The following is a weekly feature article looking at this same time period LAST year in Pattaya and Thailand news.
This weekly feature takes a look back at news from the same period last year (and sometimes different time windows, such as six months or three months) to see how things have changed, following up on the progression of stories, as well as look at potentially broken promises or things that didn't take place as promised in Pattaya and Thailand.
As we publish dozens of stories a week this is a quick way for people to take a look at what the biggest stories were a year ago, as chosen by our editorial team, and how they impact us today and relate to current news. They are in no particular order of importance, however, are in order of publication. This week, we cover the FIRST week of May 2020, from Sunday, May 3rd, 2020 to Saturday, May 9th, 2020. They are roughly in order of publication.
1. Pattaya business owners meet to discuss precautions and measures for re-opening
Did anyone think that one year later such a meeting may be needed again in the near future as once again entertainment venues have been closed for about a month?
2. Restaurants in Pattaya adjust to new dine-in rules and regulations
One year later, dine-in is currently closed completely. Is it time to return to these measures, that some say are over the top, or should they stay closed completely?
3. Pattaya City slightly eases rules on beaches, allows walking and exercise on beach paths
Who would have thought that a year later (yes, this is a reoccurring theme this week) once again the actual beaches, at least in Central Pattaya, are closed to usage but people can walk on the sidewalks?
Air travel estimates slashed by 38 per cent due to 3rd Covid-19 wave
Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai) has adjusted down its estimates of total domestic and international air travel in 2021 to 323,093 flights, a 38 per cent drop from its 518,790 flights estimate at the start of the year.
The steep downward revision follows the fallout from the third Covid-19 wave since late March.
"The rising number of infections in Thailand and overseas has caused domestic and international travel to decline, while the government's measures urging people to refrain from inter-provincial travel would further decrease domestic flights," said Aerothai vice-president Thinnakorn Chuwong.
"However, we estimate that the impact of this wave will last until May and recovery would start slowly from June onwards, coinciding with the period when the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand would ease restrictions on air travel," he added.
"Also the government's Phuket Sandbox campaign would start in July, which could help boost air travel during July to August to around 1,095 flights per day, which would be at the same level as December last year, right before the start of the second wave."
Under the sandbox scheme, tourists who can verify they have been inoculated against Covid-19 and test negative can fly into Phuket and move around freely without having to quarantine. Similar schemes will be applied to other destinations like Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Krabi, Phang Nga and Surat Thani later when more people have been vaccinated and more preventive measures have been put in place.
"However, if the sandbox campaign is not launched as scheduled, or should there be another wave, Aerothai might have to further lower estimates on total flights throughout the year," added Thinnakorn.
The following is our weekly feature in which we take a look at the top developing stories and things to follow over the past week. We are focusing on what is happening for the second week of May, ending May 15th, 2021.
As we publish dozens of stories a week, this allows our readers to get a quick glimpse of the most important stories taking place and to monitor and follow for the week ahead, as chosen by our editorial team.
This week, we are really only focusing on one major developing story:
1. Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) to discuss zone classifications and measures this week
Without a doubt, this will be the biggest story of the week as the CCSA talks about Covid-19 related zone measures currently in place and if any should be lifted or even increased. First, get caught up on what the measures were for the six areas in "Dark Red status". The provinces currently in Dark Red status are Bangkok, Chonburi, Chiang Mai, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, and Samut Prakan.
The National Security Council and CCSA both announced on Thursday and Friday they plan to review the current measures in place by mid-week next week and make decisions that will likely be announced on Friday, May 14th. A look at the current data shows that of the six current "deep red provinces" most have either worsened or stayed the same. For instance, today, May 8th, 2021, Bangkok had 1,112 new and confirmed cases, Nonthaburi had 217, Samut Prakan had 114 (downward, many of their cases coming from a factory cluster), and Pathum Thani had 93. Chonburi, meanwhile, just had the least amount of cases in a month at 72 and Chiang Mai has fallen to 26 cases.
