Thai Travel Agents Association Suggests Travel Bubble With Low-Risks Countries, Which Includes Singapore
Travel bubble by July
Before Covid-19 shook up the world, Thailand's malls, beaches and forests were always teeming with tourists. As cases died down and travel rose, we've slowly opened our borders to foreign visitors – however, we also have to abide by strict safety measures that include a 14 day quarantine.
On 1st February, 2021, The Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA) proposed that the country start a quarantine-free travel bubble with low-risk ASEAN countries – among the nations suggested is Singapore, Vietnam and Laos.
The proposal seems to coincide with the Kingdom's inoculation initiative due to start this month, as well as the fact other countries have already started vaccinating citizens against Covid-19. So, it's likely that a vaccine will be added to the list of requirements if the bubble is approved.
Be mindful when travelling
The proposed travel bubble isn't due to start until July, when Covid-19 cases are predicted to be significantly lower. While it may be true, Thailand's recent surge of coronavirus cases testifies to the fact that the 'rona can really come at any time. So, if you're planning on visiting the kingdom your very best bet is to keep yourself and others around you safe – wear your mask, wash your hands and maintain your distance.
With Myanmar's military now in power after a bloodless coup, Thailand is likely to see substantial losses when it comes to trade with the neighbouring country, possibly forgoing up to 50 million baht a day due to changes in transporting goods and strict military checkpoints.
If the military's tight security inspections continue in the long term, Thailand could lose more than 1.5 billion baht to 2 billion baht per month, according to director of the Center for International Trade Studies at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, Aat Pisanwanich.
The Thai government also needs to keep a close watch on the political stances of other countries as economic sanctions are expected against Myanmar, he says.
"We expect Myanmar's political crisis to return to normal in the second month… However, we need to follow up political stances of the United States, Europe, Japan and allied countries and their actions or economic sanctions after the Myanmar coup."
Economic sanctions, which the US has already threatened against Myanmar following the coup, will affect purchasing power and investments, Aat says. He adds that with lower purchasing power, Thailand will probably import fewer goods from Myanmar.
With the military now in power, the country's investment projects are expected to freeze and international trade negotiations will be subject to review, Aat says.
"The current situation clearly demonstrates that high political uncertainty still exists in Myanmar. Though there were elections in 2015 and 2020 and the country is turning to democracy, political uncertainty will be an important factor for investors to decide further investment."
Tak's Mae Sot border checkpoint, a major trade route with Myanmar bringing in around 80 billion baht a year, is expected to be hit hard, according to the province's Chamber of Commerce president Prasert Jeungkitrungrote.
"We're waiting for an official order or announcement from the Myanmar army and we are not yet able to evaluate the impact of the incident as we have to wait and see whether the border checkpoints will be subject to closure."
The Food and Drug Administration has confirmed that multinational Johnson & Johnson has begun the process of registering its single-dose vaccine in Thailand. However, Surachoke Tangwiwat from the FDA adds that some required paperwork is still missing and will need to be filed within 30 days. Meanwhile, the FDA has begun checking the documentation that has been submitted.
Surachoke adds that, while the Chinese Sinovac jab has still not been registered for use in China, it may be given approval in the Kingdom, subject to the FDA concluding it is effective and safe.
Meanwhile, the AstraZeneca vaccine, developed in conjunction with the UK's Oxford University, was approved last week. However, Thailand's plans to import its first doses this month has been affected by an EU ruling limiting exports of the jab, following a supply row between the bloc and the manufacturer.
The EU is fighting to guarantee access to the vaccine for all its member states, as well as campaigning for more transparency in exports being sent outside the bloc. It has now introduced a rule that such exports need to be approved by member countries.
In a Bangkok Post report, Sophon Mekthon from the sub-committee on Covid-19 vaccine management has not confirmed when the AstraZeneca vaccine might arrive in Thailand. However, he says the plan to produce it locally is going ahead. Siam Bioscience, a firm owned by the Crown Property Bureau, is expected to begin production in May, following the signing of a technology transfer agreementwith AstraZeneca late last year.
Sophon says he has received assurances from the director of the National Vaccine Institute, Nakorn Premsri, that AstraZeneca will not be the only supplier of Covid-19 vaccines in the Kingdom. He says US firm Novavax could also be a provider, if its vaccine gains FDA approval.
Chonburi open again! Tourists hail beautiful and clean Bangsaen beach
Picture: Manager
Manager published an upbeat story with many pictures after Chonburi opened its doors again following the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions yesterday.
Down at Bangsaen Beach they reported that it was lively with tourists in their opening comments - then gave a more sober reflection on the reality.
In truth their snapshots showed that it still looked pretty quiet but hey, the area could do with some feel good factor after being in the red zone lockdown this year.
