test in the 72 hours before travel for unvaccinated or under vaccinated travellers). There will be no Thailand Pass and no compulsory insurance required before travelling to Thailand.

But inbound travellers will be required to show their vaccination documents at immigration (and probably at their airline check-in). Entertainment venues will be also allowed to open "officially" until 2 in the morning in many locations.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post




Additional booster shots recommended against COVID BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants. A senior Thai doctor has warned people not to underestimate the threat posed by the COVID-19 Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants and has recommended additional booster shots, claiming that they can help ease serious consequences of infection by the mutated virus. PBS World

Additional booster shots recommended against COVID BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants

A senior Thai doctor has warned people not to underestimate the threat posed by the COVID-19 Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants and has recommended additional booster shots, claiming that they can help ease serious consequences of infection by the mutated virus.

Professor Dr. Prasit Watanapa, dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital, said today (Monday) that, although there is no clear evidence proving that the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants can cause more serious symptoms, there have been reports that the they transmit faster and are beginning to overtake the current BA.2 sub-variant.

He said that more booster shots could help protect people from infection by the new sub-variants, as he advised thosewho have received three vaccine doses to receive a fourth dose and frontline medical staff to receive a fifth shot.

Meanwhile, Public Health Permanent Secretary Dr.Kiattibhoom Vongrachit said that, in the United States and Britain, it has been discovered that the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants are spreading faster than the BA.2 sub-variant by 1.3-1.4 times. In European countries, however, there have been no such reports.

He also said that there has not yet been a report of the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants causing more serious symptoms in Thailand.

As Thailand is entering the COVID post-pandemic era, he played down the possibility of a new mass outbreak, noting that the situation is steadily improving with fewer infections, serious cases and fatalities.

He said that nearly 140 million doses of vaccines have been administered in Thailand so far, with 60 million people havingreceived at least their first doses.

Regarding the vaccination of children aged from six months to five years, he said that the US Food and Drug Administration has already approved the vaccination of this group.

Dr. Paisarn Dunkum, secretary-general of Thai Food and Drug Administration, said that his office is waiting for both Pfizer and Moderna to apply for registration for their vaccines for administration to young children, adding that the amount of vaccine to be used in younger children will be less than that used in children aged from 5 to 11.

Only two weeks after decriminalising cannabis, Thailand is experiencing a green rush. Since June 9, when the legalisation of marijuana for home and commercial use took effect, almost 1 million people registered to grow it with food and drug officials, while more than 40 million have checked out the registration platform. There's a growing public interest in the cash crop -- though some farmers remain doubtful -- and it is paving the way for "cannabis journalism". Bangkok Post

Riding the green wave
Only two weeks after decriminalising cannabis, Thailand is experiencing a green rush. Since June 9, when the legalisation of marijuana for home and commercial use took effect, almost 1 million people registered to grow it with food and drug officials, while more than 40 million have checked out the registration platform. There's a growing public interest in the cash crop -- though some farmers remain doubtful -- and it is paving the way for "cannabis journalism".

Legalisation is not new in some parts of the world. In the wake of legalising recreational marijuana in Colorado in 2012, Ricardo Baca, a veteran journalist, launched The Cannabist, an outlet dedicated to the coverage of marijuana, in late 2013. In an article, he said his editors at The Denver Postasked him to start the project. In fact, their coverage of weed dates back to medical legalisation in 2000. I tried to check the website, but it is not available in this region.

While a cannabis press does not exist here, media has been covering the topic since the pre-dawn of legalisation. At that time, cannabis was still a drug under the Narcotic Act 1979. But in 2018, Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to approve the use of medical marijuana. It was not until the narcotic board announced the removal of marijuana containing less than 0.2% of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) from its drug list early this year that cannabis, or ganja in the local lingo, received more coverage in the mass media.

Some have provided amateur readers with a scientific understanding of the plant, especially the differences between marijuana and hemp, and their qualities. Some have mentioned its cultural functions in everything from cuisine to art. Story after story has poured from everywhere. I've even read a review of a luxury spa offering cannabis treatments. Published months before legalisation, they did not explore controversial issues including legal loopholes.

