JUST NU !!!! Deputy Health Minister announces that strict travel restrictions in five provinces, including Chonburi, approved, exact details not yet released - Pattaya News

Deputy Health Minister announces that strict travel restrictions in five provinces, including Chonburi, approved, exact details not yet released

Monday, 4 January 2021, 21:21

Bangkok, Thailand-

In a social media post made around 8:30 P.M. this evening, the Deputy Health Minister of Thailand Satit Pitutacha announced on his own official social media accounts that the Prime Minister of Thailand has approved a version of interprovincial travel restrictions on five provinces, including Chonburi, home of Pattaya.

He himself referred to the restrictions as a lockdown on travel but did not provide specific details, stating they would come later. The Pattaya News notes these details would be likely to arrive following meetings with the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration and the Thai Cabinet tomorrow. He stated that checkpoints would take place between provinces restricting entry and exit in a joint operation between security agencies, the Ministry of Public Health, and the Ministry of the Interior but it is not yet clear what this looks like. These are inter-provincial restrictions, not inter-district.

The five provinces named are Chonburi, Rayong, Trat, Samut Sakhon, and Chanthaburi. He also stated that people are requested not to enter or leave and that "he understood significant hardship may take place temporarily on local residents but this will only be for a short period and will save hardship for the whole country."

Satit also stated that the Ministry of Public Health had set a goal of "28 days" to control the situation with the Covid-19 virus in the high-risk provinces, especially Samut Sakhon, Chonburi, Rayong, and Chanthaburi.

It was hinted at that there may be exceptions for emergencies or essential travel but the exact details were not yet revealed to the press. It was also not stated if domestic mass transportation between provinces would be suspended or what this would look like. At this time the Chonburi Governor has "requested" people not to leave or enter the province and travel while the situation is brought under control "unless it is a critical emergency." People are strongly advised to STAY IN THEIR PROVINCE according to authorities.

We will provide more details once there are official announcements, this is a developing story and may change quickly.

CCSA approves proposal for another Thai Emergency Decree extension nationwide until end of February - Pattaya News

CCSA approves proposal for another Thai Emergency Decree extension nationwide until end of February

Monday, 4 January 2021, 18:54

PHOTO: Thairath

National –

The main committee of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O'Cha has approved another extension of the Emergency Decree nationwide after a meeting today, January 4th.

The decree is currently in use until January 15th. However, the CCSA committee proposed another extension this afternoon to be implemented for another 45 days until the end of February 2021.

This follows the seriously increasing number of domestic infections of Covid-19 Coronavirus in the Kingdom since a major cluster at the Samut Sakhon shrimp market last month.

The proposal will be formally put into an account at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow, January 5th, for approval before being officially announced in the Royal Gazette and implemented across the country. It is nearly certain to be approved due to the current Covid-19 situation.

The decree gives the Thai Government extraordinary powers and ability to implement policies and procedures like restricting travel and having road checkpoints to help control the Covid-19 coronavirus.

Local production of AstraZeneca vaccine kicks off, Thailand signs up for 2 million doses from Chinese firm - The Nation

Local production of AstraZeneca vaccine kicks off, Thailand signs up for 2 million doses from Chinese firm

Photo Credit: Public Health Ministry PR

The Public Health Ministry said on Sunday the production of Covid-19 vaccines under the technology transfer deal signed with AstraZeneca/Oxford University has kicked off, with the first batch expected to be ready by May.

The ministry has also ordered 2 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine made by Chinese manufacturer Sinovac, even though it has not yet won the "Phase 3" status. The vaccine will be delivered in three batches – some 200,000 doses arriving in late February, 800,000 in late March and 1 million by late April.

Thailand is racing to curb the spread of a new wave of local infections, now that the number of Covid-19 cases in the country has gone beyond 8,000 cases.

Supakit Sirilak, director-general of the Department of Medical Science, said it is important to ensure all vaccines have undergone quality and safety control measures, adding that vaccines that have not completed the Phase 3 round of testing will not be brought into the country.