Picture: Manager
Traders selling somtam (the Thai food of papaya salad), BBQ chicken and seafood at the very Thai style resort, were only doing a moderate trade, as were vendors humping their wares on the beach.
But at least it was an improvement over the last month - traders reported they had got virtually no income and it had been a desperate time.
Picture: Manager
At least now there was some hope on the horizon.
As far as the tourists went - they were impressed with the cleanliness and natural beauty of the surroundings.
Vaccinated foreigners may be allowed to enter Thailand without quarantine
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The Ministry of Tourism and Sports is considering plans to attract foreign tourists back to Thailand, and may allow vaccinated foreigners to enter the country without the need for 14 days in quarantine on arrival.
The Tourism and Sports Minister, Pipat Ratchakitprakarn,revealed today that the aim is to have 5-10 million foreign tourists enter Thailand this year, starting after the Songkran festival in mid-April, or in May at the latest. He added that, reaching the 10 million mark will depend on restrictions in countries like Malaysia, China and India.
The minister said that he will ask the prime minister for 5 million doses of anti-COVID-19 vaccine to inoculate people working in the tourism sector, with the main focus on Bangkok, Chonburi, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi, Surat Thani and Songkhla, to build confidence amongst travellers.
Meanwhile, the governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Yutthasak Supasorn, is seeking ways to attract foreign tourists to Thailand. One of their ideas is a "vaccine passport", which can be standardised and agreed between the national touristorganisations in all ASEAN countries.
Those holding such a "vaccine passport" will be allowed to travel between ASEAN countries without the need to undergo the 14 day quarantine. The TAT governor also expects that foreign travellers will be able to come to Thailand by the third quarter of this year.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Minor International group of companies, William Heinecke, said that they will send an open letter to the prime minister, containing these 4 suggestions:
1. Employees working in the tourism sector should be inoculated in the first phase, because flight attendants, pilots, hotel staff and staff working in hotels being used as quarantine facilities should be viewed as frontline personnel, just like medics
2. The government should consider acquiring vaccines from additional companies, besides AstraZeneca and Sinovac, as the vaccine acquisition process is still slow and insufficientto inoculate the entire population
3. Those who've been inoculated should be able to travel freely, both domestically and internationally, without undergoing 14-day quarantine.
4. Vaccine passports should be implemented, and Phuket should be the first province to implement the system, in order to allow foreign tourists to enter. If successful, other tourist reliant areas, such as Koh Samui and Pattaya, should also implement the system.
All 15 schools in Mae Sot were ordered to shut down on Monday morningless than an hour after reopening, following the discovery that several children had tested positive for Covid-19.
Mae Sot district in Tak province shares a border with Myanmar.
Today is the first day that schools nationwide were permitted to reopen by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), after the new wave of virus cases reported since December subsided.
A news source revealed that the order came after a merchant in Mae Sot district tested positive for Covid-19 and was taken to Mae Sot Hospital along with 25 people who were in close contact with him.
"Last night [January 31], further test results showed five children who are related to the patients are also infected," said the source. "This led to the shutdown of the community where the patients live as well as 15 schools in the municipality."
As of Monday, Tak has reported 144 cases during the fresh Covid-19 outbreak, with 49 patients currently being treated, 93 recovered and discharged, and two deaths.
Thai hospitality magnate calls on govt to allow vaccinated foreigners entry into Thailand
William Heinecke. Reuters file photo
A leading figure in the Thai hospitality industry has called on the government to speed up its roll out of the COVID-19 vaccine.
William Heinecke, the head of Minor Group, one of Thailand's largest hotel chains has issued an open letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha specifying a series of recommendations that he says are needed to kick start the country economy and Thailand's decimated tourism industry.
In his letter, the American-born Thai businessman puts forward four recommendations which include allowing hotel staff to be among the first to receive the vaccine, expediting the rollout of the vaccine, quarantine free travel for vaccinated travellers, and so called 'vaccine passports' to allow international travellers to enter Thailand without restrictions.
Mr Heinecke says the Thai government should make sure hotel staff and those working in the hospitality industry should be included in the first phase of the vaccine rollout. "Such people continue to operate on the front lines, interacting with international and domestic travelers, risking contraction and further transmission," Mr Heinecke says.
"Prioritizing them along with healthcare workers and other high-risk groups for the vaccine would provide a necessary layer of protection for the country".
Mr Heinecke says that Thailand should "consider more vaccine options as a matter of urgency" and adds "our current timeline is still not fast enough in procuring sufficient shots and inoculating the whole population".
He goes on to call for those vaccinated against the virus to be exempted from the current mandatory 14 day quarantine and says that so-called 'vaccine passports' should be used as a way to enable foreigners to visit the country without restrictions.
He cites the Seychelles as an example, which he says is already allowing vaccinated foreigners to enter the country.
