Thailand News - Corona - By Ola J.

lördag 15 januari 2022

🔴 #COVID19 update on Saturday: ⬇️ 7,793 new cases (270 from abroad) ⬆️ 18 deaths ⬆️ 77,368 in care. Richard Barrow

Bangkok Post highlights 15/1

🇹🇭 THAI NEWS SUMMARY: The morning headlines for Saturday.

♦️ Data indicates the Omicron variant is highly contagious but causes less severe disease than previous strains. The Public Health Ministry will propose to the CCSA to ease disease restrictions as soon as is safely possible.

♦️ Thailand plans to eventually proceed with making Covid-19 endemic despite World Health Organization cautioning against it.

♦️ Citigroup announced its agreement to sell its consumer banking operations in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam to United Overseas Bank (UOB) for approximately US$2.97 billion.

♦️ Following the increase in the volume of e-commerce, the Court of Justice is planning to set up a new department to handle disputes related to online shopping and to assist consumers cheated by traders.

♦️ Phuket is experiencing a surge in new Covid-19 infections, but the Deputy Director of Vachira Phuket Hospital says that about 95% of new cases are experiencing either mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.

♦️ The proposed 300-baht arrival tax will not affect Thai nationals returning from overseas, the Tourism and Sports Minister said. However, he confirmed that the tax would be collected from all foreign tourists at every port of entry.

♦️ After two days of talks between Thai officials and southern separatist BRN rebels, the Malaysian facilitator for the peace dialogue said it would take at least two years to find a solution to end the conflict in the Deep South.

♦️ The price of pork should fall back into the normal range in about eight months to a year. The government is also considering reducing the tax rate on animal feed to help rein in soaring prices.

fredag 14 januari 2022

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs put out a warning today via their spokesperson urging people not to be taken in by any scam attempting to charge you for registering for the Thailand Pass. The announcement came on the heels of the Covid-19 task force investigating reports of people claiming to have paid registration fees in order to apply for the Pass needed to enter Thailand. The Thaiger

Thailand Pass scam: Authorities warn not to pay third party

Neill Fronde

Friday, January 14, 2022 18:41

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs put out a warning today via their spokesperson urging people not to be taken in by any scam attempting to charge you for registering for the Thailand Pass. The announcement came on the heels of the Covid-19 task force investigating reports of people claiming to have paid registration fees in order to apply for the Pass needed to enter Thailand

First of all, the Thailand Pass programme has been suspended since December 22 along with the Test & Go entry scheme thanks to a sharp rise in Covid-19 infections as the Omicron variant takes hold of the country. And second, the Thailand Pass has always been issued, since its inception, free of charge through their online registration process.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs laid out clearly and concisely that if anyone attempts to collect money for a Thailand Pass registration, it's a scam.

"To reiterate again, there is no registration fee for Thailand Pass. There have been reports of people asked illegally to pay registration fees. It is a service rendered free of charge."

While many services in Thailand may offer help for a fee for potential tourists trying to navigate the system to make their way into Thailand, the ministry specifically warns that travellers should not be paying any service fee for the actual Thailand Pass registration process.

The spokesperson did not go into any detail about how many reports they had received of people being scammed or how the Thailand Pass scam works specifically. But they took the opportunity to remind that once the Thailand Pass programme does reopen, those interested in travelling to the country should only apply for the Pass on the official website – tp.consular.go.th/ – and not through any third-party site, agency, or middleman.

At this time though, the Thailand Pass scheme is closed, but those who have already received a confirmation and QR code may still travel and enter as planned. Anyone wishing to come to Thailand who hasn't already been approved must now enter through one of several Sandbox programmesthroughout the country, with Phuket being the most popular option

SOURCE: Coconuts

For more information on how to get into Thailand during the pandemic, CLICK HERE

NIDA Poll has revealed the results of a public survey entitled "Confidence in Thailand's public health system in dealing with the Omicron variant of COVID-19.” The survey was conducted between 20 and 23 December 2021, during which people aged 18 years and over were asked related questions. NBT

Ranking of 10 provinces with highest COVID-19 transmission, as of 14 January 2022. PRD

Even though the daily number of #Covid19 cases had increased after the New Year, the death toll remains less than 20 per day while the number of severe cases did not jump, Health Minister Anutin said on Friday. Given the situation, the ministry will propose for the CCSA to relax restriction measures as much as possible and as soon as possible, he said. Thai Enquirer

Even though the daily number of #Covid19 cases had increased after the New Year, the death toll remains less than 20 per day while the number of severe cases did not jump, Health Minister Anutin said on Friday.

Given the situation, the ministry will propose for the CCSA to relax restriction measures as much as possible and as soon as possible, he said.

The ministry is also pushing walk-in vaccination for unvaccinated people to encourage them to get vaccinated, he said.

#Thailand #โควิด19

Thai insurance companies may soon offer packages that cover Covid-19 treatment for mild symptoms that would cover international tourists and permit more “hospitels” under the hotel-isolation scheme. Bangkok Herald

Thai Insurance Firms to Offer Foreign Tourists Covid-19 Policies Covering Mild Symptoms

14 January 2022

Foreign tourists walk toward their train at Bangkok's Hua Lamphong Railway Station in December 2021. (Photo: Bangkok Herald)

Thai insurance companies may soon offer packages that cover Covid-19 treatment for mild symptoms that would cover international tourists and permit more "hospitels" under the hotel-isolation scheme.

The Department of Health Services Support said Thursday the main issue that foreign visitors face is that their health insurance does not cover treatment costs if they exhibit moderate symptoms.

Director-General Tares Krassanairawiwong said the department proposed that the Office of Insurance Commission allow health 0insurance companies to introduce packages that cover Covid-19 treatments in order to help foreign tourists in making faster claims for treatment expenses, as it would normally take 7-10 days for some foreign health insurance companies to claim expenses.

Meanwhile, the director-general stated that the department is expanding hotel isolation for patients with mild symptoms due to an increase in hotel business owners requesting that their facilities be converted into "hospitels" under the hotel isolation scheme.

He noted that Chonburi Province has launched a home isolation scheme for international tourists who have no symptoms and expects that hotels in tourist areas will be allowed to function as hospitels in the future.

Thailand News - Corona - By Ola J. - Palmtree