He also said that private firms selling the vaccine must register with Thailand's Food and Drug Administration, and most importantly certified by the Department of Medical Sciences.

Meanwhile, the Public Health Ministry expects to have at least 50 per cent of the population vaccinated this year, with the first batch of the 26 million doses bought from AstraZeneca expected to be delivered in May.

Under the technology-transfer deal with AstraZeneca, 200 million doses of the vaccine will be produced by Siam BioScience.

The government is also negotiating the purchase of vaccines from other manufacturers, including Pfizer, Moderna and Chinese companies, or may sign up for more vaccines from AstraZeneca.

Four types of Covid-19 vaccines that have been approved by the US FDA's emergency use authorisation (EUA) – viral vector, mRNA, inactivated and protein subunit, said Dr Nakhon Premsri, director of the National Vaccine Institute (NVI).

So far, only vaccines produced by Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca have been approved, while the rest, including the ones being produced in China and Russia, have not reached Phase 3 of testing.

"The number of vaccines is limited. Every company is expanding its production capacity to cover the global population. When vaccines are used on large swathes of the population, the chance of side effects increases substantially," Dr Nakhon said.

Separately, Dr Songpon Deechongkit, managing director of Siam Bioscience, said the company received knowledge and technology from AstraZeneca in October last year. Since then Siam Bioscience has been making preparations and should be able to produce some 200 million doses yearly or about 15 million to 20 million doses per month.



Pattaya’s Koh Larn island closes itself to keep out COVID-19 - Pattaya Mail

Pattaya's Koh Larn island closes itself to keep out COVID-19

Pattaya MailJanuary 4, 2021

The Koh Larn Community's Covid-19 Committee voted to close the island until at least Jan. 20.

Despite the hardship created when they shut out non-residents last year, Koh Larn residents again are shutting down the Pattaya resort island, telling all tourists to leave by Tuesday.

The Koh Larn Community's Covid-19 Committee voted to close the island until at least Jan. 20, even though Chonburi's governor has imposed no such order.

Koh Larn residents are among the most skittish in Pattaya and apparently all it took to barricade themselves offshore again was for an island ferry ticket booth to appear on a Sunday list of places where a coronavirus-infected local had visited.



Under the order, all hotels, resorts, guesthouses and other venues must remove non-residents today and cannot accept mainlanders until the crisis ends.

Anyone leaving the island who later tests positive for Covid-19 are directed to notify the island committee.

As for those allowed to remain, they cannot leave the island and will not be allowed to return if they do, except in case of emergency. A health-screening point will be re-established at the main pier for locals returning home to the island.

During the last lockdown the management of the Thai Garden Resort gave out rice and eggs to the needy Koh Larn residents.

All gatherings are banned, locals are encouraged to stay home and a voluntary curfew will be put in place from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. with exceptions for fishermen.

The island's gamblers also are out of luck, as mainland lottery vendors are also banned while mail will have to be sanitized before delivery to Koh Larn.




Dine-in service at Koh Larn – not Pattaya mainland – restaurants is banned and the island's food-delivery lifeline boat is prohibited from carrying passengers.

Those who feel unjustly locked out can appeal to authorities at Bali Hai Pier.

Koh Larn similarly closed itself off from the world on March 28-June 1 last year and suffered mightily for it.

Scenes like this on Koh Larn beaches are over until at least Jan. 20.

Entirely dependent on the tourist trade, island residents began going hungry, forcing the city to donate 2.8 tons of rice on April 6 and another 150,000 baht in food arranged by the city's Thai Garden Resort on May 18. The hotel, working with the city, also arranged subsequent relief measures.

In May, local residents appealed to city officials about how they were suffering due to the island shutdown, but community leaders went ahead on Sunday and did it again.

Under the order, all hotels, resorts, guesthouses and other venues must remove non-residents today and cannot accept mainlanders until the crisis ends. Anyone leaving the island who later tests positive for Covid-19 are directed to notify the island committee. 

Samut Sakhon Seafood Market at Epicenter of Coronavirus Outbreak Reopens - Bangkok Herald



Samut Sakhon Seafood Market at Epicenter of Coronavirus Outbreak Reopens

4 January 2021

Talay Thai, the Samut Sakhon market that sparked Thailand's second-wave of coronavirus cases, reopened Monday.

