Covid-19 News & Updates (Thailand and Southeast Asia only)

[J.J.B.]

An excellent article with some very compelling simulations that should help improve understanding of how countries around the world are tackling the epidemic:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics ... simulator/

[HHTel]

My daughter was due to fly on 2nd May. She got a mail today from the airline informing her that her flight is cancelled. They've just confirmed her full refund.

[sateeb]

Just spoke to my brother in the UK..He works in aviation. Expect more cancellations and maybe more.

BBC are saying...

Airlines slash more flights as coronavirus hits

Travel restrictions and a slump in demand as a result of the coronavirus pandemic have forced airlines to lay off staff and cut more flights.

Ryanair is to ground the majority of its fleet, and says a full grounding of its planes "cannot be ruled out".

British Airways owner IAG is planning to cut capacity by at least 75% in April and May.

EasyJet also said it may also have to ground most of its planes as a result of travel bans and falling demand.

Holiday company Tui has also said it will suspend the "majority" of its operations, affecting "package travel, cruises and hotel" bookings.

Passenger numbers and bookings have plummeted in recent weeks as countries closed their borders and holiday makers cancelled trips.

"There is no cash whatsoever coming in the doors," said aviation analyst John Strickland, who warned that airlines could lose money very quickly.

[thecolonel]

Apologies if repeating....

Any word on Thai Government closing the bars and if so how long? I guess it would be indefinitely

And where? Everywhere or just major population centres?

Thanks

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk

It's set to be discussed in committee tomorrow so I would say a few days before we know anything firm.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... b-outbreak

Hey Pete C,

Been out golfing all day, any bar closure decisions today? Thanks

Ps my taxi driver lady said she thought she heard Songkran holiday was cancelled?
?

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk

[Chazz14]

Thanks for your informative post J.J.B.

[HHTel]

Just listened to Boris' press conference. Talk about draconian measures.

Families to self isolate for 14 days.
Avoid pubs, clubs, theatres etc.
Over 70's to be 'protected' at home for 12 weeks.

The list goes on. I'm sure Pharvey will give us an update.

[pharvey]

The list goes on. I'm sure Pharvey will give us an update.

Nervous to do it after my previous post!

Just been watching on the BBC myself, quite something. I'm stuffed work-wise as pretty much all international travel has been banned).

So many knock-on effects from the PM's comments - a typical one being: -

"Gareth Bentham, a joint pub landlord in Altrincham, said Boris Johnson’s decision to urge people to avoid pubs means he and thousands of other landlords won’t be able to claim for the coronavirus outbreak on business interruption insurance. Speaking from the Old Roebuck pub, he told the Guardian:

Because the prime minister is just advising the public not to go to pubs and restaurants, our insurance won’t cover us. If he had said that we cannot open, then we would have been able to claim. But this has left us in limbo and struggling to cover our costs and overheads without any insurance cover. It is not good enough."

Suitable (and I believe reliable) summary here: - https://www.theguardian.com/politics/li ... 564ad853cb

[ahandpatsy]

The list goes on. I'm sure Pharvey will give us an update.

Nervous to do it after my previous post!

Just been watching on the BBC myself, quite something. I'm stuffed work-wise as pretty much all international travel has been banned).

So many knock-on effects from the PM's comments - a typical one being: -

"Gareth Bentham, a joint pub landlord in Altrincham, said Boris Johnson’s decision to urge people to avoid pubs means he and thousands of other landlords won’t be able to claim for the coronavirus outbreak on business interruption insurance. Speaking from the Old Roebuck pub, he told the Guardian:

Because the prime minister is just advising the public not to go to pubs and restaurants, our insurance won’t cover us. If he had said that we cannot open, then we would have been able to claim. But this has left us in limbo and struggling to cover our costs and overheads without any insurance cover. It is not good enough."

Suitable (and I believe reliable) summary here: - https://www.theguardian.com/politics/li ... 564ad853cb

With respect international travel. I note Eva have cancelled and europe and america is no go. But i cannot see anything specific about thailand cancellations. My flight is 2 weeks away and i am not hopeful. But i have not seen evidence about specific airlines cancelling thai flight's. Apart from eva if course. Im guessing airports will shut first in uk. Am i missing something my flights are turkish and qatar. Keep safe everyone. I have had the test and its not pleasant. Bendy stick up the nose. Done at doorstep by suited nhs official. My neighbours think i am leper.....

