anddy

haha yes they have... hopefully Thailand will follow suit soon. They are all countries sharing the importance of tourism for their economies. Though Thailand has a more global reach than Italy and Greece, which draw mostly on fellow European travelers, so that makes it a bit more difficult I guess

the Baltic countries have actually implemented one already, being the first.

fingers, legs and everything else crossed!

I have read about that, but I wonder how they actually do that in practice. Flight arrivals, ok, easy. But road traffic? Do they have road blocks on ALL roads into the province, basically arresting (well sending them into quarantine) people there? Can't really imagine that.... The weekend before last, domestic travel restrictions were ostensibly still in place, i.e. no are extremely limited inter-provincial buses etc. However, road travel was completely normal. I had rented a car and went to Kanchanaburi with a friend. Completely normal trip. The only thing was indeed a check point upon entering Kanchanaburi (but not any of the intervening provinces, go figure) where they simply checked all passengers' temperatures and that was it. If there were a mandatory quarantine like in Chiang Mai, they would have to stop ALL traffic at such check points and deal with the people accordingly. Hard to imagine.... I will ask ask a guy living in my building who just went off to CM on a road trip with his motorbike when he returns what the deal was.

I agree, I kinda doubt it will be "real" Songkran including water, because it's time has passed and not sure people would be in the mood for it. You can't move Christmas or Easter of NYE, either. And Songkran is an equivalent to NY. Water fights would also not so much be among the people, but more like the Heavens vs the people with ample water pouring from above LOL. So that solves question 2, and even IF there were to be a belated Songkran, given the lack tourists and hot weather and rain to boot, it would be, as it were, a watered down version without constant water throwing throughout the city making it impossible to stay dry when out and about. So I'd just stay and celebrate with the guys in Soi 4. I couldn't seek foreign refuge anyway with the travel restrictions.

since you mention popular destinations for Thais, I just read a day or two ago (probably in the BKK Post) that Japan is considering to open for visitors from select countries, including Thailand, Vietnam and a couple of others I don't remember. In general you are definitely right, the whole thing will be a slow and difficult process. Exactly. My main concern with traveling abroad is getting stuck there. The epidemic might flare up very quickly in that country, in the country I came from (in my case Thailand) or others and prompt Thailand or the country I happen to be in to shut their borders again. That could happen rather quickly. Then what? This year there is no such thing as certain planning, everything is on a wait and see basis. Not good for us as individuals and not good for tourism in general

Which is essentially the same. Until the world has been vaccinated, all countries will be afraid of everyone else, do varying degrees depending on their virus suppression success. As long as that's the case, all those QR code check-in requirements will most likely remain on place. So they may not be afraid of you (or people coming here from your country) and let you in without quarantine and such, but will still require using the QR code. If you want to avoid that, that's why you may have to wait until world vaccination.

ah, maybe shouldn't use the word "forced", sounds too harsh. Could also be "feel compelled to use" or even "choose to use" to avail himself to the pleasures beyond the check-in point. I said "forced" more to highlight the contrast to your general unwillingness to use a phone here . That "forcing" would be entirely of your own choosing, and by the same token you may as well decide to stay away until the majority of the global population has been vaccinated. Sadly, that would "force" us here to wait for you so much longer

As for the "complete end to the lockdown" from July 1st: That apparently will indeed include bars and such (with whatever hygiene and distancing measures [but wait, distancing in a sauna? Sounds like an oxymoron LOL]), BUT it does NOT mean international tourists and even visa holders will be allowed back in. Sorry to say, but there are no announcements to that effect at the moment. To the contrary, the so-called re-opening of the borders makes it virtually impossible for anyone to come: https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2020/05/25/new-normal-access-to-thailand-even-after-flights-resume-if-virus-persists/