Additionally, Prachuap Khiri Khan (Hua Hin) has risen heavily in the rankings around provinces with Covid-19 with 100 cases today, primarily from a cluster at a factory. The CCSA is sure to examine all of these statistics while making any decisions on further measures or restrictions.
On the bright side, cases outside of Bangkok and surrounding provinces are nearly all seeing a fall or leveling off, showing that the situation appears to be coming under control in those areas. This allows Public Health Department officials to focus primarily on the "dark red" sectors and what measures and strategies need to take place to control the issue.
Thailand is only weeks away from millions of vaccines, according to the Thai government, as locally produced Astrazeneca doses are set to become available by early June and several million more doses of Chinese Sinovac arrive this month, with many going directly to Chonburi and other red zones. Thailand's long-term plan, of course, is to depend on vaccines, but in the short term will have to stop any major spread of the virus.
We should see some proposals around what may happen with current restrictions around Wednesday or Thursday of next week with announcements on final decisions most likely at the weekly press conference Friday morning, May 14th.
"The original goal was to get 100 million doses of vaccine for 50 million adults in Thailand, with some manufacturers scheduled to make deliveries next year," he said in the post. "However, as the outbreak situation is highly volatile, we cannot set a vaccination plan based on the assumption that herd immunity will be achieved when the majority of the population is vaccinated.
"The government has, therefore, set a new target of 150 million doses, or enough for all adults in Thailand or roughly 60 million people, while having some left in reserve," Prayut said.
"The reserve also aims to respond in cases where the immunity of vaccinated people weakens, requiring additional jabs."
Prayut added that the government would employ a more aggressive approach in procuring the vaccine as well as seek alternatives from new vaccine manufacturers. "Currently we have negotiated with seven manufacturers and are planning to branch out more to ensure that we get vaccines on time. We have to race with all other countries who are also eyeing getting more vaccines for their people as well," he added.
"Lastly, the government is discussing with doctors and experts in public health over adjusting the vaccination plan to prioritise giving the first jab to as many people as possible," said Prayut.
"Doctors unanimously agree that the risk of contracting the virus and developing severe symptoms, or even death, fall considerably after receiving the first jab. Therefore, we should focus on vaccinating as many first-dose receivers as possible.
"If we follow this adjusted plan, it is estimated that by the end of July about half of the adult population of Thailand will have been vaccinated with the first jab and therefore are well-protected against Covid-19," said Prayut.
The Chonburi Department of Public Health announced 72 new and confirmed cases of Covid-19 this morning (May 8th), a slight drop from yesterday with one new death.
This makes a total of 3,202 cases of Covid-19 in the current round of infections, with 1,520 still in medical care, with eight recorded deaths in Chonburi since the start of this recent round of infections in early April.
Additionally, 1,674 people in total have now been released from medical care and fully recovered since this current wave began. 125 were released yesterday. Today's cases are the lowest since April 9th, 2021.
The district-level new cases were as follows today:
Mueang Chonburi with 14, Si Racha 9, Banglamung (including Pattaya) 37, Sattahip 4, Ban Bueng 4, Bor Thong 1, Ko Chan 1 and 2 patients from other provinces transferred to Chonburi for medical care.
The details on today's cases given were:
Back from Nakhon Pathom, 1 case
Contact from previous confirmed cases from Chanthaburi, 1 case
Close contact from previous confirmed case
In work places, 4 cases
In families, 8 cases
Funeral cluster, 1 case
Work in places with many people, 4 cases
Close contact from previous confirmed cases under investigation, 24 cases
In the process of investigation in general 29 cases
In the last day, a total of 192 close contacts were tested from contact tracing, and 877 people were tested in proactive testing when medical staff goes out into the community.
All are pending results. Additionally, another 817 people were tested from Royal mobile testing vans and are also waiting for results as officials step up aggressive community testing.
Covid-19 vaccination in Klong Toey district, Bangkok, on Wednesday. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)
Speaking during his PM Podcast on Friday, Gen Prayut said the global pandemic showed no signs of going away anytime soon, so the government had to be prepared to deal with any situation that might arise.
"The first priority will be to increase our vaccine doses to 150 million doses or more and to prepare for any risk related to those vaccines,'' Gen Prayut said.
