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

[PeteC]

The number in Thailand is still very small from what we're told. It doesn't make sense unless she came in contact somewhere during the trip back with someone who has tested positive. Of course, we know how arbitrary and knee jerk this place can be. If you find out the reason let us know.

[J.J.B.]

An interesting (lengthy) read here, with a theory that Thailand and others learned from the SARS outbreak. I’m just not sure they have any clue how many cases they have or whether they can accurately test for it.

https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronav ... d3d9cd99ca

[Bamboo Grove]

If you find out the reason let us know

She said that the university has a policy that everyone who's been abroad must go for self-isolation for 14 days.

[stretch]

Do not believe the figures the thais . give same as the tourist figures.Has anyone read what the idiot health ministers latest outburst just about sums up the new attitudes towards westerners he must be counting hes bank account from china.

[dtaai-maai]

An interesting (lengthy) read here, with a theory that Thailand and others learned from the SARS outbreak. I’m just not sure they have any clue how many cases they have or whether they can accurately test for it.

https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronav ... d3d9cd99ca

Yes, very interesting. I have to confess that until quite recently I haven't really been taking all of this terribly seriously, but the exponential explosion in the numbers has driven it home.

It has always been quite obvious that the 'number of cases' stat has always been useless, as no country could possibly have any idea (beyond a guess) of how many of its citizens had the virus. Even the deaths figure has to be open to question to some degree, as it is usually underlying problems that are the direct cause. It's even more difficult to believe that Thailand has learned anything from SARS and, more particularly, that it is acting on the basis of what it has learned.

Back in the UK, I experienced my first incidence of social distancing yesterday when visiting a friend in her 60s and her 93-year-old mother. No kissing, which for a bunch of luvvies is a big ask. 'Mother' wanted to try an elbow bump, but I didn't want to risk breaking her arm... They have just cancelled a trip to the UAE to visit their son/grandson.

The fact remains that I still don't know anyone who knows anyone who has contracted Corvid19, and in Thailand we haven't seen anyone on the forum reporting a case involving a friend or relative. Long may that continue, but it is surely only a matter of time.

I'm rehearsing for a play due to open on 7 May. Will it have to be cancelled? Quite possibly. Should we be continuing rehearsals? Yes, for the time being at least.

The recent advice from the (British) government has sounded quite logical, but this article and an interview with a South African Oxford 'professor of globalisation' on BBC HardTalk this morning have made me wonder whether we shouldn't be doing more.

[EDIT: I should add that although at 63 I don't consider myself 'elderly', I have more underlying medical problems than you can shake a stick at, so I have a vested interest!]

[HHTel]

My daughter, who is an HR Director, needs to travel all over the country as part of her job. She's had to curtail that. Her biggest complaint currently, is that half of her staff are 'self quarantining' for 14 days on full pay. It seems that anyone that feels they have a cough, takes a 2 week holiday!

A case was confirmed in NatWest bank on the same road where she lives. That's the closest she's been to the virus. Her words: "It's like waiting for a zombie apocalypse to arrive!"

She's due to visit here at the beginning of May. She's more concerned that if the flights are restricted by then, she'll lose the price of the ticket and airport car parking. All paid up front.

She was only bragging recently about how cheap her ticket was because of the situation..... som nom na!

[sateeb]

Do not believe the figures the thais . give same as the tourist figures.Has anyone read what the idiot health ministers latest outburst just about sums up the new attitudes towards westerners he must be counting hes bank account from china.

No, I have not heard the latest outburst from the Health Minister, would you care to share it with us with a link?

I am still convinced that the weather is a factor and with temps. here now up in the mid to late 30's I think the numbers infected will remain relatively low as shown.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

Thailand 41st with 5 new cases and 1 death. With an infection rate of 1.1 per 1 mill of the population.

Europe needs a hot snap and soon.

[Dannie Boy]

I’m due to fly to the UK with my wife at the beginning of May so have similar concerns regarding travelling and whether or not any restrictions will be in place by then - nothing much we can do other than sit and wait!!