[PeteC]

Apologies if repeating....

Any word on Thai Government closing the bars and if so how long? I guess it would be indefinitely

And where? Everywhere or just major population centres?

Thanks

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk

It's set to be discussed in committee tomorrow so I would say a few days before we know anything firm.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... b-outbreak

Hey Pete C,

Been out golfing all day, any bar closure decisions today? Thanks

Ps my taxi driver lady said she thought she heard Songkran holiday was cancelled?
?

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk

Nothing published officially yet. Read the forum later today and there may be something. Be sure to read the below thread as well as much of this new information is deemed to be "Precautionary" and subsequently in that thread.

viewtopic.php?f=24&t=38929

[PeteC]

33 new infections as Songkran postponed

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... -postponed


Songkran holidays and celebrations will be postponed until further notice as the number of cases continued to rise by 33 to 147.

April 13-15 are no longer official holidays this year, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said during a briefing on Monday afternoon.

New dates will be later announced well in advance later for the long holiday, he said.

Some public places and events will be temporarily closed, especially those that involve talks and crowded gatherings such as universities or schools, theatres or stadiums for some sports.

At the briefing, public health officials reported 33 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 147, compared to 114 on Sunday.

Of the total, 108 remained hospitalised, 36 were discharged and one died.

Sixteen of the new cases had come into contact with confirmed patients and 17 were new confirmed cases from abroad or those who worked closely with foreigners.

Officials insisted Thailand remains in the second stage — limited local transmission that can be traced back to the sources, making control manageable. The third stage involves community transmission.

Mr Wissanu said the government was preparing to cope with Stage 3.

In terms of medical care, more beds will be provided. Doctors and nurses, both retired and active, from the public and private sectors, as well as volunteers with medical knowledge will be contacted in case of emergency. Compensation for medical workers will be approved.

For medical gear, the local production of face masks is being ramped up close to 2 million pieces. Besides, according to the Foreign Ministry, some countries are willing to help provide more as needed. Hand sanitiser production will also be increased to meet the demand.

Mr Wissanu added over past few months, millions of overpriced and smuggled face masks were seized and they could be added to the stock without damaging the cases.

There are also countries ready to help Thailand with medicine and medical equipment, said Mr Wissanu.

In terms of information, some 1,000 people called or complained to the Covid-19 hotline daily and their questions or concerns were being sent to related agencies.

He insisted the cancellations of visa on arrival for some countries did not affect foreign relations.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha also wants to set up “Team Thailand” in each country led by Thai ambassadors to coordinate help for affected Thais abroad and report the situations to the government.

For preventive measures, the deputy prime minister said strictest measures had already been applied to risk places — China, South Korea, Iran, Italy, Hong Kong and Macau.

For countries not at risk, the situation will be evaluated daily, but overall measures will be strict including ticketing. Checkup certificates not less than three days old is required. A visitor must have a health insurance policy and agree to install an application for monitoring purposes on their cell phones.

He did not mention the names of the apps but Digital Economy Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta said on Thursday the government had launched "AOT Airports" so officials can reach visitors in case of emergency and "SydeKick for ThaiFightCOVID" for those in quarantine and Thai workers from risk places to keep track of them. He said the stored information would be deleted every 14 days.

“The danger from Covid-19 is the nation’s priority,” Mr Wissanu said. “The economic damage is secondary. We need to make people’s lives the priority. We can try to cope with the damage to tourism and industries later when the situation eases.”

Thailand on Sunday reported its previous biggest daily spike in cases of the disease, a jump of 32, amid fears the kingdom is on the cusp of a larger outbreak. Many others were being tested for suspected infections.