The government had set a target of buying 100 million doses to inoculate 50 million Thais and thus create herd immunity, he said.
"But I think it is not enough. If we listen to information from around the world, it is still not clear whether herd immunity against this virus can actually be achieved," Gen Prayut noted.
He said Thailand had an adult population of about 60 million and thus required at least 120 million vaccine doses, with everyone needing two shots. Labourers, including migrant workers, in the business sector also needed to be taken into account in that respect, he pointed out.
"To prepare for potential risks and uncertainty, we may need 150-200 million doses of vaccine for future phases [of the vaccine rollout]," he said, "but we have to consider the shelf life of vaccines and next year's situation."
The PM said government agencies had until now been negotiating with seven manufacturers but he had instructed them to be even more proactive in procuring vaccines. Efforts were also underway to hold talks with other vaccine producers, he added.
However, purchases had to follow regulations from the relevant authorities such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Gen Prayut said, adding that those agencies must also expedite their approval of manufacturers' applications for vaccine registrations.
Another priority would be to administer as many first doses of the vaccine as quickly as possible by July, when it is expected that half of the adult Thai population will have had their first shot and thus have sufficient protection against the worst effects of the virus.
Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said on Friday a committee on the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines had agreed that they should be added to the controlled goods list. The meeting also discussed potential government procurement of the Pfizer, Sputnik V and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
The committee also agreed private hospitals should buy their own vaccines from manufacturers other than those which the government had already bought or planned to buy, Mr Anucha said. He added that these alternative vaccines should be ready for delivery to Thailand by the end of this year.
Mr Anucha added that the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) would also be responsible for managing private hospitals' vaccine procurement and liaising with vaccine manufacturers. All procurements must follow product liability law, he said.
Moreover, any private hospitals or private companies that wanted to import alternative vaccines would have to make full payment in advance to the GPO as well as arrange for insurance against any side effects caused by the vaccines.
The private sector can appoint representatives from vaccine manufacturers and submit letters of intent (LOI) to the GPO, he said.
The government still intends to press ahead with its plan to reopen Phuket to foreign tourists on July 1, despite battling another surge of Covid-19 infections.
Phiphat: Hopefulabout reopening
The government's committee on national tourism policy, chaired by Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, yesterday confirmed the plan -- made before the new outbreak of Covid-19 struck Bangkok and other parts of the country early last month -- will still be implemented.
The reopening would later be expanded to cover Krabi, Phangnga, Surat Thani, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri, Buri Ram, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan and Bangkok, said deputy government spokeswoman Traisuree Taisaranakul.
The reopening plan will be divided into four phases -- the first phase has already been in place since April 1, when a number of foreign tourists with proof that they had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 were allowed to enter Thailand provided they agreed to undergo a period of quarantine as imposed by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).
The second phase called "Phuket Sandbox" is due to begin on July 1, when vaccinated tourists will be allowed to enter Thailand via Phuket, where they won't have to undergo any Covid-19 quarantine, said Ms Traisuree.
In the third phase, due to begin on Oct 1, the vaccinated tourists in Phuket will then be allowed to travel to Krabi, Phangnga, Surat Thani, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri, Buri Ram, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan and Bangkok without any new quarantine requirements.
The fourth and final phase, due to begin on Jan 1 next year, will allow any foreign tourists certified to have been fully vaccinated to be allowed to enter Thailand and freely travel around.
In 2019, before Covid-19 hit Thailand, those 10 provinces drew 39.9 million foreign tourists and racked up 1.5 trillion baht in income, accounting for 80% of the country's entire tourism revenue, said Ms Traisuree.
It is hoped the reopening plan will attract at least 3.5 million foreign tourists and generate 298.1 billion baht, she said.
The hope is that Phuket Sandbox demonstrates to the rest of the world that the resort island is safe to visit while at the same assuring local Thais that the country's tourism industry is on the road to recovery, said Tossaporn Sirisamphan, chairman of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) board.