He suggests that Phuket could be used as a pilot model to test the return of international travellers who have been vaccinated. If successfully implemented, the model should then be rolled out to other key destinations such Koh Samui and Pattaya.
Over 50 procent af alle piloter er ikke længere aktive
57 procent af piloterne rundt om i verden flyver ikke længere, viser ny undersøgelse. Og mange af de piloter, der stadig har et job, føler, at arbejdsforholdene er blevet forværret.
Coronapandemien hærgede i hele verden i det meste af 2020, og den er fortsat med at skabe store udfordringer ind i indeværende år. Og luftfartsbranchen er særligt hårdt ramt.
En ny undersøgelse fra britiske GOOSE Recruitment og luftfartsmediet FlightGlobal kaster lys over, hvor mange piloter der reelt set er blevet påvirket af coronakrisen. Næsten 2.600 piloter fordelt i hele verden har deltaget i undersøgelsen, der blev offentliggjort torsdag.
Tallene viser, at kun 43 procent af respondenterne fortsat arbejder som pilot, hvilket altså betyder, at næsten seks ud af 10piloter ikke var aktive, da undersøgelsen blev afsluttet 30. oktober 2020. 30 procent af de piloter, der ikke flyver, er ledige, 17 procent er hjemsendt, mens de sidste 10 procent har fået job i andre brancher.
Piloterne skulle svare på 30 spørgsmål, og de blev gjort opmærksom på undersøgelsen blandt andet via pilotfora og grupper på sociale medier.
Forværrede arbejdsforhold Mange af de respondenter, der stadig har pilotjob, føler, at arbejdsforholdene er blevet forværret. Cathay Pacific har – ifølge nyhedsbureauet Reuters – eksempelvis indført permanente lønnedsættelser på op til 58 procent. Flere andre flyselskaber – herunder SAS – har også sænket pilotlønningerne.
"Vi kan også se, hvilken effekt pandemien har haft på piloter, der har arbejde. Et stort antal føler sig usikre på deres job, et øget antal planlægger at søge nyt arbejde i år, ligesom der er mange, som føler sig mindre værdsatte af deres arbejdsgivere," siger Mark Charman, administrerende direktør i GOOSE Recruitment.
84 procent af de piloter, der ikke længere flyver, har mistet jobbet som følge af pandemien. Undersøgelsen viser desuden, at 82 procent af de arbejdsløse piloter er villige til at acceptere en lønnedsættelse for at få et nyt pilotjob.
Europæiske piloter, der stadig flyver, er de mest stressede over coronapandemien. Risikoen for at blive smittet, uensartede regler og muligheden for at komme i karantæne under en rotation er de største bekymringer blandt piloterne.
Piloters mentale helbred er udfordret Den store undersøgelse af piloter i hele verden viser, at 40 procent har fået deres mentale helbred påvirket af pandemien. Og tallet er højst blandt de yngste piloter. 58 procent af piloterne under 24 år har fået et forværret mentalt helbred, mens tallet er 32 procent for de 55-64-årige.
"Mængden af stress og angst, som pandemien har forårsaget mig, har permanent skræmt mit syn på livet," siger en hjemsendt pilot i undersøgelsen. Fra en arbejdsløs pilot lyder følgende:
"Jeg er ikke i den rette sindstilstand til at flyve et fly som før."
De piloter, der deltog i undersøgelsen, fordeler sig med 43 procent fra Europa, 20 procent fra Asien/Oceanien, 19 procent fra Afrika/Mellemøsten, seks procent fra Sydamerika samt 12 procent fra Nordamerika. 61 procent af de piloter, der bidrog til undersøgelsen, er – eller var – kaptajner.
Thai Prime Minister overjoyed that Thailand is listed as fourth country in the world in handling the Covid-19 Coronavirus outbreak by Lowy Institute
Bangkok –
Prime Minister Prayut Chan O'Cha said he was pleased that Thailand was listed as the fourth best country in the world in dealing with the Covid-19 Coronavirus outbreak, according to his statement on social media yesterday, January 30th.
The list was announced by Australia's Lowy Institute, one of the country's leading academic institutions and researching centers. The top five countries among 98 countries were New Zealand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand, and Cyprus respectively.
The Prime Minister stated online that Thailand has made it to the top five because of the cooperation among all Thai people and everyone should be proud of it.
The statement reads: "I believe that if Thai people work together as one, there is nothing we cannot do."
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone again, especially the teams of medical doctors, nurses, public health officials, administrative security, volunteers, and the private sectors, for their cooperation and participation throughout the country. Thank you to all the Thai people who routinely take care of themselves hygienically and strictly comply with Covid-19 health measures to prevent the spread of the deadly virus in the country."