[pharvey]

With respect international travel. I note Eva have cancelled and europe and america is no go. But i cannot see anything specific about thailand cancellations. My flight is 2 weeks away and i am not hopeful. But i have not seen evidence about specific airlines cancelling thai flight's. Apart from eva if course. Im guessing airports will shut first in uk. Am i missing something my flights are turkish and qatar. Keep safe everyone. I have had the test and its not pleasant. Bendy stick up the nose. Done at doorstep by suited nhs official. My neighbours think i am leper.....

This may be of some use - continually updated.

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2020 ... o-warnings

[PeteC]

International travellers to Beijing to pay for quarantine

https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/18801 ... quarantine

International travellers landing in Beijing will be quarantined for 14 days at their own expense, authorities in the Chinese capital announced on Sunday, as governments around the world introduced new restrictions to contain a coronavirus pandemic.

From Monday, everybody entering Beijing from outside the country will be transferred to a central isolation facility for 14 days of observation, Chen Bei, deputy secretary general of the Beijing municipal government, said, as the country scrambles to prevent more imported cases.

"Some people were asymptomatic when they arrived in Beijing but were confirmed [with the coronavirus] several days later when symptoms showed," the Beijing News quoted Chen as saying.

State broadcaster CCTV reported: "From now on, all inbound flights will stop at the T3-D processing area at Beijing Capital International Airport for ... screening and scientific treatment."

Medical staff at the facility would monitor the health of the passengers, who would have to pay for the quarantine, Chinese media reported, without specifying the cost.

Passengers would be punished for not disclosing information or for making false statements.

The order overrides a rule that was set to come into effect on Wednesday in which international travellers would have to isolate themselves for 14 days.

Under the new measures, self-isolation will be granted only under special circumstances.

As cases in China continued to fall on Sunday, the country reported 16 new imported cases of the coronavirus, five of them in Beijing, taking the total to 111, the National Health Commission said.

The fresh imported cases accounted for the bulk of the 20 new confirmed infections throughout the country.

In all, 3,199 people have died in China from Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, with more than 80,000 infected.

In Beijing, 49-year-old mother Liu Ye said she was worried about her daughter who was studying at a university in Birmingham.

Liu said she was considering chartering a flight with other parents to fly their children back from Britain.

"I don't care whether the quarantine is at home or a central facility, I'm worried about whether we can get a flight, and persuade my daughter to come back. She thinks things are OK there," she said.

Liu said it cost about 2 million yuan (9 million baht) to charter a 60-seat plane, costing each passenger about 35,000 yuan.

Zheng Zining, a 30-year-old writer based in Shenzhen, cancelled his flight back to Shanghai from New Zealand on Sunday when he heard about Beijing's quarantine measures.

Zheng has been in New Zealand for two months and said he was concerned that rules would be applied nationwide.

"My plans are always being changed. I miss my hometown in Jiangsu. But I'm lucky compared to others stranded here because I'm a New Zealand citizen."

Beijing's announcement came a day after New Zealand - which has reported six cases of the coronavirus - said that almost everybody entering the country - including returning citizens - must isolate themselves for 14 days.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said exemptions would be granted to people from small Pacific islands with no confirmed virus cases.

"I make no apologies. This is an unprecedented time," Ardern said, describing the new rules as the strictest in the world.

In Australia, incoming passengers would be subjected to similar restrictions and face hefty fines if they did not follow the new rules, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday, adding that the new requirements would apply from midnight.

"All people coming to Australia will be required, I stress, to self isolate for 14 days," Morrison said in Sydney.

Singapore is also barring travellers from stopping or transiting in Singapore if they have been to France, Germany, Italy or Spain in the last 14 days.

Singapore residents and long-term pass holders who have been to those countries in that time will issued a stay-home notice, ordering them to remain at their residence at all times for 14 days after returning to Singapore.

[pharvey]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-51235105

[HHTel]

Out of the 15 cases, most have recovered and we should be down to zero in a couple of days.

That statement will haunt a certain individual for a long time. Hard to believe that was less than 3 weeks ago!

[sateeb]

Out of the 15 cases, most have recovered and we should be down to zero in a couple of days.
That statement will haunt a certain individual for a long time. Hard to believe that was less than 3 weeks ago!
Top



Yep..That will jump ahead of his "It has not been easy for me... My father gave me a small loan of a million dollars."