The app thing is extremely easy. There is a QT code at the entrance of a participating establishment, you scan it with your phone (I just use the QR scanner in LINE which is readily available on the top of the list of chats), click on the link that pops up and there click on "check in upon entering and on "check out" upon leaving. Only the very first time using it do you have to manually enter your phone number into the system. So with the check in/out they can contact you by SMS if there was a person who subsequently tested positive for Coronavirus at the same time as you. Of course one could enter a fake number, but who really wants that? I'd rather be contacted if there was a virus-positive person there when I was. As for "participating establishment": massage shops, bars, saunas and such may or may not participate. At the moment this whole thing is mostly used by malls and department stores, and even there in an inconsistent way. I haven't seen it at any restaurants really, with one exception being today a restaurant in Kanchanaburi. So it is not everywhere, who participates and who doesn't (and who is actually required to in order to be allowed to open at all) is, needless to say, impossible to figure out. After all, TiT. I wouldn't worry about that at all. Besides, I couldn't care less if they know that I visited a sauna, for example. But then I don't have a wife I secretly cheat on with boys LOL EDIT: if gogo bars were to participate in the app, and it's use drags on well into 2021 even after tourism has reopened, then even @vinapu would be forced to get and use a smartphone in Thailand, or else be shut out of the bars. Alternative would be to stay away even longer. Your choice! But that's still guessing a bit too much about the future, so let's follow this year's overarching motto on this: wait and see. Just wanted to point out this rather shocking possibility!

The declining numbers and finally the long awaited ZERO today bode well for the next phase of relaxation due May 17. Hopefully they will also lift the curfew in 17th, eludes me what purpose it could serve any longer. My take is it's a measure that sounds nice and restrictive and therefore good to a military regime... We shall see.

The news is good, but the headline is wrong, Remdesivir is not a vaccine, and there is no discussion about a vaccine to be provided in the article at all. Does CNBC not understand the difference one wonders? Hardly possible nowadays.... Sloppy journalism. ok ok, * nerdy hairsplitter mode off *

they will be better. Thai people don't just chat up random strangers in a mall or store like walmart or a supermaket. Not in normal times and not now. Speaking of supermarkets: it eludes me what the difference is between a supermarket and other shops in a mall. I know supermarket is essential for food, but are also obliged to (and comply with) social distancing measures, many/most have a temperature check at the entrance (incl 7/11) and compulsory masks needless to say. The same can be done throughout a mall. Easy.

you are certainly right, you can't possibly go now and presumably for a while with such restrictions and quarantines probably being with us for a while as @spoon points out. Knowing you I am well aware that you'd rather be here and help with your expenditures, but your post could have been interpreted a bit differently, so I thought I make the point

don't take "state facility" at face value, those don't need to be bad at all. In Bangkok they tend to be Hotels repurposed as government quarantine facilities. I have seen Rattanakosin Hotel and Elegance Hotel mentioned as such, Ambassador supposedly too.

The captions in some of the pictures in the compilation say "Model Eakachai"

Well don't be too surprised and don't ask too much what makes sense or not. They only recently closed the beaches in Pattaya and I just read in the Bangkok Post today they arrested 3 Russians for swimming in the ocean behind a hotel there. Now what is the risk of infection on a BEACH? Close to zero I'd venture to say, but they just want to prevent ANY kind of gathering and sometimes overshoot I guess. The same goes for shopping malls, the are IDEAL for social distancing, yet haven't been opnned in the first step. It is what it is, and I agree with you and @DivineMadman that on the whole things are progressing quite OK. Understandable, but on the other hand they need your/our/everyone's business now more than ever, the sooner the better. I certainly plan to have massages much more frequently than I used to.