The country's largest market of aquatic products, the market on Rama II Road in Muang District of Samut Sakhon is requiring vendors to present pass cards issued by Samut sakhon Fishmonger Association to enter.

Other vendors must show their Covid-19-testing certificates. Everyone is required to wear a face mask and use alcohol hand sanitizer gel. Those who fail to comply will be brought out of the market. Vendors were arriving at the place from early this morning.

Jumpol Khonwaree, chairman of the Fishmonger Association, said the group had to intensify disease-control measures so that it could resume trade at the market and revive the local economy.

Talay Thai was the biggest market of aquatic products in Thailand and it needed to quickly build up the confidence that it was free of Covid-19, he said. 

Leading Thai doctor pushing for national four week "lockdown", giving dire predictions as many oppose suggestion as too devastating for the economy - The Pattaya News

Leading Thai doctor pushing for national four week "lockdown", giving dire predictions as many oppose suggestion as too devastating for the economy

Monday, 4 January 2021, 12:25

Thailand-

A leading Thai doctor, Dr. Thira Woratanarat, is trying to garner support for a national "at least" four-week lockdown, giving dire predictions and forecasts of horrible outcomes if it does not happen.

The Pattaya News notes Dr. Thira is well known for making predictions of worst-case scenarios that, so far, have not emerged. His calls for a national lockdown come as prominent business organizations, pro-democracy protesters, government opposition groups and even some Thai Governors are stating that the current round of already strict restrictions in high-risk provinces are "too much" and will put too much pain on the countries economy and citizens, especially the millions of informal workers. Several Thai Governors and even the Bangkok Mayor were recently involved in heated discussions with the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration on shutting in-store dining, even with heavy precautions, for fear of the effect it has on the poor.

However, a decent amount of support has been shown for his ideas from other advisors to the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration, especially those in the medical community.

The Thai Government has not announced any sort of financial aid plan for this round of restrictions and closures other than social security paying out 50% of daily wages to qualified employees, which the vast majority of workers in the country, such as food cart vendors, restaurant workers, service staff, maids, most retail workers, security, etc. would not qualify for. From an official standpoint, the government has claimed they simply don't have the funds to support everyone that needs to be supported.

It is also, The Pattaya News notes, why Thai officials dislike using the word "lockdown" "curfew" "roadblock" "travel bans" and other similar phrases as those words, according to Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin of the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration who stated so at a press conference on January 3rd, could legally require financial aid being given.

Dr. Thira stated in a social media post that if Thailand does not "lockdown" immediately with measures similar to the lockdown last April the country could see a mortality rate as high as Japan, which has chosen a suppression style strategy, of 1.5%, significantly higher than Thailand. Dr. Thira states that he wants to avoid the decimation the virus has caused in some other Western countries and that by taking a pause and giving contact tracers and testers time to find all infections and catch up the country will recover faster than a "lighter touch" of restrictions in his opinion.



Drunk driving top road accident fatalities -Bangkok Jack

Drunk driving top road accident fatalities

January 4, 2021

Library image

Drunk driving is being blamed for most of the road accidents over the 7 deadly days of driving during the New Year season. So far, there have been 2,748 road accidents with 316 deaths and 2,741 injuries reported on the 5th day of the weeklong stretch.

Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation says there were about 383 accidents with 44 deaths and 384 injuries on January 2, with about 30% of those accidents attributed to drinking and driving.

About 29% of road accidents reported were attributed to excessive speeding, while almost 80% of accidents involved motorcycles. 67% of road accidents occurred mostly on a straight part of the roads.

40% were reported in provincial sub-districts and local vilages while about 32% were reported as having occurred on national highways.

Most of those accidents, about 34%, occurred between 4 to 8pm with about 31% of injuries and deaths involving victims of 50 years or older.

Chiang Mai held the highest accumulative accidents and injuries, at 97 times and 99 times respectively, while Nakhon Ratchasima held the highest accumulative fatalities.

