TIMELINE: Chonburi informs residents who visited places in relation to most recent Covid -19 confirmed cases
The Chonburi Public Health Office last night (July 6th) has released a timeline to inform people who went to specific places last month and this month to notify health authorities and monitor their health. The following is an English translation of the release.
Chonburi –
Woraphon beauty salon (In front of Tatean Tia School) in Banglamung from June 23rd to July 2nd from 9:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M.
True Shop in Pacific Park Si Racha Mall counter No 3 and No 8 from June 25th to June 30th and from July 2nd to July 3rd from 11:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M.
Food court (near Top Supermarket) in Robinson Si Racha on June 26th from 2:00 P.M. to 2:45 P.M. and on July 3rd from 3:00 P.M. to 3:45 P.M.
Som Pon Garage in Nong Ree, Mueang Chonburi from June 28th to July 3rd from 8:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M..
5. Thai Chingakan Ko in Soi Allai in Borwin, Si Racha from June 30th to July 1st from 7:30 A.M. to 7:40 P.M.
6. Bor Yang Market in Nong Kham, Si Racha from June 30th to July 2nd from 5:00 P.M. to 5:30 P.M.
7. Ko Deng noodle shop (Behind Laem Thong Mall in Bang Saen), in Sane Suk, Mueang Chonburi from June 30th to July 6th from 3:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M.
8. Makro store (fresh food) in Samet, Mueang Chonburi on July 3rd from 4:30 P.M. to 5:20 P.M..
9. Chonburi Health Development Association in Soi Si Banyat in Bang Plasoi, Mueang Chonburi on July 3rd from 7:00 A.M. to 8:00 A.M..
The Chonburi Department of Public Health announced 262 new and confirmed cases of Covid-19 today, as well as three new deaths, July 7th. The Chonburi governor yesterday (July 6th) ordered the temporary closure of a company in Pan Thong.
Covid-19 Cases May Double Daily In Next 2 Weeks, Bangkok's Airport To Host Field Hospitals
Covid-19 cases may double daily
The Delta Variant, that is said to spread more rapidly than other strains of Covid-19 and likely to cause more severe symptoms, has recently been detected in Thailand.
Additionally, the number of Covid-19 patients in critical condition and placed on ventilators have increased.
Due to the fast-spreading nature of the variant, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) is preparing for the number of daily Covid-19 cases to double over the next several weeks.
Here's how the Thai Government plans to tackle the spread.
At 3PM on 7th July 2021, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) stressed that Covid-19:Delta Variant infection rates may go up to 10,000 cases daily within the next two weeks. The spokesperson further mentioned that many countries have seen a 100% increase in cases due to the Delta variant, according to National News Bureau Thailand.
To prepare for an increase in Covid-19 cases, a new field hospital is being set up at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The Ministry of Public Health plans to transform the airport's new "Satellite 1 Terminal" into a field hospital with 5,000 beds in August, reported The Thaiger.
In order to prevent the spread of the new infectious strain, the CCSA has asked that we avoid inter-provincial travel.
Bangkok is an epicentre for cases
The recent surge of Covid-19 cases has been attributed to factories and camps spread throughout Bangkok, making the capital the epicentre of the recent outbreak. Today, Bangkok accounts for 1,549 out of 6,519 new cases.
Thus, those who live high-risk areas should stay away from crowded places.
Socialise through the internet
Medical personnel have been working around the clock to keep all of us safe from Covid-19.
We can help them, and ourselves, by keeping away from high-risk areas. Better yet, we can stay home until the coast is clearer – with modern tech, it's still possible to socialise with our loved ones. Plus, it can be even cheaper for us to hang out with our friends online.
Health workers collect nasal swabs from people for Covid-19 tests at Wat Phon Manee in Lat Krabang district of Bangkok on Wednesday. (Photo: Somchai Poomlard)
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Admininistration (CCSA) would be willing to consider any proposal from the Ministry of Public Health for a lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19, National Security Council secretary-general Natthapon Nakpanich said on Wednesday.
Gen Natthapon, the CCSA's chief of operations, said he had heard talk of a lockdown. There was no official proposal so far, but if proposed the centre was ready to consider it.
He said people should have a correct understanding of the term "lockdown".
Measures, which included a curfew, taken by the government in April last year could be construed as a lockdown, but the restrictions imposed afterwards -- such as shuttering of businesses and a ban on movement of people -- were not, he said.
Asked whether the matter would be taken up at the CCSA's July 12 meeting, Gen Natthapon said it could come sooner if the number of infections and deaths went up.
"We may wait for 15 days to assess the situation. We have to take all factors into consideration.
"In the meantime, we have to look into other matters, such as controls on the movement of people and solving the problem of bed shortages. We won't just sit and watch the figures," Gen Nathapon said.
Asked whether a lockdown would be imposed only in areas where the Delta variant of the Covid-19 virus was rampant, or on the whole country, Gen Nathapon said emphasis would be placed on Bangkok and surrounding provinces, along with the four southern border provinces. Other parts of the country could be put under semi-lockdown.