But the unlocking of home and commercial cannabis is setting off an explosion of stories about its health impact on traditional and social media. As soon as legalisation took effect, doctors and netizens expressed concern about the potential of unchecked use. A few days later, cases of those who were admitted to hospitals after using marijuana came to light, prompting the government to issue regulations while a bill on cannabis and hemp is still in the pipeline.

On the other hand, the long-planned decriminalisation of cannabis for poverty relief has apparently come to fruition. Some reporters have painted rosy pictures of pioneering entrepreneurs who are weathering the storm until they realise the potential of this cash crop. I came across a report with the headline that read "Make 1 million baht from cannabis". In an interview, a manager went into financial detail, which is necessary for those who are not sure whether they should explore the uncharted territory.

"It takes a single plant four-to-five months to grow. Each can offer a product of 1kg, which can be sold for 13,000 baht. A total of 72 plants can be grown in a 6m by 12m greenhouse, which can generate an income of over 900,000 baht. It can be grown for two seasons per year," he said.

Other reporters have done a good job in tackling issues in a balanced manner. BBC Thai has covered cannabis legalisation since its early days. In 2018, it reported a debate over whether cannabis is a wicked plant or an alternative herb. Following decriminalisation, it published an interview with Chidchanok Chidchob, a veteran politician's daughter who is cultivating marijuana in Buri Ram. Like others, she said it is not easy because it requires capital and knowledge.

Growing public interest in cannabis will increase demand for reporters who have a nose for green news. Since nobody knows where the emerging field is going, they will have to explain and predict trends. Also, they will have to simplify confusing rules and complex terms. At the same time, they will have to grapple with the powers that be. Like other industries, journalists must hold themselves accountable if they commit offences, but unfortunately at their own expense.

Professional media are facing a growing decline in press freedom, whether it is by big businesses or politicians. Two recent cases after decriminalisation will have a chilling effect on further criticism of the cannabis policy and hamper the search for truth. Supachai Jaisamut of the Bhum-jaithai Party, which touted the cannabis campaign in the previous election, said it is taking legal action against a news presenter after he accused his party's brainchild of having a negative influence on teenagers.

In another instance, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul clarified with the governor that a man who died after consuming marijuana did not die because of the drug, but heart failure. However, an independent autopsy is needed to pinpoint the real cause of his death. How can we find out the truth and place trust in it when the public health minister and the campaigner for cannabis are the same people?

The green field is on the horizon. Reporters are jumping on the marijuana bandwagon. The budding verdant farm presents untold opportunities and challenges, but they must not get high on it and forsake journalistic ethics.

Thana Boonlert is a feature writer for the Life section of the Bangkok Post.

              


🔴 #COVID19 update on Monday ⬇️ 1,735 new cases ⬇️ 15 deaths ⬇️ 22,895 active cases ⬆️ 610 serious cases. TNR / Richard Barrow



söndag 26 juni 2022

Thai Prime Minister says not to panic over newer Covid-19 strains that have seen cases rise in Europe, won't be reinstating restrictions. - The Pattaya News

Thai PM urges public not to panic over Covid-19 Omicron's BA.4/BA.5 strain

National –

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O'Cha urges the public not to panic over Covid-19 Omicron's BA.4/BA.5 strain, insisting that the Ministry of Public Health has been monitoring the spreading situation closely.

Government spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana spoke today, June 26th, that the Prime Minister asked people not to panic about the new mutation as the Public Health Department has closely followed the spread of BA.4/BA.5.

Although the World Health Organization has classified it as a strain of concern and must be monitored (VOC lineages under monitoring: VOC-LUM) because of its ability to transmit infection and resistance to immunization, there is now no sufficient evidence to support that the strain is more severe than previous mutations.

"The Ministry of Public Health has continued to conduct a surveillance system for critically ill patients and subspecies, including focusing on booster vaccination to boost immunity, reduce the chance of infection, and prevent severe symptoms and death. At the same time, the public is advised to continue to follow the health recommendations," the spokesperson added.






Thailand‘State of Emergency’ must end now, says leading opposition party - Pattaya Mail

Thailand'State of Emergency' must end now, says leading opposition party

Pheu Thai Party leader Cholnan Srikaew and other executives of the party said the imposition of the state-of-emergency law was no longer necessary for COVID-19 control because the government was about to declare COVID-19 an endemic disease.

The opposition-core Pheu Thai Party urged the prime minister to stop imposing the Executive Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations as the local COVID-19 situation improved.