Chayathon Promsorn, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Transport, says today marks the 5th day of the safety road campaign, "A new way of life, Safe driving without accidents."

Now as New Year's celebrations wind down, many are using major routes to return to Bangkok. He says traffic jams may occur and may cause drowsy driving for those who stayed late for New Year's celebrations.

The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, therefore, is urging provincial authorities to increase checkpoints with strict law enforcement to help curb road accidents nationwide.

The department also says that public transportation will be provided to help those who wish to return to the capital after the holiday season.

Despite the numbers of traffic accidents under the new campaign, it is unclear if this year's accidents are an improvement over last year's.



The reason Thai women love foreign men - Bangkok Jack

The reason Thai women love foreign men

January 4, 2021

The reason #Thai women love foreign men. While men in #Thailand assume women there marry foreigners for their money, the women say they are motivated by how farang men care for their families.

Either way, while there are relatively few such marriages, they are challenging assumptions about masculinity in the Thai northeast and diminishing men's marital prospects.

That's according to a sociologist who has conducted a census and multiple studies in two Isaan communities to examine how men there are challenged by women marrying foreigners.

While most academic studies of such marriages have focused on the spouses and their cultural or linguistic differences, Patcharin Lapanun of Khon Kaen University looked at the effects such relationships had on other men in in the communities, including ex-husbands, fathers and neighbors.

For Isaan men, cultural notions of what is masculine, Patcharin found, may inherently affect what they provide their families, not to mention faithfulness to their wives, and can contribute to them becoming gik mia farang – or casual sex partner to women with foreign husbands.

She presented her findings from studies conducted in 2016 and 2009 earlier this month at Thammasat University, the details of which were reported by Matichon's Wajana Wanlayangkoon.

Patcharin's findings are far from conclusive or airtight. In an interview Thursday, she acknowledged that her studies were anecdotal and based on interviews with 100 women and men in an Udon Thani town and another 20 in a Khon Kaen town with multiple interracial couples.

Luk thung singer Sunaree Ratchasima marries her Dutch husband Wouter de Rave, 21 years her junior, at a ceremony in December 2016. Photo: Sunareelam / Instagram

'We're Done With Thai Men'

In her studies, Patcharin found that two of three women married to farangs, known colloquially as mia farang, had been previously married to Thai men. In most cases, Patcharin said, the single mom provided for their child on her own.

But the women and families interviewed by Patcharin said the decision to leave Thai men for farang partners wasn't purely economical, but also because they tended to provide for their extended families and not cheat on their spouses.

"We're done with Thai men," Patcharin said she was told by one of the Thai wife's mothers, who had encouraged her daughter to divorce her Thai husband and marry a foreigner.

"It's not just about money, but they're unfaithful and always cheating on women. They don't take responsibility for their family, and never have enough money to take care of their wife and kids."

A 2004 government survey found just shy of 20,000 Isaan women married to foreigners, 87 percent of which were to Westerners from Europe, North America, Australia or New Zealand. Half of the women were in Udon Thani, Khon Kaen and Nakhon Ratchasima provinces.

Those marriages seem to involve most of the foreigners living in Isaan – the 2010 census found 90 percent of the slightly more than 27,000 foreigners living in the northeastern region were married to women from there.

Photo: Tony in Thailand

'What Makes a Man'

Isaan men, however, were not likely to abandon their undesirable habits of drinking and partying away family funds while cheating on their spouses – because those displays were essential to their idea of manliness, Patcharin said.

"Although Thai women then cite these reasons for not marrying them, Thai men, especially the younger ones in the village, would say that their actions were 'normal," Patcharin said.

"They continued to insist that Thai women married farangs only for money, not because of Thai men's masculine culture," Patcharin said.

Although this continued insistence risks Thai men being passed over for farang men, few Isaan men expressed a willingness to change their habits, the researcher said.

A negative self image doesn't help.

"Isaan men see themselves as bad options for Thai women. They think their unstable work and poverty makes Thai women not want to marry them," Patcharin said.

