lördag 2 januari 2021

Har inget med Palmtree & Thailand att göra men med Corona

Experten: Så påverkar pandemin livet efteråt

Vaccinsamordnaren: Alla som vill kan bli vaccinerade till midsommar

Vaccinsamordnare Richard Bergström om vaccinplaneringen.

Ola Thuvesson, universitetslektor vid Institutionen för service management och tjänstevetenskap på Lunds universitet

Foto: Privat

Vårt sätt att resa kommer att förändras, tror Ola Thuvesson.

Foto: ADAM IHSE / TT / TT NYHETSBYRÅN

Även bostadsmarknaden kommer att se förändringar av pandemin.

Foto: FREDRIK SANDBERG/TT / TT NYHETSBYRÅN

Det senaste året har förändrat våra levnadsvanor i grunden. 

Vi uppmanas att inte resa, inte umgås i stora sällskap och jobba hemifrån om det är möjligt för att minska smittspridningen. 

Men hur kommer våra liv se ut efter corona? 

Universitetslektorn Ola Thuvesson har utkristalliserat fyra trender.   

Pandemin lamslog en stor del av 2020 och gav oss helt nya levnadsvillkor. Även om vaccineringen har påbörjats är pandemin långt ifrån över – men redan nu funderar många på hur på hur livet kommer att te sig post corona. Hur mycket återgår till att vara som det var innan och hur mycket har förändrats på ett mer varaktigt vis? 

Ola Thuvesson, som är universitetslektor vid Institutionen för service management och tjänstevetenskap på Lunds universitet, ser fyra stycken trender. 

Ett förändrat resande

Reseindustrin var i och med begreppet flygskam delvis under förändring redan när pandemin dök upp. Forskaren tror att vi kommer få se två falanger i synen på resor framöver. 

– En falang kommer kompensationsresa så mycket det bara går men en majoritet kommer förmodligen se en ökad moralisk belastning i resandet. Pandemin har gett alla möjligheter att omvärdera oss själva och upptäcka saker på säkert promenadavstånd från hemmet, samtidigt som flygskammen har harvat på, säger han. 

Enligt Ola Thuvesson kommer vi därför inte få se ett resande likt det var för flera år sedan. 

– Coola människor kommer inte resa till London över helgen för att gå på teater eller shoppinghelg i New York. Jag tror det blir en mental ransonering där man åker en gång om året i stället för tre, stannar borta lite längre och reser lite långsammare. Man kommer bort från weekendresor och väljer i stället två veckor i Italien med tåg. 

– När en sak sjunker i status händer något snabbt. Du kan få massan att springa åt vilket håll som helst genom status och tillhörighet. 

Uppgradering av närmiljön

I takt med att vi spenderat mer tid hemma har även närmiljön blivit viktigare. Ola Thuvesson tror att närmiljön kommer påverkas i bemärkelsen att vi kräver bättre grejer där vi bor. 

– Inställningen skit samma hur det ser ut, plötsligt fungerar inte det. Det behövs lite snyggare hus, bättre caféer och bagerier, godare fiskaffär och så vidare. Den trenden har visat sig rätt starkt. 

– Småorterna och villaområdena behöver uppgradera lite mer.  

Flyttlass från städer till landsbygd

Den tredje stora trenden enligt Ola Thuvesson är en befolkningsflykt från städer och förorter till landsbygden. I takt med att vi vant oss vid att arbeta hemifrån mer har vi upptäckt att det kanske inte är nödvändigt att vara på kontoret varje dag. 

– Då blir det också attraktivt att bo lite längre bort. Det blir ett lyft för småorter och ren landsbyggd. Nu kan vi bo tio mil från städer i stället för fem, det fungerar att göra en jobbig resa in till kontoret två dagar i veckan i stället för fem. 

– Städer som Malmö och Stockholm är redan överfyllda. Ingen vill betala 15 000 för en nybyggd etta med vask i vardagsrummet. I stället kan man lösa en korsvirkesgård i någon mindre ort. Vi kommer förändra den geografin, trycket på storstäderna kommer sjunka något. 

Kontor blir bostäder

Till sist ser Ola Thuvesson även en förändrad kontorsmarknad post corona. Arbetsgivare försöker spara pengar och vill inte längre betala för stora kontor. 

– Den trenden var på gång redan innan. Kontor kommer att byggas om till bostäder igen. Det är ett troligt mönster som vi sett på olika håll. 

Malin Zillinger, universitetslektor vid Institutionen för service management och tjänstevetenskap, har också gjort en resespaning.  

