Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Arriving in Chiang Mai? Prepare to be checked.

Anyone who has recently visited the new Covid-19 epicentre of Samut Sakhon and who arrives in Chiang Mai should prepare to be checked, according to health authorities. The efforts are underway to stop the virus from spreading and anyone who is suspected of being infected with Covid-19 or who has visited the central shrimp market in Samut Sakhon, must use the CM-Chana tracing application to check in upon arriving.
Dr. Kittipan Chalom, the Chiang Mai public health office chief’s assistant also adds that arrivals need to report to public health officers, undergo the RT-PCR covid test and enter a designated 14 day quarantine facility.
Kittipan says, however, it’s not just those who visited the shrimp market, as those arriving from other parts of Samut Sakhon also must check in on the CM-Chana app, but are not yet being required to submit to Covid testing.
For those arriving to Chiang Mai from other provinces, they must still check in on the app and monitor their health.
Despite the new precautions that were recently announced, Kittipan says visitors are still welcome for the New Year holiday and argues that Chiang Mai is free from Covid. But that hasn’t stopped people from rearranging or cancelling their travel plans as tourism businesses in Petchabun and Nakhon Ratchasima are experiencing a downturn after the virus scare.
Meanwhile, tourism businesses have taken a battering from the virus scare in Phetchabun and Nakhon Ratchasima.
Such popular resorts as the Phu Thap Boek, amongst others, are seeing cancellations after a woman tested positive for the virus after spending time at one of the resorts in the mountain-top area, which has drawn criticism by local communities.
Nakhon Ratchasima is seeing a 50% drop in resort and hotel bookings as well, with unfortunately no end in sight. Pongthep Malachasing, the president of the Wang Nam Khieo Tourism Promotion Association, a district in the province, says he feels sorry for such resort owners and estimates such cancellations being worth at least 200 million baht.
“Just when they thought they could shore up some of the lost revenue during the high tourism season, they found themselves encountering an unexpected crisis.”
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
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Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Chiang Mai night markets reopening tomorrow

Night markets in Chiang Mai will be reopened tomorrow after the province went 6 consecutive days with no new Covid-19 cases.
According to Chiang Mai Governor, Charoenrit Sanguansat, the province and the provincial disease control committee agreed to ease up restrictions on social and business activities after the number of infections continually dropped and no new infections were reported during the past week.
As a result, flea markets, night markets, and walking streets across the province will be reopened tomorrow onwards.
However, the governor still reiterates that marketplaces and visitors must follow the disease control measures strictly.
Since the start of the second wave of Covid-19 in mid-December, Chiang Mai has tightened restrictions to prevent the virus spread in the province, with the order to close all markets and social activities for 14 days on January 6.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
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Environment
Thailand on fire – NASA satellite website tracks the country’s farm fires

Thailand is burning. The burning off of harvested crop plantations is lighting up the agricultural areas. The truth is starkly revealed in the live NASA satellite feeds which track the fires around the world.
CHART: Fires in the past 10 days around parts of Thailand – Firms.Modaps
Concentrations of the current fires can be seen in Central Thailand, north of Bangkok, parts of Isaan, north east of Bangkok, and around Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. Notably the concentration of fires in northern Cambodia and across the north-western border in Myanmar, is also causing plenty of problems as the foreign smoke drifts across the borders. No matter what Thai officials do to enforce the rice, sugar and corn plantation burn-offs, there is little they can do about the haze drifting across the borders.
Bangkok, so close to clusters of fires, is in for a bad air pollution day anytime the light winds of the start of the year blow from the north or the east. The lack of rain adds to the problem, the annual problem, that engulfs Thailand’s capital during days between December and April, with the worst month, statistically, being March.
The alternative method of preparing for the next harvest, mechanical removal of the refuse and waste after harvesting, is both unpopular in Thailand and economically unviable for the small farmers whose margins remain thin with the multi-national buyers of their produce pushing for lower and lower prices every year.
In Chiang Mai, from January to the end of March, the locals even call it the ‘burning season’. Coupled with the hot season, the farmers in northern Thailand burn their fields to prepare land for the next harvest and also to get rid of biowastes like corn that can’t be sold in the market. It’s officially illegal to do the burn offs but the lack of enforcement leaves the problem unresolved and the smog and haze remain as predictable as the annual wet season.
Chiang Mai also has a local geographic problem which exacerbates the bad smoke pollution. The city is in a valley, surrounded by hills, trapping in the smoke and helping block any breezes that could otherwise blow it away.
For today, Bangkok’s air pollution is better than the past two days but still registering as ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ with city readings mostly between 140 – 170. Parts of the city, mostly south-east and south west, were registering readings above 300 in the past few days.
SOURCE: IQair.com
Watch this video for some more information about Bangkok’s smog…
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Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Chiang Mai records 4 new Covid cases linked to same venue