Surin net idol Supawadee Lailani Bouteleux and her French husband, Dimitri Bouteleux. Photo: Jessica Difford / Facebook

'The Gik Mia Farang'

Still, infidelity can cut both ways. Marrying a farang man doesn't make women off-limits to Thai men.

Enter the gik mia farang – or the casual sex partner of a woman married or dating a foreign man.

In rural communities, a gik mia farang can be admired for accessing the wealth and comfort of a woman married to a foreigner – without working for it.

On the other hand, such giks can be looked down upon as emasculated after-thoughts who are irresponsible drains on the women and hurt their own marriage prospects.

Still, the double-standards of gender inequality in Isaan communities most often leave the woman at the disadvantage.

"Women in this situation are seen as lacking virtue and being sexually insatiable for having two men, while the Thai men are seen as cool, macho playboys like Khun Phaen," she said, referencing a womanizer hero from Thai epic "Khun Chang Khun Phaen."

Surin net idol Supawadee Lailani Bouteleux and her French husband, Dimitri Bouteleux. Photo: Jessica Difford / Facebook

The Sino-Thai Alternative

Ultimately, Patcharin said Isaan men are being edged out competitively due to falling short as as sons-in-law, especially when compared to ethnic Chinese alternatives in Bangkok and farang men.

While in matrilineal Isaan culture, sons-in-law are expected to support their wives' families without earning the mantle of household leadership, the patrilineal Chinese culture more present in the capital conflates the men's financial power with masculinity.

"A woman married to a Chinese man will always be seen as the secondary provider, no matter how much she earns financially. Therefore, Chinese men see themselves as having the right to have extramarital affairs because they have responsibly provided for their main household," Patcharin said.

"Their cheating behavior is different from Thai men, who neither stay faithful to their wives nor provide for their families."

Farang son-in-laws, on the other hand, are expected neither to cheat nor shy from financial responsibility for their Thai wives – even if they first arrived in Thailand as sex tourists.

"While farang men have shown themselves willing to change how they displayed their masculinity, changing from sex tourists to good son-in-laws, Isaan men have not, making them less desirable as marriage partners to local women," Patcharin concluded. – Khaosod English



16 new cases of AIDS diagnosed in Thailand EVERY DAY - Bangkok Jack

16 new cases of AIDS diagnosed in Thailand EVERY DAY

January 4, 2021

Sixteen people test positive for #HIV/Aids every day in Thailand and the Public Health Ministry wants to cut that number to three per day by 2030, while reducing fatalities by 70%.

The country now has more than 1.5 million registered HIV/Aids-infected patients, accounting for 2.3% of the population, according to statistics from the ministry's Bureau of Epidemiology.

Last year alone, it said, there were 5,801 new reported cases, averaging 16 per day.

The ministry aims to reduce the rate of infection to 1,000 cases a year by 2030, or three new patients per day. Another target is to lower the fatality rate to 4,000 a year, from 15,000 at present.

Another new initiative also aims to reduce discrimination and encourage regular tests for the disease.

It has been 33 years since Thailand recorded its first case of HIV/Aids and then introduced controls and preventive measures. It enforced a healthcare policy granting easier access to antiretrovirals in 2002.

HIV/Aids patients are now entitled to healthcare benefits from the National Health Security Office.

The data also show that around 355,000 patients were receiving antiretroviral medication as of that year, an increase of 33,000 from 2014.

This eases the financial burden for many patients, many of whom are spurned by even their own families.

Meanwhile, figures from the Aids, Tuberculosis and Sexually Transmitted Infections Control Division under the Health Department of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration show that 80% of HIV infections in Bangkok are transmitted through sexual intercourse.

Over 60% of the infected are aged 25-39.

