Covid-19 News & Updates

[HHTel]

It's just committee stage. When it appears in The Royal Gazette we can celebrate.

[Big Boy]

Next brief Monday 8th

[Big Boy]

It's just committee stage. When it appears in The Royal Gazette we can celebrate.

Yes, but at least its on the agenda. You don't win the lottery if you don't buy a ticket.

[PeteC]

The John Hopkins graphs. Look at the daily cases at bottom right.

Many in the world are getting a false sense of security IMO. Yesterday I had to reinforce everything with the wife and daughter who seem to be getting lazy concerning their preventative measures and awareness.

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

[HHTel]

Pete, you're looking at graphs that are a consolidation of the world. Yes there are countries that are a long way behind and are still rising. Brazil for example.
Worldometers show better stats. If you look at the graph for new daily cases, it mirrors the graph on the John Hopkins site, around 130,000 worldwide. However if you look at those same graphs individually by country, you will find many of the heavily infected countries are 'over the curve' with quite a few way past the curve. Thailand of course is one, Spain has come down from over 8,000 daily to a couple of hundred. Italy and Germany show similar graphs. Of course there are many others.

You can't take the world situation and apply it to one country. The spread (or not), daily infections and deaths are not the same in countries across the globe.

[PeteC]

Who is taking the world situation and applying it to one country? I'm quite aware of what I'm looking at.

What I am seeing is that on this planet cases are still increasing, and until that curve levels and decreases this disease without a vaccine still has potential to cause a lot of damage, everywhere.

My main point is that people are getting lazy and beginning to forget precautionary measures. Masks, hand washing, distancing. If I notice the focus is not there as it once was in my small family, you can bet the ranch focus is waning everywhere in countries that think the disease is beaten.

I hope the disease doesn't re-establish itself in places that have shown improvement, but at present there is no guarantee that it won't.

[Big Boy]

My main point is that people are getting lazy and beginning to forget precautionary measures. Masks, hand washing, distancing. If I notice the focus is not there as it once was in my small family, you can bet the ranch focus is waning everywhere in countries that think the disease is beaten.

You are 200% correct in your observations Pete. I go on my daily walk, I rarely see anybody else wearing a mask. I go to the shops, last week it was funny seeing a Farang basically close his eyes and run through the Thai Chana controls, 'not seeing it'. Today people were just refusing to check in, and the enforcer was letting them pass. Shop staff are becoming lax in wearing of masks - a week ago it was rare, today, I spotted about every other one either not wearing or wearing incorrectly. Thailand as a nation seems feel they are Teflon coated.

[HHTel]

I do agree that personal preventative measures have gone by the board recently. However, they were never strictly adhered to. Social distancing has been a joke.
In spite of that, there have been no reported 'home grown' infections for almost 2 weeks. I know that many believe the figures should be higher with no testing for asymptomatic cases. (out of the 17 recently found in state quarantine, most of them were asymptomatic). 9 provinces (I think) have never reported an infection. If the virus was rife in this country, there is no evidence of it. Thailand has been very lucky and the main prevention was stopping it at the border.
1. Stop the virus being imported.
2. Control the virus within the country.

There are some 15 countries that currently have no active cases and around a dozen countries that have never reported a single infection.

Some countries have been hit very hard and even those are gradually getting on top of it. There are others that still have some way to go. Thailand has been very lucky but I doubt that it's much to do with personal prevention. Let's not go overboard over a problem that doesn't appear that serious.

KEEP THE BORDERS CLOSED UNTIL IT'S BEEN CONTROLLED IN THE REST OF THE WORLD.

A point on the laziness. I've noticed over the last couple of days my local 7/11 have given up completely on doorstep checks. I was told that all these sheets of phone numbers designed to track and trace, have never been collected by anyone. BB has stated that he has friends in other parts of the country that are openly having a drink in restaurants. There are a number of bars in Hua Hin that are being attended 'via the back door'.

Maybe there will be a second wave and also a 'maybe' that the virus will go the same way as SARS which mysteriously disappeared. EBOLA which raises it's head from time to time but until December 2019 there was no vaccine.