– Vi fick se våra resvanor förändras snabbt, inte för att vi ville utan för att vi fick nya regler att förhålla oss till, konstaterar hon. 

Hon förklarar att det ofta blir det en gungeffekt tillbaka men ju längre tiden pågår i det nya tillståndet desto större sannolikhet att några eller många vänjer sig vid det nya i stället. 

– Under ett år med pandemin har vi fått möjlighet att testa på andra saker och nya möjligheter. Samtidigt ska vi inte underskatta längtan tillbaka. Folk pratar och drömmer om att resa. 

Enligt Malin har vårt fokus också riktats från urbana områden till områden som inte är så tätbefolkade. Tidigare åkte många till huvudstäder men där har man nu sett en otrolig tillbakagång berättar hon. Många har under 2020 valt naturen i stället. 

– Stockholm har haft en beläggning på hotell på minus 85 procent vissa månader. Det är hemskt för alla hotellägare. Det är lite liknande siffror för Göteborg och delvis i Malmö. 




‘It’s Like a Lockdown’: Thailand Eyes Travel, Business Hours Limits as Covid Fight Gets Desperate - Bangkok Herald

'It's Like a Lockdown': Thailand Eyes Travel, Business Hours Limits as Covid Fight Gets Desperate
Thailand 3rd Stage Reopen Chiang Mai Bus Station
Passengers purchase tickets and wait for coaches at Chiang Mai's Arcade Bus Station as Thailand lifted many restrictions on interprovincial travel. Those restrictions are set to return under a new proposal from the CCSA.

More than a third of Thailand will go into quasi-lockdown Monday under a proposal being put before Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to the country's coronavirus task force.

"It's like a lockdown, but we're not using that word," Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration spokesman Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin said his Saturday morning news briefing.

"Level 1" of the proposal, initially envisioned to run from 6 a.m. Jan. 4 to 6 a.m. on Feb. 1, would discourage all non-essential interprovincial travel, close additional "high-risk" businesses and limit hours of those allowed to remain open, such as shopping malls. Dine-in service at restaurants would be banned.

If coronavirus case numbers continue to rise, a set of "Level 2" restrictions would come into effect which would include hard travel restrictions on "vulnerable groups", even tighter controls on what businesses would be allowed to remain open and possibly a national curfew.

The new proposals – along with reclassification of 28 provinces into the "highly-controlled" red zone areas – came after yet another 216 new Covid-19 were confirmed in the past 24 hours, 182 Thais, 32 migrant workers and two imported cases.

The CCSA also reported another death, a 47-year old diabetic Thai woman living in Chonburi who had visited an underground casino in Banglamung District and tested positive for the virus on Dec. 30. She was said to be asymptomatic when admitted to a field hospital at the Grand Bella Hotel in Pattaya, but Covid-19 was still listed as her cause of death.

Thailand's total cases stand at 7,379 with 4,299 recoveries and 64 deaths.

Of today's 182 new local cases, Samut Sakhon and Chonburi recorded the most with 37 and 32 cases, respectively. Rayong followed with 27, then Nonthaburi (25), Samut Prakan (23), Bangkok (18) and Chanthaburi (10).

The rest were found in Pathum Thani (2), Nakhon Pathom (2), Ang Thong (2) and one each in Chai Nat, Ratchaburi, Ayutthaya, and Suphan Buri.

The CCSA's Taweesin said the meteoric rises in cases, combined with widespread New Year's holiday travel, increasingly are making it impossible to do effective contract tracing, which, he said, is essential to "break the chain" of infections.

While the Rayong and Samut Sakhon clusters have cooled, they still are producing new connected cases. But many new cases elsewhere in the country cannot be traced, he said.

Unlike earlier in the pandemic, Thais are not following proper safety standards. Many are not self-quarantining after coming into contact with infected people, continue to engaged in potential "superspreader" activities, such as visiting illegal casinos, and not wearing masks as often as they should.

If the public doesn't have the willpower to do what it should the government is then forced to take extreme actions to control the outbreak, Taweesin said.




Mycket ”rött” nu. Texten översatt från Thai av Google

Urgent‼ ️ elevate COVID-19 control areas up to 28 provinces.

 Whatever the situation  Everyone must be ready with the card, don't fall, protect yourself.  Go out of the house, wear a mask 100%, or stay home, don't take yourself outside risks.

 Now, many people have asked many things.  Can you travel to Chonburi?  Is the province closed?  Can the restaurant still sit?  Is school closed anyway?  Many issues became clearer.  For example, some schools are now closed until January 10, 2021 and will start again on January 11, 2021.