Pheu Thai Party leader Cholnan Srikaew and other executives of the party said the imposition of the state-of-emergency law was no longer necessary for COVID-19 control because the government was about to declare COVID-19 an endemic disease.

Pheu Thai spokeswoman Theerarat Samrejvanich said the government could instead exercise the Disease Control Act to control COVID-19 and an end to the imposition of the emergency law could revive investors' confidence and the tourism sector.

The continuous imposition of the emergency law only indicated that the prime minister did not want political rallies and the law was used to limit people's rights and freedom, she said.

After ending the emergency law imposition, prosecution against demonstrators including young ones should stop accordingly. They had no ill intentions against the country but only wanted to express opinions and criticize the government's work, Ms Theerarat said. (TNA)


The actual number of Covid-19 infections must be 10 times higher than reported by the Public Health Ministry as most patients develop mild symptoms, top virologist Dr Yong Poovorawan said on Sunday. Dr Yong also pointed out that the number of children infected by Covid-19 has surged now that schools have reopened, triggering a spread among families. With children, he said, it was difficult to tell if they have the common flu or Covid-19. “We expect Covid-19 to spread quickly from this month and the number of infections to reach their peak between July and September,” he said. The Nation

Thailand's real Covid numbers far higher than reported: top virologist

The actual number of Covid-19 infections must be 10 times higher than reported by the Public Health Ministry as most patients develop mild symptoms, top virologist Dr Yong Poovorawan said on Sunday.

Dr Yong also pointed out that the number of children infected by Covid-19 has surged now that schools have reopened, triggering a spread among families.

With children, he said, it was difficult to tell if they have the common flu or Covid-19.

"We expect Covid-19 to spread quickly from this month and the number of infections to reach their peak between July and September," he said.

He reckoned that Covid-19 infections will start dropping between October and December, before rising again in January, when respiratory diseases usually peak.

Thailand's real Covid numbers far higher than reported: top virologist

Dr Yong, who leads the Chulalongkorn University's Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology, said half of the children who participated in the centre's study had been infected with Covid-19 but were asymptomatic.

"To achieve a real number, a sentinel surveillance must be conducted in each venue, because the current Covid-19 infections report is based on patients who are hospitalised or tested positive via the RT-PCR method," he said.

He added that patients with mild symptoms were less infectious than those with severe symptoms. Also, those with mild symptoms recover quickly, he added.



Back to the future - the resistance to taking off masks in Thailand. It's going to be slow journey to get masks off the faces of Thais. Walking along the streets of Bangkok this morning I may as well be in a time loop. There was only one person not wearing a mask as I walked to breakfast - Me. Thaiger

Back to the future – the resistance to taking off masks in Thailand | OPINION

image

Walking along the streets of Bangkok this morning I may as well be in a time loop. There was only one person not wearing a mask as I walked to breakfast.

Me.

Everyone else, everyone, was wearing a face mask, just like over the past 2 years and 2 months. It was 7.30am, it's not as if it was busy. Some sort of campaign to encourage Thais to remove their masks will certainly be needed to ween them off the habit.

The new Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt did his bit yesterday inviting the media to his morning run at Lumpini Park to show that he was exercising outside without a mask. Public leaders will need to do more of this.

Back to the future - the resistance to taking off masks in Thailand | OPINION | News by Thaiger

Last Thursday the official announcement was made, on all Thai media, that people no longer had to wear a mask whilst in open areas. There were still requirements to wear a mask in busy places, government buildings and public transport. Individual businesses also retain the right to require a mask for people entering their premises.

This is what the Tourism Authority of Thailand are telling foreign readers, in English…

"Outdoor mask-wearing has been endorsed as voluntary although the public are still advised to wear a face mask in crowded places, such as, public transport, markets, and concert venues, or for people with certain health conditions."

And if you spend 10 minutes on any Thai-related social media or forums, the general mood is clear… you won't have to wear a mask when you get to Thailand (despite the clearly stated exceptions). The reality is that you'll still need to wear a mask except when wandering outside or exercising.

Arriving back in Bangkok last night it was like nothing had changed at all. Admittedly I didn't venture out to the nightspot areas where I am sure the situation would have been different, and has been for many months.

Just getting to Bangkok from Phuket was a full 'back to the future' experience. Aware that there would be some initial reticence for Thais, I expected to still see plenty of masks. But surely not EVERYONE.