The northern city of Chiang Mai has confirmed 4 new cases of coronavirus, all of which are linked to the Warm Up café in the Muang district. The province of Chiang Mai now has 11 active cases and has recorded 57 cases in total, according to deputy governor, Weerapan Dee-on.
“The 54th patient in Chiang Mai is a Thai man aged 23 from Sansai district. He displayed no symptoms. The 55th patient is another Thai man aged 28 from Muang district. He also showed no Covid-19 symptoms. The 56th patient is a Thai woman aged 28, who works in Bangkok but recently returned home to Sankamphaeng district. She had symptoms of coughing and a blocked nose. The 57th patient is another Thai woman aged 22 from Muang district. She displayed symptoms of coughing and tiredness.”
According to a Nation Thailand report, all 4 frequented the Warm Up café on New Year’s Eve.
Earlier this week, the province confirmed a 25 year old woman who’d been socialising at multiple entertainment venues had tested positive for the virus. At that stage, her infection brought the total number of cases detected in the province to 50. Following her positive diagnosis, officials embarked on a track and trace process, to determine who may have had contact with the patient. Through this, a 28 year old man who works at the Warm Up café also tested positive. On December 31, he worked from 3pm – 1am.
Officials have now tested 283 contacts who were at the venue that night and results are pending. All bars and other nightlife venues have been closed for 14 days by order of the provincial communicable disease committee. Deputy governor Weerapan says anyone else who was at the Warm Up café between December 31 and January 3 must come forward for testing.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
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Maag
Sunday, December 27, 2020 at 12:23 pm
Should close Thailand….we dont want to die from a farang virus !
Robert Bunker
Sunday, December 27, 2020 at 1:16 pm
How do you want to die Maag? Drink driving? Shooting? Nothing is so dangerous as ignorance and stupidity and I think you may be a ‘super spreader.
Craig
Sunday, December 27, 2020 at 3:01 pm
Yes, agreed.
Ipaddressfunnycolors
Sunday, December 27, 2020 at 3:02 pm
I think he’s trolling.
James R
Monday, December 28, 2020 at 1:05 am
Maag
I assume you are referring to the member of the government who earlier this year blamed the spread of the virus on ‘Dirty Farangs’, it happened while I was in Phuket for seven months.
We will have to tell him the two vaccines we dirty farangs have developed so far are too dirty for Thai people to use and so we will sell them to someone else.
I think all the money has been spent on submarines anyway and they are now broke.
OnlineSLM
Sunday, December 27, 2020 at 12:52 pm
Farang Virus? I am a Farang. I have lived in Thailand for years. I have not left in two years. Am I at fault? Branding this as a farang virus would dictate that there have been no locally transmitted cases due to traveling Thais – is that correct? Be careful with your choice in words. More people die due to horrific Thai driving than have died in Thailand due to the pandemic.
Just my two cents…
Ian
Monday, December 28, 2020 at 6:46 am
Can somebody tell rick it started with his best friends the chinese the dirty western farangs will once again come to the rescue and save the world
Ian
Monday, December 28, 2020 at 6:49 am
Maag the dirty farang are gonna save you the West are on thier way maybe you might be a casualty by then i hope