here is some follow up report on my online 90 day reporting luck: 1. when asking about online 90 day reporting at Immigration Chaengwattana I was told "yes can do online, but furst oine have to do in person". Hmm kinda expected but wouldn't hurt to try anyway. 2. So I tried, and my original question posted above about the visa dates proved to be obsolete. When clicking "Non-IMM" for Type of Visa, the visa issue/exp date fields disappear and instead I only had to give the "permitted to stay" date, so very easy. 3. Filling out the form went completely smoothly and in the end I could successfully submit it. It was then shown as "pending", as it should be. This was Saturday. 4. Today, Tuesday morning at 9am already got the email that the "Notification 90 days" had been approved. The status in the system thus also showed "approved" and I could download the pdf-receipt (complete with reference number and bar code) in case I ever need that. Bottom line: very very easy, smooth and quick. What a pleasant surprise A couple of other bureaucratic hurdles thrown my way in the visa extension process were also surprises, though unpleasant ones, but not exceeding mild inconveniences and another completely pointless and wasteful extra expenditure of 6000 baht for an equally pointless, non-sensical (reason: coz I had a Non-OA YEARS ago, had I had a Non_O no such requirement, even though the annual extension based on retirement is EXACTLY the same, what does have the visa history have to do with anything NOW? TiT) and unnecessary health insurance (I already have unlimited overage from my home country, so a total waste). Luckily, I found this insurance company that, obviously knowing of this uselessness given home coverage, offers a plans with either 100k or 200k deductible, making them rather cheap at 6k with the 200k deductible. All other companies were in the range of 35k to over 50k!!! And that for a paltry 400k inpatient / 100k outpatient coverage. Interesting side note: when complaining (very politely and always smiling through the face mask) to the senior Immi officer about this not making sense, she said don't worry, next year simply go out of the country, get a Non-O visa from a Thai embassy and then do your annual retirement extensions as per usual but with no insurance requirement. TiT! Second hudle: got the insurance rather quickly and was back at Immi 2 or 3 days later to get the extension. Oh, she said, the insurance only starts on 7.May (which was about 2 weeks from that day), so I cannot issue the extension today. Have to come back on 7, or after (wouldn't be an overstay due to Covid amnesty). When coming after, the extension will only be for that same day in 2021, the validity of the insurance. I had picked that date because it was the expiration of my current extension. Makes sense right? But why she couldn't issue an extension, which would be issued late April, yes, but only be effective from May 7 until May 7 2021 (like every year so far, issued a week or two before May 7th, but always effective from May 7 to may 7) totally eludes me.... TiT

no reason that would make much sense, but sense is not a requirement here. The original ban was not from 2-5 (of May) but over Songkran, which did make some sense. But then they decided to extend it, and after the extension was due to expire extended it again until May 31st, before making another of their now (in)famous u-turns and allowing it. The original rationale was supposedly to prevent illegal nightly drinking parties. Well not they had dense crowds seizing the newly available beer at the shops, there are some vids on the net showing social distancing at its best! TiT, again. Here is an example:

nothing to do with bars, people just want to have their beers at home. Or wine for farangs ;-)

no up- or downgrade at all, still the same cute face

DM's explanation may have some truth to it, resurrecting whatever framework for (dis-)allowing incoming flights. However, it seems so incredibly arbitrary (Laos has 19 reported cases, Cambodia 122 and Myanmar 132), Singapore more than 10k and a very high per capita rate), that it looks like something else. As it happens, 4 out of the 5 countries have a land border with Thailand, so seems they put the cart before the horse and actually wanted to keep those borders shut and just invented this "high risk" thing as an excuse, throwing Indonesia in for good measure and to make it look less obvious. Who knows.... Making sense it not a strength of Thai governments, rules and regulations, that's nothing new.

exactly, there is a sliding scale, and that's because (a) nobody has ever tried this whole virus containment thing on this scale before and (b) there are vastly different cultures to contend with. In Sweden with a highly educated population with a high sense of responsibility and mutual trust (both among the people and between people and government) you can do (or try) that way. In other countries (notably Thailand), you can not. They know their habits and that allowing alcohol may and will lead to lots of unwanted parties = potential virus spreading. so, as @traveller123 said, there is logic. Your assessment of "vindictive" seems a very subjective, western view.

yes, more or less. Having said that, the reported new cases may be somewhat understated relative to real cases due to a lack of testing. Presumably more tests = more cases. At the same time, IF there were a much larger number of cases, there would be many many more hospital cases and reports of potentially overwhelmed hospitals. There are no such reports. You think they can control all those news flows so carefully so as to retain a good image? With their chaotic history in managing this crisis that seems unlikely. Besides, higher numbers would justify keeping the strict lockdown measures in place even more than the current falling numbers. So why wouldn't they report higher numbers if they had them? Do you believe the numbers being reported in the US? They are equally false in that there is a lack of testing. REAL numbers at this stage NEVER reflect the actual numbers of infections. I see no reason why the numbers being reported aren't the numbers they gest from the (limited) testing, anywhere, Thailand, US or elsewhere.

yup, and the number of recovered patients is now larger than the number of hospitalized ones. The number of new recoveries is outstripping the new reported infections and, assuming the new cases remain on their declining trend, will continue to do so. Given new infection numbers from about 2+ weeks ago we should expect around 100 new daily recoveries in the coming week or two, leading to further declines in active cases. Fingers crossed!