Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Thai industry representatives push government on vaccine passport policy

Industry representatives are urging the Thai government to press ahead with the adoption of a vaccine passport scheme to re-ignite international tourism. The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking is also pushing for Thailand to form travel bubble arrangements with countries where Covid-19 infection rates are low to moderate.
Kalin Sarasin from the Thai Chamber of Commerce and a JSCCIB member points to the Digital Green Pass being introduced by the EU, which allows vaccinated people to travel more freely. He believes Thailand should introduce something similar.
“JSCCIB is confident a vaccine passport would boost economic sentiment. Many countries have already started mass vaccination regimes for their people.”
(Video below about the current world and Thailand Covid travel situation)
He adds that private companies should be allowed to purchase and distribute vaccines to employees in order to accelerate the national vaccine rollout.
The push for a vaccine passport scheme follows confirmation from the Thai PM that he has ordered a study into the idea. However, Prayut Chan-o-cha points out that nobody knows how effective such a scheme would be. The idea does have its critics, particularly among rights’ groups and doctors, who say there is not yet enough data to show that vaccines prevent transmission.
A limited number of Covid-19 vaccines have arrived in Thailand and have been distributed to 13 priority provinces. Healthcare workers and vulnerable groups are among the first people to be inoculated.
Supant Mongkolsuthree, a JSCCIB member from the Federation of Thai Industries, says a vaccine passport policy is one more way to restore tourism and, as vaccines are rolled out in the Kingdom, the economy has a chance at recovery.
“JSCCIB believes the economy is recovering. The vaccine will gradually build up confidence among business people.”
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
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Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Investigations of Covid-19 infected elite rule-breakers demanded

Investigations are being demanded by a corruption watchdog into Thai politicians infected with Covid-19 after allegedly attending venues in the Thong Lor entertainment venues in Bangkok that have now emerged as the ground zero for the Coronavirus third wave in the Kingdom.
The Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand are being asked to investigate the latest Covid-19 outbreak, noting in a Facebook post that the second wave was also linked to illegal activities, spreading through illegal migrants and other visiting gambling dens. This third wave is also angering those who see the wealthy elite and powerful politicians frequenting high-end bars and not following Covid-19 safety protocols.
Mana Nimitmongkol, secretary-general of ACT argues that the ministers visiting these clubs did not behave “ethically”, and it’s part of a larger problem. He is pushing for legal action against not only club owners, but against police, public health officials, and even the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration for failing to enforce laws to protect against Covid-19.
Investigations into whether the code of ethics had been violated were requested to be carried out by the National Anti-Corruption Commission, the Ombudsman and the committee on ethical standards.
As entertainment venues have been ordered closed for at least 2 weeks, Mana proposes that along with restrictions, a hotline to report rule-breakers should be set up, and all people should be held to the same standard without exception.
The president of the Rural Doctors Society agreed, saying that especially important is the need for Covid-19 infected public officials to disclose their personal timelines to reassure the public and assist in contract tracing. It is feared that little or no action will be taken to investigate and punish powerful rulebreakers.
One controversial infection was that of Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob, rumoured to be infected from Thong Lor nightclubs, but later shown to be in another province at the time. The entertainment venue outbreak was not completely innocent though, as details emerged that the minister’s infection was in fact passed to him via an aide who had frequented clubs in Thong Lor.
Chuvit Kamolvisit, a former massage parlour owner turned activist, has been outspoken on the issue, calling for investigations into high-society VIP clubs like Krystal Club and Emerald Club, who allegedly flaunted restrictions and ended up with dozens of Covid-19 infected staff members.
The Metropolitan Police Bureau chief had said that legal action was pending against these clubs for the virus spreading.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
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Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Thailand Covid UPDATE: 967 new infections announced Sunday

Thailand’s CCSA have announced 967 new Covid-19 infections today during their daily briefings. The number is another day of gradual increases that has grown. Thailand’s national total has now reached 32,625 total infections, of which 28,214 people have fully recovered. 4,314 people are currently under hospital supervision in Thailand following positive Covid tests.
9 new cases were revealed in Phuket today, but aren’t included in today’s national tally.
The CCSA also reported that 485,957 people have now received their first vaccine – 69,439 are now fully vaccinated. The daily average of new people being vaccinated over the past month has grown from around 10,000 people each day to 15,556 yesterday.
Around the world, both the daily infection rates and death rates from Covid-19 are increasing again after dipping at the start of 2021.
All the latest news from Thailand related to Covid-19 HERE.
Total cases for Thailand from Worldometers.info…
World totals as of Sunday, April 11 from Worldometers.info…
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Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Pattaya police warn restaurants not to act like bars