The taxi driver to the airport expressly asked me to put on my mask. At the airport it remains a requirement with signs at the entrances to remind me. In the departure lounge it was still a loud and regular reminder over the PA, between the robotic flight announcements.

On the flight it was just the same as the last year or so since the airlines headed back into the domestic skies – masks were compulsory and there was no F&B service.

Arriving at Suvarnabhumi on the last flight of the day, we ended up shunted to a back corner of the airport for cheap overnight parking and had to take the bus back to the terminal. Such is the airline's deep concern about us socially distancing and maintaining our good health, we sat within inches of each other for the entire flight (flight was full – good to see), and then packed us like sardines into the bus ride back to the terminal.

Back to the future - the resistance to taking off masks in Thailand | OPINION | News by Thaiger

Same same inside the Suvarnabhumi terminal. Then the taxi ride back to my apartment also required me to wear a mask. The entrance to my apartment building had a direction to wear a mask whilst in public areas of the condo and the floor of the elevator was still covered in silly footprint labels explaining how we should stand inside the elevator (to be fair they're probably deeply fused with the floor after 2 years and won't be easy to remove).

Once I was inside my apartment I took off my face mask, about 4 hours after I put it on back at home in Phuket.

So what the hell had changed since the big announcement. According to my experience over the past 3 days – not much at all. There is little will for Thais to take advantage of the change of rules.

The Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced yesterday that he was happy "most Thais are voluntarily wearing masks for protection against Covid-19". That comment is sending a mixed message to his constituency. A government spokesman added that the Thai PM was still concerned about the health of the public "as coronavirus infection risks remained".

Yesterday Thailand recorded 2,236 new Covid infections and 16 deaths, today it's 2,378 new infections and 17 Covid-related deaths – a slight bump up in the infection trend, although some small increase was expected due to the slowly rising number of tourists arriving from overseas and the rise in Omicron variant BA4 and BA5 infections in many of the tourist-feeder countries.

The number of foreign travellers to Thailand is expected to increase post July 1 when there will no longer be a requirement to apply for a pre-travel digital Thailand Pass. That, and the accompanying compulsory US$10,000 insurance will be consigned to Thai Covid history from next Friday.

But the numbers of arrivals will still be well down on the pre-Covid travel trends in Thailand, and is expected to remain subdued for at least the rest of 2022 with at least China and Russia out of the picture and airline chaos as the global industry battles to rebuild schedules and their previous workforces.

Whilst the Thai government is wanting to portray the country as open for business and welcoming tourists back they will have to take a much more active role in dismantling the rhetoric of mask wearing in Thailand otherwise it will be a long hangover which will continue to confuse foreign tourists when they arrive in the country.

It's likely to be a slow reversal of mask-wearing habits in Thailand. They were a reasonably common sight before Covid, mostly worn in the fallen hope they might protect them from PM2.5 pollutants. But it's different now and a more positive note needs to be struck to convince Thais to remove their masks.

The last thing you want to feel as a foreigner walking around Thailand is as a 'pariah', and the only person taking advantage of the recent announcement to abandon masks in open areas.

But that's exactly how I felt this morning.






🔴 #COVID19 update on Sunday ⬆️ 2,378 new cases ⬆️ 17 deaths ⬆️ 23,313 active cases ⬇️ 601 serious cases. TNR / Richard Barrow

lördag 25 juni 2022

Masks no longer compulsory. Bangkok Post

 Masks no longer compulsory
The use of face masks is now voluntary, but is recommended to prevent infection by respiratory diseases including Covid-19. (Bangkok Post file photo)
The use of face masks is now voluntary, but is recommended to prevent infection by respiratory diseases including Covid-19. (Bangkok Post file photo)

The government has lifted its face mask mandate and advised vulnerable groups and those who suspect they may be infected to still use them for the sake of personal and public health.

The decision was made due to the improving Covid-19 situation and intended to help people resume a normal life, according to the government announcement published in the Royal Gazette on Friday.

The use of face masks is now voluntary, but is recommended to prevent infection by respiratory diseases including Covid-19, it said.

The Public Health Ministry advised people to continue to wear masks in crowded or poorly ventilated places.

Vulnerable people, mainly the elderly and those with underlying illnesses, should wear face masks while staying with others to reduce the risk of infection because catching Covid-19 could jeopardise their life.