 Regarding traveling in or out of Chonburi, it may not be as convenient as it should be.  Because the brothers and sisters have set up screening stations for both COVID and foreign workers.  Any people from high-risk areas would like to inform the community leaders to monitor their symptoms for 14 days.

 As for the brothers, the food, beverage and other shops that the FDA announced yesterday  For now, please wait for an official order from the province.  If anything changes  Admin will update you immediately.

 As for the announcement of various places of Chonburi Province who go in the same place at the same time  Asked a lot about what to do.  Have to go check it out ????  The answer is to observe the symptoms according to the information sent to the announcement because every place  The Provincial Health Office has investigated the disease and found people at high risk of exposure, and then examined and quarantined for symptoms  For those who have not been contacted for examination, you are general surveillance groups.  But if you have symptoms as told by the doctor, such as fever, cough, runny nose, you can go see the doctor and report the symptoms and share the history of going to a risky place with an infected person.

 #chonburipr
 #NNT
 #News Bureau 




Thailand’s CCSA again push governors of high risk provinces to implement stronger Covid-19 restrictions, warn that a central approach may be coming as early as Monday morning - Pattaya News

Thailand's CCSA again push governors of high risk provinces to implement stronger Covid-19 restrictions, warn that a central approach may be coming as early as Monday morning

Bangkok, Thailand-

The Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration, or CCSA, in Bangkok, Thailand has warned governors of high risk provinces in Thailand with large numbers of Covid-19 cases to implement stronger restrictions or a centralized approach will likely take place as early as Monday, January 4th.

This includes Chonburi, home of Pattaya, where the governor is currently allowing in store dining in restaurants despite the protests of the CCSA. The Chonburi Governor, meanwhile, says the impact of putting tens of thousands out of work without financial aid is not acceptable. The majority of the affected businesses, The Pattaya News notes, hire "informal" workers who do not have social security and would not be eligible for support. No alternative financial support programs have yet been announced for this second cluster of infections.

Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin, the spokesperson of the CCSA, has said that 28 provinces that are considered "highly controlled" are being proposed to enter a set level of restrictions from the CCSA and Prime Minister that would fall under the authority of the current emergency decree to control the Covid-19 Coronavirus. This would be similar to actions taken over last spring and summer and would allow governor's to make stronger and stricter measures but not allow them to decrease measures beneath that which the CCSA sets.

This proposal has come as some governors, including Rayong and Chonburi, have implemented "relief" or lighter restrictions in some areas (such as in store dining) or keeping department stores and malls open (Bangkok) than the CCSA would like. If the proposal is approved this would implement universal restrictions, similar to last year, that all high risk provinces would need to follow.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan O-Cha will reportedly make a decision in conjunction with the Thai Cabinet and National Security Council today or tomorrow on this proposal. The Pattaya News notes that it is highly likely this is approved.

The effected provinces would be: Tak, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Ayutthaya, Saraburi, Lopburi, Singburi, Ang Thong, Nakhon Nayok, Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Ratchaburi, Suphanburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phetchaburi, Samut Songkhram, Samut Sakhon, Chachoengsao, Prachinburi, Sarakaew, Samut Prakan, Chanthaburi, Chonburi, Trat, Rayong, Chumphon, Ranong and Bangkok.

The exact restrictions would be announced if the order is approved, Dr. Taweesin stated, but would likely include all the previous strict requirements as well as take away only for food during the start of the first level of restrictions and measures last year in April for high risk provinces.

Dr. Taweesin stressed, however, that it was not a national lockdown and warned against using the word lockdown, saying that word made people nervous and there was no current stay at home order or curfew. (However, he did state that if the situation grew worse domestic travel restrictions to and from high risk provinces, road checkpoints and "requests" to stay inside during certain hours may take place.)  He stressed also to people that even if the proposal was approved there was no need to stockpile food or panic as there were no shortages and would not be a strict stay at home order.

If the proposal is approved it would likely take effect from 6:00 AM on Monday Morning, January 4th, until at least February 1st at 6:00 AM. The proposal would be in two levels of measures, level one and two.

Level one would possibly contain things like the aforementioned business and venue closures, limitation of business hours, active contact tracing and not allowing inter-provincial travel from highly controlled areas as well as encouraging people to work from home. Again, this is a proposal at this point and not yet finalized.

If the CCSA needs to move to level two, which means cases continue to rise in highly controlled and at risk areas, it would require more travel restrictions including for vulnerable groups (he did not into this in depth), all of the measures from level one with more intensity and stricter periods of enforcement/rules. More information would come if this was needed.

The Pattaya News will provide more information as this comes in.




Inget ont som inte har något gott med sig !