I'm a born optimist.

[PeteC]

Like many on here I've got more days behind me than I have in front of me, and I really detest having to live my life in a bubble like we are now. Yes, I could go back and see my other kids and grandkids in the USA, but then I couldn't get back in here for god knows how long.

Unfortunately if people don't keep up with the recommended prevention steps I don't see how this disease won't come back, until a vaccine is developed.

It's very distressing and frustrating to see people, apparently of very low mentality, thinking only of themselves and flaunting precautions because it's "not convenient" for them.

[HHTel]

It's very distressing and frustrating to see people, apparently of very low mentality, thinking only of themselves and flaunting precautions because it's "not convenient" for them.

I see so much wrong with that sentence.

However, actions should be taken as appropriate. If we were in the US, strong and enforced precautions should be taken until such time that they can truly say it's under control. But we're not in the US.

Another 2 infections today, both from state quarantine maintaining that 'net-zero'.

Thailand has had some of the severest lock down rules of any country, but even the authorities are beginning to accept that 'enough is enough' and ending the State of Emergency at the end of this month along with almost all of the restrictions we've had to live under.

[sateeb]

It's very distressing and frustrating to see people, apparently of very low mentality, thinking only of themselves and flaunting precautions because it's "not convenient" for them.

You can't say things like that about Mr Trump

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[HHTel]

Just to add another couple of figures to the stats.

The last 'home grown' infection was on May 25th and that was the spouse of an existing infection. That was 12 days ago.
Since then there has been 61 reported infections, ALL taken from state quarantine. That should highlight where the restrictions should be maintained.
There are 75 active cases reported. If you take the 61 found in quarantine, that leaves only 14 cases across the whole of Thailand.

I know myself and BB have commented. However, I'll throw the question out to the forum. Does anyone know of someone having COVID or do you know someone who in turn knows of a case?
Just curious.

Yes, I know there will be some out there that say the figures are BS but let's leave that aside for the moment.

[sateeb]

No and No

[Nereus]

A walk in the park? Just sign here...

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... sign-here-

Visitors to national parks must now make reservations before entering, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment says.

Parks are expected to be opened before the end of the month but visitors who usually can just walk in, must now register.

"Online reservations will be required for health reasons," Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa said.

The government's Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) is expected to lift many remaining lockdown measures next Friday.

All Covid-19 vulnerable sites including concert events, pubs and karaoke shops, massage parlours, amusement parks and national parks are expected to be reopened.

Mr Varawut said the same restrictions need to be in place at parks to help visitors to follow social distancing policies.

"By next week, we are going to have an announcement of what visitors should do and should not do while visiting the parks," he said.

"One of the certain measures is that visitors must make a reservation first. They cannot just walk in."

He said the Department of National Parks (DNP) will use a sophisticated reservation system to control the number of park visitors.

He said national parks have high visitor rates, citing the number of people at Doi Inthanon National Park in Chiang Mai province on 30 Dec 2018 as being recorded at 20,469, according to DNP figures.

Apart of introducing the reservation policy, the minister said the DNP must require visitors to check in via the "Thai Chana" mobile application.

"I understand that there will be problem at the early stage of implementation so we are going to have a hotline to provide help and information for those who are in need," he said.

He said the reservation and check-in system is likely to be implemented until the Covid-19 pandemic is under control.

However, Mr Varawut said the DNP will consider using both measures in the long run in a bid to keep the number of park visitors at an optimal level, so the ecological system will not be strained.

He said the two-month lockdown during the Covid-19 crisis has allowed time for ecology in national parks to recover. The ministry is also considering new land zoning plans for national parks. Each national park will have zoning regulations based on public accessibility.

[HHTel]

The government's Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) is expected to lift many remaining lockdown measures next Friday.

All Covid-19 vulnerable sites including concert events, pubs and karaoke shops, massage parlours, amusement parks and national parks are expected to be reopened.

Wow. I thought that was penciled in for July 1st. Must have had a rethink "With such low numbers, why wait? Let's do it now and we can be popular!"

I'm chalking my pool cue as I speak!