Covid-19 News & Updates

[Big Boy]

The detail still has to be published. There's a lot of negative chatter (understandably) on social media, but the honest answer to your question is nobody knows yet.

[hhinner]

It's the list of diseases, in the two sections, that you're not allowed to have that are having covid-19 added. Do you have to be tested for all the other illnesses in the list: syphilis, leprosy, elephantiasis, etc? I don't remember ever being tested for them for my annual extensions.

[HHTel]

I'm sure that 'foreigners' means 'western foreigners'.
Covid has been brought into Thailand by the Chinese, Burmese and even Thais. I don't think there's any cases that have been imported by 'farangs'.
All 'farangs' that have arrived during Covid have been tested before boarding a flight, then followed by stringent testing and quarantine on arrival in Thailand. Therefore anyone of that group that develops Covid has caught it locally in Thailand just as anyone else here. This is once again a blatant example of racism by singling out 'farangs' and creating yet another hoop to jump through and another revenue arm.

[Dannie Boy]

Nearly all the foreigners in Thailand have been stuck here way before the outbreak of Covid, so how could they be of greater risk than a local - as mentioned by others, it’s racism and simply a way of trying to extract money from us.

[hhinner]

I'm sure that 'foreigners' means 'western foreigners'.
Covid has been brought into Thailand by the Chinese, Burmese and even Thais. I don't think there's any cases that have been imported by 'farangs'.
All 'farangs' that have arrived during Covid have been tested before boarding a flight, then followed by stringent testing and quarantine on arrival in Thailand. Therefore anyone of that group that develops Covid has caught it locally in Thailand just as anyone else here. This is once again a blatant example of racism by singling out 'farangs' and creating yet another hoop to jump through and another revenue arm.

Are you saying that immigration law applies only to farangs? Do you think the list of diseases includes things like elephantiasis and leprosy because farangs used to be riddled with them? Rather than the masses of Burmese and Cambodians? Why are you sure it means western foreigners? When you renew your extension of stay do you need a medical certificate for all these diseases? (Maybe you do, I don't know). Do you think they'll treat Burmese labourers better than western foreigners?

[HHTel]

Firstly, no you don't need any medical certificates in any shape or form. Secondly, migrant workers from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos are an important part of the Thai economy. Only recently they have been offered 2 year work permits and health insurance for 7,200 baht including Covid, which also covers them for 2 years.

Does that answer your question regarding the treatment of 'farangs' vs migrant workers?

[dtaai-maai]

I'm not sure what the origin of the question is, but there may be some confusion between work permits and retirement or similar extensions. You need such a medical certificate (ludicrous as some of the diseases may be) to extend a work permit, at least you did as a teacher, though my last such extension was about 5 years ago.

[HHTel]

When you renew your extension of stay do you need a medical certificate for all these diseases?

I was directly answering the above question. I realise that work permits carry different rules. The point I was making was that migrant workers are treated differently to farangs, even for work permits.

[Big Boy]

I think the fact it is being talked about in the daily brief confirms who this is being aimed at. Thailand always drops a bombshell on Farangs around Christmas. OK, this one has been a slow burner, but must have entered the Royal Gazette very close to Christmas Day.

6,000฿ isn't going to break the bank, but my fear is a faulty test (read HHTel's story about his daughter). The fact Thais aren't being tested confirms to me it is a revenue collection exercise, so how many false results are going to hospitalise Farangs unnecessarily, and at what cost?

[hhinner]

Firstly, no you don't need any medical certificates in any shape or form. Secondly, migrant workers from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos are an important part of the Thai economy. Only recently they have been offered 2 year work permits and health insurance for 7,200 baht including Covid, which also covers them for 2 years.

Does that answer your question regarding the treatment of 'farangs' vs migrant workers?

No. Farangs get medical insurance when they work, as part of the social security scheme.

Considering the conditions the migrant workforce endures, both bureaucratically and in daily life, it's hardly valid to compare its treatment to that of the conditions required of western, and other, foreigners.

So why the big paranoia over a possible covid-19 test when it might just be a case of another communicable disease being added to an existing list?

[HHTel]

I agree. It was you that suggested that both farangs and migrant workers are treated the same and that the rules applied equally.

[hhinner]

I'd like to see a quote where I said that.

[buksida]

Its getting worse ...

Thailand adds 374 Covid cases Sunday, mostly in S.Sakhon
Thailand on Sunday recorded 374 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to date to 12,054. No new deaths were reported.

Of the 374 new cases, 321 -- including 311 foreign nationals -- were found by active case-finding, mostly in Samut Sakhon. A further 43 cases were local transmissions found via the normal health system, and 10 new patients were recent arrivals from abroad.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... -321-local

[Big Boy]

FFS Software to identify if a mask is being worn correctly. I'm overdue an eye operation, but even I can see if somebody not wearing their mask correctly

Today's Brief:

[Big Boy]

I've been holding back on today's brief waiting for the YouTube version because the Facebook version froze several times when watching. The YouTube version is taking a while to catch up. Therefore, here is the Facebook version, which may freeze. I will replace it with YouTube when/if it arrives.

Edit] Updated