Phuket News:

Leatherback turtle lays eggs on Phuket's Kata beach

The large leatherback turtle was the first in decades to lay eggs at Kata Beach. Photo: PR Phuket

PHUKET: For the first time in decades, a large leatherback turtle came ashore at Kata Beach in Phuket to lay eggs yesterday (Jan 1).

The turtle came ashore in front of the Kata Beach Community Park at 00:50am, much to the amazement of people still on the beach celebrating the New Year.

The turtle's shell measured 150cm long and 119cm wide, with the turtle's front left flipper measuring 86cm long and its front right flipper 83cm long, reported officers from thre Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR).

The turtle was estimated to weigh about 300kg. 

After the turtle returned to the sea, at about 4:30am, the officers inspected the nest and found about 50-60 eggs.

The nest site has been sealed off for protection and a thermometer installed to monitor the temperature in the nest.

Karon Deputy Mayor Itthiporn Sangkaew, himself a native of Kata-Karon area, was overly happy about the turtle. 

"As far as I can remember the last time turtles laid eggs at a beach in Kata-Karon was decades ago. Certainly not in the past 20 years," he said.

Officers have been ordered to protect the nest and people visiting the beach are being asked to ensure the nest remains undisturbed.


28 provinces in the highest control zone (red) - Richard Barrow in Thailand

 There are now 28 provinces in the highest control zone (red): Tak, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Ayutthaya, Saraburi, Lopburi, Singburi, Ang Thong, Nakhon Nayok, Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Ratchaburi, Suphanburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phetchaburi, Samut Songkhram, Samut Sakhon, Chachoengsao, Prachinburi, Sarakaew, Samut Prakan, Chanthaburi, Chonburi, Trat, Rayong, Chumphon, Ranong and Bangkok. 

UPDATE: starting Monday

💥 Expect announcement of interprovincial travel restrictions and more this weekend. This could start on Monday. 

 #COVID19 #โควิด19 #Thailand
 

Traveling to Thailand during Covid-19 - Bangkok Jack

Traveling to Thailand during Covid-19

If you're planning a trip to Thailand, here's what you'll need to know and expect if you want to visit during the global coronavirus pandemic.


The basics

Thailand has recorded just 60 deaths and over 6,000 cases of Covid-19.

The country remains off limits for all but returning nationals, permanent residents, and tourists from a select number of low risk countries.

What's on offer

Picture-perfect islands. Golden beaches with swaying palms. Ornate temples and lush forests.

Thailand has long been the go-to destination for those after a no-nonsense, easy-on-the-eye tropical break.

Who can go

Entry to Thailand is limited to nationals, permanent residents and a select number of exemptions for essential travel, including spouses.

As of December 8, the Thai government has agreed to allow in tourists from countries which take up its Special Tourist Visa (STV) — any country in the world can sign up for the scheme.

Arrivals will still be subject to stringent quarantine and testing rules.

What are the restrictions?

The STV, introduced in October 2020, allows for 90-day stays, and can be renewed twice.

Having initially been offered to travelers from 'low risk countries', it is now available to travelers from all countries worldwide.

You must apply for an STV via the Thai consulate or embassy in your own country, along with a Certificate of Entry (COE).

You must also provide proof of an insurance policy that covers treatment for Covid-19 up to the cost of $100,000 and a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure.

A PCR test must be taken on arrival, after which all travelers must quarantine for 14 days at government-

approved quarantine facilities or Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) facilities.

This can include luxury hotels, some of which are developing quarantine packages.

What's the Covid situation?

Covid cases remain low, with minimal community transmission thanks to strict quarantine on arrival rules.

However, a spike in cases in late November and early December close to the Myanmar border has led to some concern that the situation could worsen.

A single case in Phuket in October led to the reopening of the popular destination to tourists being delayed for three months.

In December 2020 it was reported that 70 percent of its businesses remained shut.

Daily reported Covid-19 cases

What can visitors expect?

Masks are mandated at all times in public, both indoors and out.

Most shops, bars and restaurants have reopened, with social distancing measures in place, although local measures may mean that certain entertainment venues are still shut.

Popular tourist spots are far quieter than usual, so those keen on a less hectic break will find much to enjoy.

Useful links



Thailand have 22,000 hospital beds ready for COVID patients - Bangkok Jack / The Nation



Thailand have 22,000 hospital beds ready for COVID patients

A total of 22,690 hospital beds have been prepared to serve Covid-19 patients nationwide, the Department of Medical Services said on Friday. Thailand recorded 279 new cases on Friday.