Covid patients or those in close contact with them should wear face masks to reduce transmission risk, the announcement said.

Following the publication of the new rules, the Bangkok Post interviewed members of the public for their opinions on the return to maskless life.

Pichitpong Sathaporn, a 47-year-old taxi driver, said he will continue to wear one as usual.

"Since I work in the service sector and have to serve customers from many countries, I have decided to keep wearing mine [mask] despite it no longer being mandatory," he said.

Manutchai Chantawong, a 32-year-old freelance architect who has been forced to get used to going for his regular jogs in the park with a face mask on, said that he will now lift the mask during his exercise.

"I feel uncomfortable and have to take it off because I can't breathe well," he said. "However, I will still wear it in crowded public spaces, such as the BTS or on other public transport, because I understand that people are still worrying and panicking about the disease".

The government has now declared the whole nation a green (Covid-19 surveillance) zone, allowing the full-scale resumption of business and other activities, and pre-arrival registration will end next month.

The Royal Gazette announcement also lifted Covid-related restrictions on business and activities immediately. Entertainment places can resume their pre-Covid closing hours of either midnight, 1am or 2am depending on relevant regulations.

From July 1 visitors will not have to do pre-travel arrival registration and quarantine rules will also end. No Covid-19 insurance will be required.

Adult arrivals must show proof of vaccination that occurred at least 14 days before their travel.

Those aged from five to 17 years are required to have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccination at least 14 days before travel. Vaccination certificates will not be required for those under 18 travelling with guardians.

Arrivals are advised to follow disease control measures and conduct antigen tests themselves where possible. Those testing positive will be responsible for their own treatment costs.

Unvaccinated arrivals or those not fully vaccinated must present negative results of RT-PCR or professional antigen tests conducted within 72 hours before travel.




Covering do’s and don’ts. Bangkok Post



Thailand’s no mask mandate comes with conditions, warns ministry. “People need to be aware that the pandemic has not ended, and that facemasks still provide protection,” Interior Ministry’s permanent-secretary Suttipong Juljarern said on Friday. Suttipong added that so far, 82 per cent of the Thai population has received the first jab of the Covid-19 vaccine, 77 per cent their second jab and 43 per cent their booster shots. The Nation

Thailand's no mask mandate comes with conditions, warns ministry

Though it is no longer necessary to wear a mask in Thailand, the new rule comes with some conditions, Deputy Public Health Minister Satit Pitutecha said on Friday.

Thailand's no mask mandate comes with conditions, warns ministry

"People are still required to wear a mask in crowded places, public gatherings where social distancing cannot be maintained or in places with poor ventilation," he said.

"Those in the high-risk group, unvaccinated persons and patients must also wear a facemask when close to others."

He added that these steps need to be taken to prevent a new wave of infections now that Thailand has eased most restrictions.

"We have found that some areas have reported slightly higher cases, but most patients have only mild or no symptoms," he said. "However, they are still at risk of long-Covid, which is found in patients who have recovered from the virus.

"Hence, the best way to stay safe is to protect yourself from infection," he added.

The Interior Ministry, meanwhile, has tasked all provincial governors to make locals aware of the conditions behind the lifting of the mask mandate to prevent a misunderstanding that people can now remove their mask anywhere.

"People need to be aware that the pandemic has not ended, and that facemasks still provide protection," Interior Ministry's permanent-secretary Suttipong Juljarern said on Friday.

"Only fully vaccinated persons in non-high-risk groups can go mask-free in public places, though facemasks will still be required in certain places like air-conditioned buildings, entertainment venues, hospitals, public gatherings and in areas with poor ventilation."

Suttipong added that so far, 82 per cent of the Thai population has received the first jab of the Covid-19 vaccine, 77 per cent their second jab and 43 per cent their booster shots.

"The Interior and Public Health Ministries aim to have at least 60 per cent of the population given booster shots to boost overall immunity against the virus before it transitions into an endemic," he said.

"People are still advised to take precautions by wearing their facemask where necessary, washing their hands regularly and continue maintaining social distancing to limit infections."

On Saturday, Thailand recorded 2,236 new Covid-19 cases and 16 deaths, while 1,892 patients had recovered and were discharged from hospitals. Cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022, add up to 2,288,342.