The National Security Council chief said a complete lockdown would have grave effects on people living hand-to-mouth and those with no permanent income.
"According to the Ministry of Finance, nearly 300 billion baht was spent on remedial action during the April 2020 lockdown. If we do it again we would have find a lot of money to compensate the people for their suffering.
In fact, even if we spend as much as 300 billion baht per month, it would not be enough to make up for the losses," Gen Natthapon said.
Therefore, the CCSA would mainly base its decision on people's suffering and hardship, he said. People should be able to make a living without the risk of being infected with the virus.
If there were to be a lockdown, the Ministry of Public Heath must come up with sufficient reasons for it, he said.
A FORENSIC doctor at Ramathibodi Hospital Mahidol University said in a Facebook post today (July 7) that the real number of Covid patients and death toll in Bangkok is far higher to go by lots of dead bodies showing infection while a large number of people have not got a chance to be tested, Thai Rath newspaper said.
Dr. Smith Srison, head of the Forensic Medicine Laboratory, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital Mahidol University, said the situation in Bangkok is so severe that he is now running into a lot of Covid positive dead bodies.
He mentioned that yesterday he examined four dead bodies, one was a elderly person who it was certain died of coronavirus but not having been able to get a bed in a hospital, died at the scene. The other three bodies too all yielded positive results.
He added that this is just in that one day and from the one district Ramathibodi Hospital received the bodies.
Since Thursday most of the bodies he swabbed were from extremely congested slums and flats where when one person catches the infection many others do with that person not being able to find a place to get tested.
Dr. Smith underscored that the situation in Bangkok is very serious with the announced number of cases and fatalities definitely not the true totals.
There are lots of people who have not been swabbed. In Ramathibodi Hospital itself people queue up from 10 p.m. for a test in the morning.
As for the dead, some forensic physicians are unable to swab all of them despite an exposure risk because they could not get payment for the test.
Meanwhile the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said there were 6,519 new coronavirus cases and 54 fatalities nationwide in the 24 hours to this morning, Amarin TV said.
This takes the cumulative confirmed total since the start of the pandemic to 301,172 and in the current wave that began in April 272,309.
The death toll too has now risen to 2,387.
Of today's batch of cases 4,958 emerged in surveillance and service systems, 1,490 found through proactive searches, 55 fell sick in prisons and detention centres while 16 overseas arrivals were placed in state quarantine.
Another 4,148 patients have been cured, taking total recoveries since the start of the pandemic to 231,171 and in the current wave 203,745. Still undergoing treatment are 67,614 patients with 2,496 in severe condition and 676 requiring ventilators.
An update of the vaccination drive is as follows:
From February 28 to July 6, 2021 altogether 11,328,043 doses have been administered.
Another 223,268 people got their first jab, adding up to 8,245,297 who have done so;
An additional 46,385 got their second jab, with 3,082,746 now having got both shots.
Manager reported that fears about tourists disappearing from their hotels in Phuket came true yesterday.
After the first five days of the Phuket Sandbox reopening of the country went without a hitch, there were some problems.
One tourist who had not turned on tracking on his app was found not to have checked in at his hotel.
Instead he went straight to find his wife and child at his house in Rawai.
He was soon brought back into the system and returned to his hotel that he had booked.
Another man, aged 83, was staying at a hotel in Thalang and went out without his phone or passport, just with his wallet.
He was discovered at 4.30 am wandering near a department store in Wichit sub-district.
He couldn't remember where his hotel was and was tired and hungry. He appeared to have Alzheimer's.
Wichit police gave him food and drink before getting him back to his hotel safely.
A third person had a personal emergency abroad and was allowed to return home and not complete the 14 day required stay.
Governor Narong Wunden gave details at City Hall yesterday.
Picture: Manger
Provincial police chief Pol Maj-Gen Pornsak Nuannoo said that the hotels in each case informed 191 if there was a problem. He said there was liaison with all concerned including the Tha Chatchai provincial border crossing utilizing the Mor Chana app.
Pol Col Thanet Sukchai assured the public that these were the only three problem cases. He assured the nation that no one has left Phuket among the tourists.
The man in charge of the tracking from a firm called SIPA, Pracha Atsawatheera said the tourist who had gone to see his wife at his home had not turned on location finding on the app ever since he was in the airport.
He only turned it on when he got home to Rawai.
Matters were explained to him and he was taken back to where he should be, his hotel.
The news that UK state pensions could bumper-rise by 8 percent from April next year has set off a chain-reaction of grief from British expats in Thailand whose allowances were frozen at the time they went to live abroad in most countries.
One of the criteria for increasing the UK old age pension is "average wages." The Office of Budget Responsibility, funded by the Treasury, says that many poorly paid workers have lost their jobs owing to the pandemic. The net statistical effect overall is pushing up the wages and salaries of the better-paid, thus causing a technical distortion.
The maximum flat-rate pension is currently 179.60 pounds weekly, although the payable amount varies according to date of retirement and the number of paid contributions in working life. An increase of 8 percent would be an extra 14 pounds weekly on the maximum rate. However, the government could abandon the "triple lock" to guarantee pension increases if any temporary anomalies were found.