Phuket governor Narong Wunsiew said Phuket's plan to vaccinate 60-70% of its population was now 22% complete, with 15,000 people getting jabs each day.
The province will next increase the number of vaccination venues from five to nine, in a bid to achieve its goal well before its scheduled July reopening, he said.
OF Thailand's 2,044 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours to this morning (May 7) 869 emerged in Bangkok with the capital also having the highest number of fatalities at 18 out of 27 nationwide, Amarin TV said
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said the 2,044 new Covid cases took the cumulative confirmed total to 78,855, with 49,732 appearing in the third wave of the infection that started early April.
Another 2,377 patients have recovered while the 27 fatalities that occurred across the nation over the past day raised the death toll to 363.
Of the third wave's total of 49,732 cases, 25,995 emerged in Bangkok and its vicinity while the provincial total is 23,737.
Bangkok's record 869 cases today shoots up from over 500 cases a day from May 1 with the capital's total now reaching 16,917.
As of yesterday, there were 1,170 critically ill patients with 818 being in Bangkok and its vicinity and 352 in other provinces.
Bangkok alone also has the most critically ill patients totaling 496, followed by Nonthaburi with 129 as these totals continue to increase.
There have been 269 fatalities in the third wave with 183 occurring in Bangkok and its vicinity and 86 in other provinces. Bangkok alone has the highest cumulative death toll at 122 with 18 of 27 fatalities occurring over the past day taking place in the metropolis.
John Grant, an aviation analyst with global travel data provider OAG agrees that this will have a knock-on impact on air fares as travel restrictions are eased.
"That will, in the short term, create a rush of pent-up demand and revenge spending," he said.
"In turn, the airline algorithms will detect an uptick in demand and move prices up accordingly".
Reuters
Airlines have reduced capacity by putting aeroplanes into storage, such as these in France
A lack of clarity about how governments will go about recognising vaccine and testing statuses from other countries is troubling the travel industry, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
Confusing systems
Mr Fogel believes a single system would be helpful: "So many different people in so many different governments are talking about different programmes, but right now, there is nothing out there that is unified, so it's very confusing.
"I listened to the prime minister of Italy saying how they want to let people into Italy soon and you just have to prove that you have a vaccine and it'd be great.
"And my thinking is, well, I have my vaccine myself, but how do I prove it? Do I just bring my little white card that I got in the US that said I got it, is that going to be good enough? We need some clarifications."
Several systems are being explored, including the International Air Transport Association (IATA)'s travel pass, which is being trialled by a number of airlines.
The idea of a scheme that allows passengers who have had the vaccine to travel has proved divisive.
The UK equality watchdog recently warned it could create a "two-tier society, whereby only certain groups are able to fully enjoy their rights".
That's a view supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) but Mr Fogel disagrees.
"It's true that if you're not vaccinated, you may not be able to enter a country under this type of a system," he said.
"But I'm okay with that. Because the alternative is what - nobody gets to go in? That doesn't make a lot of sense to me."
He added that there are countries that people cannot go into if they don't have proof of vaccination against yellow fever, for example.
"There's nothing wrong with using technology to prove you are a safe traveller that can help get the industry up faster," said Mr Fogel.
Financial pain
The lack of clarity has hurt the finances of Booking.com's US owner Booking Holdings, which also owns Kayak and rentalcar.com.
Revenues for the three months to the end of March fell to $1.1bn (£790m) - 50% lower than the same period a year ago.
Figures from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) reflect a similar picture across the industry, showing tourism's value to the global economy fell from nearly $9.2tn in 2019 to $4.7tn in 2020.
As a share of the global economy that equates to a fall from 10.4% to just 5.5%.
But Mr Fogel, who is chief executive of both the Dutch-based Booking.com and its parent firm Booking Holdings, told investors that there is still reason to be optimistic things will improve.
"While the pace of vaccine distribution remains frustratingly slow in most places around the world, Israel, the UK and the US are benefiting from successful vaccine distribution programs," he said.
"In each of these countries, we have seen encouraging booking trends, which supports our view that vaccine distribution is key to unlocking pent-up travel demand."
EPA
Reuters