Bangkok and its vicinity has 2,778 beds reserved for coronavirus patients from Samut Sakhon and other "red" provinces with more than 50 cases, informed Dr Natthapong Wongwiwat, the deputy director general of the ministry.

Of the 2,778 beds, 277 are currently occupied. Natthapong said that most cases from the new Covid-19 outbreak were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms.

Another 320 Covid patients are being treated in the outbreak's epicentre of Samut Sakhon and nearby areas, where 1,647 hospital beds have been reserved.

Meanwhile 2,648 beds have been prepared from Samut Prakan to Trat, 248 of which are now occupied.

There are currently 11 Covid-19 patients critically ill in ICUs, eight in Bangkok and its vicinity.

Among these ICU patients, two were in need of close care from specialist doctors, said Natthapong. Three patients were recovering and would be moved out of ICU soon. – The Nation


2/1

 

Temporary closure in Bangkok



Bangkok closures across the board

Bangkok closures across the board

Waiting amid uncertainty: People at Bang Bua Thong Market in Nonthaburi after the provincial communicable disease committee ordered the market closed for four days of cleaning, starting yesterday, as part of measures to control the Covid-19 outbreak. Photo: Chanat Katanyu / Bangkok Post
Waiting amid uncertainty: People at Bang Bua Thong Market in Nonthaburi after the provincial communicable disease committee ordered the market closed for four days of cleaning, starting yesterday, as part of measures to control the Covid-19 outbreak. Photo: Chanat Katanyu / Bangkok Post

The tightening of measures by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) was announced on Friday (Jan 1) as two more COVID-19 deaths were reported, lifting the total to 63, reports the Bangkok Post.

Speaking after an urgent meeting of the Bangkok communicable disease committee, BMA spokesman Pongsakorn Kwanmuang said new infection clusters had been found and linked to entertainment venues and other premises.

The committee had therefore decided to order many more closures with immediate effect -- and with no end date.

The places to be shut are entertainment venues, water parks, amusement parks, playgrounds, places where children play at markets, flea markets, floating markets, snooker and billiard halls, arcade game premises, game shops, internet shops, cockfighting rings and cockfighting training rings.

Other establishments are nurseries, elderly nursing homes (except those which already offer overnight stays); martial arts schools, gyms, horse racing tracks, public baths, bath-saunas-massage parlours, sports fields, banquet halls and similar places, bull-fighting rings, fighting-fish rings or similar places, amulet markets or centres, pre-school nurseries, any place providing skin-piercing services, plus all buildings at schools, tutorial schools and educational institutions.

Many of these places, including nurseries and some schools, had already been shut but the new order supercedes all previous ones, said Pol Capt Pongsakorn.

One issue yet to be resolved is whether to limit eateries to provide takeaway orders only.

"We will discuss it with the CCSA on Jan 2," the officer added.

"Since several people in Greater Bangkok commute to work in the capital, such a measure should be imposed in adjacent provinces as well."

If approved, he said, the mandatory food takeaway order may not come into effect anyway until Monday, giving operators some time over the weekend to prepare.

Pol Capt Pongsakorn then turned to Bangkok's designation of restrictions, which for the most part are under the second highest level of control.

Three districts, however, have now been designated as red zones with maximum control: Nong Khaem, Bang Phlat and Bang Khunthian.

In these areas, district office directors can impose measures to curb the spread of the infection as they see fit.

The BMA's education department announced yesterday it was widening its closure order to all schools under its supervision until Jan 17 to stem the coronavirus outbreak.

Earlier, the BMA had only closed 14 schools in Bang Khunthian, Bang Bon and Nong Khaem districts from Dec 21 until tomorrow.

The districts are adjacent to Samut Sakhon, the epicentre of the current outbreak.

Its latest decision on Friday to shut all 437 schools in all districts underlines the seriousness of the outbreak in Bangkok.

This was reflected in the CCSA's latest figures – two more COVID-19 deaths and 279 new infections – amid worries the trend will continue as more people have been travelling during the New Year holiday.

The new fatalities were a man, 44, who had visited a restaurant in Bangkok on Dec 20 and a 70-year-old man who illegally entered from Myanmar into Mae Sot district, Tak on Nov 29.

Of the new cases, 257 were spread over 53 provinces.

They included those linked to the clusters in Samut Sakhon (3), Rayong (2) and Chon Buri (1).

CCSA spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin warned the situation remained serious and it could take some time for authorities to bring it under control.

"Do not expect the spread to end today or tomorrow," he said, adding he expected the situation to ease in mid-February.

Meanwhile, the wife of infected Samut Sakhon governor Veerasak Vichitsaengsri is also reportedly being treated for COVID-19.