[HHTel]

Thailand's Minister of Public Health and Deputy Prime Minister has taken to social media in a savage attack on Westerners.

Many will see his aggressive words on Twitter as a racist assault on legitimate visitors to his country, notes Thaivisa.

He called "farangs" dirty people who don't shower.

He blamed them for fleeing Europe and coming to Thailand potentially spreading the Covid-19 virus.

He advised his countryfolk to avoid them especially as "not a single one was wearing a mask" on a trip he made to Chiang Mai.

Last month, Anutin ranted against a foreigner who wouldn't accept his offer of a free mask in Bangkok.

Now via his Twitter account - Anutin_C - not just renewed his attack on Westerners but gone much, much further.

Thai Rath in their headline referred to this as "Sia Noo's comeback". Sia Noo is the minister's nickname.

He said on Twitter that he had been to Chiang Mai and found there to be virtually no Chinese tourists, just farangs. He said that 90% of Thais in the northern city were wearing masks but not a single "farang" was wearing one.

This is why "their" countries are so badly affected by coronavirus, he claimed.

He advised that Thais should be more wary of Westerners than Asians.

He continued his rant by saying that it is cold in Europe and this is affecting the spread of the virus.

Referring to Westerners with the dismissive term "phuak nee" (this lot) he said that they were fleeing the virus and the cold and coming to Thailand.

Many are shabbily dressed, he said, and they don't take showers.

"We must be careful about them," he said, suggesting that the Westerners had closed off their countries and were avoiding each other.

He also referred to his words last month in condemning foreigners implying that his comments had come home to roost.

Source: Thai Rath

This same idiot, after ranting about a foreigner refusing a mask, then backtracked recently saying, quite correctly, that you don't need a mask unless you're sick!

How on earth do people like this finish up in government.

[sateeb]

How on earth do people like this finish up in government.


Cronyism and nepotism probably. When I taught English for a while at a good government school in Khon Kaen a few years back I found that, on the whole, the boys in the class were amongst the most lazy, self entitled bunch of Juan Kerrs I have come across, and these were sons of high ranking Police, Army and Government workers. There was no incentive to study hard as they were already guaranteed mid level entry jobs after graduation.

[HHTel]

I remember sitting on a panel at university interviewing candidates for the 'English Program'. I remember one particular individual who couldn't carry on the simplest of conversations. "Good Afternoon' was completely over his head. When I was asked for my opinion I replied:

"Sorry. The guy has zero knowledge of English."

"But we have to accept him."

"Why?"

"Because he's from a good family!"

At that point I excused myself and went home. I was superfluous to requirements.

[caller]

I am still convinced that the weather is a factor and with temps. here now up in the mid to late 30's I think the numbers infected will remain relatively low as shown.

There is some evidential data to back that up now. I was reading about it in one or other UK papers yesterday. The virus has a fatty outer coating which gets broken up by heat meaning it can't survive long when exposed to air. It seems there was an anticipation that after Wuhan, Bangkok, because of Thailands policies, would explode. Now, whilst I don't believe that Thailand has a clue what the scores on the doors actually is, and other deaths might be recorded as something other than the virus, I accept there hasn't been a Wuhan like scenario here, as apparently anticipated. It's seems a temperate climate between the 30th & 50th parallels is the perfect breeding ground, so that's Europe and much of the USA. I'm not going to look it up, and some of the above may be in error, but I think the research was from the Uni of Maryland??

[PeteC]

The story from Khaosod about Minister Big Mouth.

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/202 ... -thailand/

[Zidane]

Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia are year round hot countries and the virus has never really exploded in these places as yet.
On the other hand China, Korea, Japan, Iran, Europe, UK and parts of the USA are cold from January to March.
The virus is here in Thailand for sure but just may be the heat is reducing it's potency.

[PeteC]

Somewhere amongst all these articles is the theory that the virus does not do well outside the body in hot climates. In other words, it lasts only a very short time on surfaces, whereas some experts say it lasts up to 9 days on surfaces in colder climates. Something to do with the fat on the surface of the individual virion.

I think this is almost more than a theory now and they are testing to prove it conclusively.

No difference once it's inside your body.