4/1

 

TIMELINE: ฺBali Hai, Pattaya, Nongprue, Banglamung, Ban Bueang, Mueang Chonburi warns people who visited places in relation to confirmed Covid-19 cases Monday, 4 January 2021, 11:28

TIMELINE: ฺBali Hai, Pattaya, Nongprue, Banglamung, Ban Bueang, Mueang Chonburi warns people who visited places in relation to confirmed Covid-19 cases

Monday, 4 January 2021, 11:28

Bali Hai, Pattaya, Nongprue, Banglamung, Ban Bueng, Mueang Chonburi–

The Chonburi Public Heath Office last night (January 3^rd) has released an updated timeline to warn people who went to places in Bali Hai Pier, Pattaya, Nongprue, Banglamung, Ban Bueng, and Mueang Chonburi this month to notify health authorities and monitor your health.

We wanted to be clear about these timelines. If you are considered a HIGH RISK you will be contacted by authorities for a test if traced, although you can contact health authorities yourself if concerned. If you are considered a low risk you are only asked to monitor your health and consider self-isolating and staying at home for fourteen days from the date you were there. A Covid-19 test for foreigners is only free if you are considered high risk.

(Editor's note: We are aware some of the timeframes and locations are vague/odd, this is the information that so far has been given.)

1. The speedboat ticket stand Pattaya – Koh Lan at the Bali Hai Pier from December 18^thto December 31^st from 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.. 
2. KFC Big C Extra Pattaya Third Road on December 20 to December 26^th from midday to 9:00 P.M..
3. Kon Rak Hoy (39 baht) Na Pattaya on December 2^nd from 7:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M..
4. Hauyyai Temple Thung Klom – Tan Man in Pattaya on December 25^th from 11:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M..
5. OOtoya restaurant Central Plaza Chonburi in Mueang Chonburi district on December 25th to December 28^th from 11:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M..
6. Caltex petrol station in Nong Maidang, Mueang Chonburi district on December 26^thfrom 1:00 P.M. to 2:00 P.M..
7. Sea Salt Bangpra in Mueang Chonburi district on December 26^th from 6:00 P.M. to 8:30 P.M..
8. Meng tire service in Na Pa sub-district, Mueang Chonburi on December 27^th from midday to 12:30P.M..
9. Pork Noodle Ban Bueng next to Jae took shop in Ban Bueng on December 28^th from 1:30 P.M. to 2:00 P.M..
10. Central Plaza Chonburi (Levi, CC DOUBLE O shop) in Mueang Chonburi on December 28^th from 4:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M..
11. Tesco Lotus Chonburi (Furniture) in Mueang Chonburi on December 28^thfrom 5:30 P.M. to 6:00 P.M..
12. Tor Rung Market in Ban Bueng on December 28^th from 6:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M..
13. Fah Thai Market in Pan Thong on December 28^th from 5:00 P.M. to 5:30 P.M..
14. Orange Bar Amata Nakhon in Mueang district on December 28 to December 30^th from 8:00 P.M. to 1:00 A.M..
15. Hua Kun Jae Morning Market in Klong Giw sub-district, Ban Bueng on December 29^th from 7:00 A.M. to 8:00 A.M..
16. Panan Market in Pan Thong district on December 29^thfrom 8:00 P.M. to midnight.
17. Nueang Jamnong Market in Ban Bueng on December 30^thfrom 6:00 A.M. to 7:00 A.M..
18. Government Saving Bank, Hua Kun Jae branch in Ban Bueng on December 30^th from 9:30 A.M. to 10:00 A.M..
19. Tesco Lotus Ban Bueng on December 31^st from 1:00 P.M. to 2:00 P.M..
20. Wisittachai Market in Ban Bueng on January 1^st from 2:00 P.M. to 2:30 P.M..
21. Ma Nee Mee Na in Ban Bueng on January 1^st from 8:00 P.M. to midnight.

If anyone has problems with respiratory symptoms and/or a fever within 14 days from when they had visited those places, they must go to a hospital, according to the Chonburi Public Health Office.

Please inform the hospital that you visited the same place as a Covid-19 confirmed case, they continued.

The Chonburi Public Health office yesterday has announced 62 confirmed cases of local transmission of Covid –19 in Chonburi. The total number of Chonburi is now reached 305 with one death.

Read more about our previous story in the link below.

https://thepattayanews.com/2021/01/03/chonburi-public-health-office-announces-62-new-confirmed-local-cases-of-covid-19-coronavirus/