"We will be able to get through this crisis again with everyone's cooperation. Thank you." The Prime Minister concluded.
The list was released as Thailand is dealing with a second round of Covid-19 in the country, mostly contained in a single province, Samut Sakhon, in densely packed migrant worker communities and factories.
Food and Drugs Administration secretary-general Paisarn Dankum
It is hoped the fight against against Covid-19 is entering its penultimate chapter as vaccines become available and countries begin inoculating their population.
However, Thailand -- which recently was ranked as the fourth most proficient country in the world in its handling of the pandemic -- has recently run into some hurdles.
Trending on Bangkok Post
Covid-19 vaccines to be distributed in 3 phases
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has assured that the distribution of vaccines against Covid-19 will be fair and in line with international standards, government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said on Sunday.
While neighboring countries like Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia have vaccination programmes underway, Thailand is still waiting anxiously for an imported shipment of the Oxford/AstraZeneca formula from a plant in Italy, with its exact arrival date still far from certain. The European Union is reported to be about to implement a ban on the export of Covid-19 vaccines to external territories, which would scupper the original plan to role it out in the kingdom on Valentine's Day.
Meanwhile, Sinovac, another potential supplier, has yet to finish its third trial phase.
At the moment, there is no vaccine supply in Thailand. The US-based Moderna is likely to move to register a vaccine here this month, while Pfizer, despite offices in Bangkok, has given no indication of its own plans for the region.
And for as long as supplies remain unavailable, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), the domestic body responsible for approving vaccines for the public and the Ministry of Public Health, under which it operates, remains firmly in the nation's crosshairs.
The FDA has been criticised for dragging its feet in securing access to one of the new candidates, an accusation the FDA secretary-general, Dr Paisarn Dankum, denies.
"The FDA has no policy to limit the registration of Covid-19 vaccines. The simple fact is that no companies have applied for import licences.
"Please understand the vaccine market during an outbreak belongs to the vaccine producers, not the clients," Dr Paisarn told the Bangkok Post in a special interview.
"It means that the pharmaceutical companies hold all the cards when it comes to negotiating with each country."
Dr Paisarn also pointed out that during the peak of the outbreak, Thailand was relatively free of the virus, and under no pressure to cave in and agree a high price.
Fast-track approval
In reality, experts at FDA have been busy since Dec 22 last year when they received almost 10,000 pages worth documents from AstraZeneca, which did decide to target the Thai market.
It was a lot of information to process, particularly when public safety is paramount, so it deployed around 100 experts, both from its own staff and external institutions, to comb through the submission with particular regard to safety, quality and efficiency.
Finally, on Jan 20, the drugs watchdog approved the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine candidate, which is proving to be one of the sought-after formulations, for use in Thailand, with AstraZeneca (Thailand) registered as its importer.
Currently it is waiting for China-based Sinovac to supply its own set of documents to register "CoronaVac" in Thailand. Thai authority had planned to use two million doses to kick start a mass inoculation campaign in February.
As of now, Sinovac's vaccine is in an expedited third trial phase which has allowed active Indonesia, Brazil and Turkey. However, this has left Thai health officials with a dilemma. "The FDA will approve CoronaVac only after China's health authority issues its own approval of the vaccine," said Dr Paisarn. He stressed the FDA currently permits private hospitals to import and administer vaccines but concedes that doing so would be a risk.
"The FDA's regulations clearly say the importer must take a full responsibility for any critical side-effects that may occur to the vaccine user. If any private hospitals can agree to that, the FDA will almost certainly grant their request to import the vaccine," he said.
Emergency vaccine
The Covid-19 vaccine is unique in that people are already receiving jabs only a year after work on it began, when vaccines usually take years, sometimes even a decade, to develop and get approval.
Clearly, this pandemic has turned the world upside down in many respects and Thailand's acquiescence to rolling out vaccines less thoroughly tested than for other contagious viral infections is no different to decisions made by leaders in almost every other country.
This has been classed as an "emergency vaccine," said Dr Paisarn. FDA also requires the Covid-19 vaccination management plan to include checks on any side effects.
"The vaccine must be administered under the supervision of a doctor. It cannot be sold in other drug stores," he said.
Siam Bioscience
Late last year, the FDA approved Siam Bioscience producing an early batch of the vaccine at its Pathum Thani plant so the FDA could assess its readiness to reproduce the formula provided by Oxford/AstraZeneca.
"Vaccine quality is the most important thing. The FDA must ensure that each batch is no different from the original," he said.
That review will be complete by May when it has been agreed that Siam Bioscience will begin producing 26 million doses for a mass vaccination drive following earlier inoculations of health workers and at-risk groups. Nevertheless, despite the urgency, Dr Paisarn said the FDA would remain "professional" as it does its job.
Image credit: BAB