The British state pension is one of the most meagre in Western Europe. While the UK spends 6.5 percent of GDP on pensioners, the figure is 14.5 percent for France and 9.9 percent in Germany. The freezing for most expats who live abroad has been a bone of contention for 70 years.
Lawyers in Thailand say that complex UK pension rules are increasingly a troublesome issue as the ageing British husbands die off (mostly from lifestyle diseases) and the surviving Thai widow searches desperately for income. However, as regards the state pension, the ground rules changed in 2016. Most foreign widows, including Thais, cannot now start to claim any portion of their late husband's old age pension based solely on his national insurance contributions.
In stark reality, most Thai widows cannot claim any support from the British government unless they have worked in UK and/or obtained their own national insurance number. Jessataporn Sriboo, a Pattaya-based attorney at law, said, "The Thai widow has a much better chance obtaining residual pension rights from her former husband's occupational pension. It all depends on the paperwork."
Is Pattaya, Thailand currently open for international tourists/visitors like Phuket, Koh Samui soon, etc?
Thailand-
The following article is a quick "update" on the current status of Pattaya, Thailand in regards to tourism from international visitors. We get asked this question many, many, many times a day through private messages and e-mails so wanted to take the time to make a quick reference article for our overseas readers.
For our local readers, this article will be nothing new to you. It is intended for people that only want to ask about Pattaya being open. This was most recently updated on July 6th, 2021.
Q. Is Pattaya currently open to vaccinated foreign tourists without strict in-room quarantine like Phuket or Samui is about to be?
A. No.
With that basic question out of the way, here are some more in-depth answers
Q. Can vaccinated foreign tourists travel to Pattaya after they do their fourteen days in Samui/Phangan/Koh Tao or Phuket?
A. Yes, however, you might not want to right now if you are looking for entertainment and/or nightlife. There is NO quarantine or domestic travel requirements in Chonburi except for migrant workers from nearby countries. Keep reading.
Q. What is it currently like in Pattaya?
A. Pattaya is part of the Chonburi province, which is still getting, unfortunately, hundreds of cases of Covid-19 a day, mostly from factories, markets, and worker communities. This makes it a red province, although not dark-red like Bangkok. The biggest difference is dine-in at restaurants is open in Chonburi (as of press time) as are gyms, beaches, and Ramayana water park.
Q. Is Pattaya's world-famous nightlife open?
A. No. And there is no sign of this happening anytime soon, unfortunately.
Q. Can you drink alcohol at restaurants at least? You can in Phuket
A. No. Legally, anyways. Red provinces ban drinking alcohol at restaurants. Additionally, Chonburi also currently bans all alcohol sales even from 7-11from 8:00-4:00 A.M. nightly.
Q. Can I come to Pattaya then and throw a private house party or beach party as you can in Phuket right now?
A. No. Chonburi has ordered from 8:00-4:00 A.M. nightly that any gatherings around drinking with more than one person, even at your own home, is illegal and a violation of the emergency decree. They are REALLY trying to stop house drinking and parties here. This rule used to be in effect in Phuket and Surat Thani, is now in effect here as they are hoping to bring down cases. (Even though most have nothing to do with alcohol.)
Q. Where do I find more information about the Phuket program?
Q. When will Pattaya open its own Sandbox program or program like Samui?
A. Officials would LIKE to start this around September with a program like Samui Plus, leading up to a Sandbox-style program in October. However, this is highly dependent on vaccinating local residents as Phuket and Samui have done and the amount of Covid-19 cases locally. Unfortunately (Yes, we hate we keep saying that too) the vaccinations in Chonburi are low due to supplies being diverted to Bangkok and the islands that opened earlier and Covid-19 cases remain high. Neither date of opening a Pattaya program is set in stone by any means.
Q. When will nightlife reopen in Pattaya?
A. Nobody knows and it is not worth guessing at this time.
Q. Is Koh Larn and Koh Si Chang open?
A. Yes, although all the rules above (officially anyway) apply.
Q. Are hotels open in Pattaya?
A. Yes, they are legally allowed to open, although check your hotel of choice first as many have chosen to remain closed until the situation improves with Covid-19 and more businesses are allowed to open.
Q. Are massage shops open in Pattaya?
A. Yes, although technically only for foot massages.
Q. I am staying in Thailand for (insert time here) with all the restrictions around right now is it worth visiting Pattaya?
A. It depends on what you are looking for. It is a perfect time to visit Koh Larn, Koh Si Chang, local beaches, restaurants, malls, Ramayana, Nong Nooch Garden, Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Sanctuary of Truth, and other attractions that are open. The area is fairly traffic-free, there are no crowds, and the beaches and environment have recovered very nicely for a very different Pattaya experience. If you are looking for parties, nightlife, or entertainment then Pattaya is not a choice at this time.
That should answer most of the questions we are currently getting, we will update this on a semi-regular basis.
The announcement was made 3.34 minutes into the broadcast.