Following the closure of entertainment venues in 41 provinces for 2 weeks, Pattaya police warn that bars acting as restaurants and restaurants acting as bars would be punished. In Pattaya, police patrolled heavily to check in on venues and remind them of the penalties and fines for breaking shut-down rules. The current outbreak of Covid-19 throughout Thailand has been disproportionately spread by nightclubs and bars, including many pubs in Chon Buri and Bangkok. While the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has called for a 2-week closure, the Chon Buri edict is open-dated, expected to be in effect until conditions improve. One warning Pattaya police stressed was that, while restaurants are allowed to stay open and sell alcohol, abusing that exception will be punished.
In previous entertainment venue shutdowns during the pandemic, many businesses took advantage of the restaurant loophole. As there’s no exact wording in the law saying people have to order food and not only drinks, many restaurants served drinks and allowed dancing and socializing without any social distancing. Some bars were even seen hastily adding a quick food menu of easy snacks in an attempt to skirt the rules and operate as a restaurant serving alcohol. But this time Pattaya police warn that restaurants using these sneaky tricks won’t be tolerated. Even businesses with multi licenses will need to take measures to make it clear they are not operating more like a bar as police will have the discretion to make judgement calls on venues.
The 2-week closure of entertainment venues went into effect yesterday and banquet halls, movie theatres, saunas and soapies are all closed. Restaurants are allowed to stay open, but with a 10 pm curfew on dine-in services. Takeaway food is allowed after 10 pm until 5 in the morning. Officials hope this shutdown on Covid-19 spreading entertainment venues will slow the outbreak enough to avoid the dreaded full lockdowns, travel restrictions, and domestic quarantines.
SOURCE: The Pattaya News
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UPDATE: Thai PM orders closure of bars and clubs in 41 provinces
BangkokBen
Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 9:48 am
Covid is already in Thailand, so tourists who have been vaccinated and test negative are safer than the general Thai population.
EdwardV
Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 11:36 am
Who cares if rights groups are against vaccine passports? Their objection is the unfairness it places on those who can’t get vaccinated yet. Besides the fact life isn’t fair, any unfairness is temporary. Maybe a year. How about the unfairness of the millions of people who depend on tourism being out of work for an extra year? Vaccine passports are coming, might as well get aboard it’s happening whether you want them or not.
Issan John
Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 12:12 pm
“Kalin Sarasin from the Thai Chamber of Commerce and a JSCCIB member points to the Digital Green Pass being introduced by the EU, which allows vaccinated people to travel more freely. He believes Thailand should introduce something similar.”
An excellent idea, except it’s not yet “being introduced by the EU, which allows vaccinated people to travel more freely.”
It’s a PROPOSAL, to be introduced possibly from June, subject to vaccine roll outs which will by then have been in place for up to six months and offered to all or at least a majority of the population by then.
When Thailand’s in a similar position, it only makes sense for Thailand to do likewise.
When …
Thomas Gotschalk
Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 2:41 pm
People are so easily fooled.
A vaccine passport will put an end to tourism for good.
The whole world could open up tomorrow at 8AM IF they wanted to.
People who are scared of covid or at risk from dying from a cold (should they catch one), they just don’t travel – simple.
dispensed
Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 8:56 pm
@EdwardV This is likely just another huge waste of time and money, a fraud that some tech firm will profit off of. They’ll use the app for 6 months and by next year no one except the most ignorant, backwater countries will care about Rona anymore. It’ll become a new cold/flu bug, most people will acquire immunity, the vast majority natural immunity.
We’re spending 80% of our resources on 0.2% of the problem. Meanwhile millions of people are starving to death, dying from air pollution, or having their life expectancy reduced by eeconomic insecurity, but not a peep about any of it from the media or the covid panic warriors…
Rasputin
Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 9:26 pm
“People are so easily fooled” yes some people are and you are a prime example, looks like you will be staying at home for a long time to come, along with the other idiots. If you can find an airline to accept you there’s always Brazil, they don’t care, they’ve nothing to lose. Yesterday they recorded 71,000 new cases and 1900+ deaths in a 24 hour hour period and those figures are growing. To put these figures into perspective, the UK averaged over a week 7173 new cases and 291 deaths per 24 hour period. Enjoy you holiday.
Sanuk
Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 10:08 pm
Require Vaccine with five day quarantine (average incubation time) with Covid test upon release from quarantine. This seems like a logical and fair for the time being. Any quarantine period above five days is not going to generate tourism. May as well take baby steps towards reducing the quarantine time until you phase it out at some point.
Thomas Gotschalk
Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 11:01 pm
@Rasputin Thanks, I’d happily travel there with no regrets. I already had covid once, last year after the CNY celebrations in Yaowarat. (4-5 days with a light cold, nothing to write home about really)
Try to be a little less scared of life and enjoy it, live life instead of merely surviving.
Roger Bruce
Friday, March 5, 2021 at 1:55 pm
Thai need vaccines it is not happening
I feel as vaccines cost money it will be years before Thais get vaccines to allow them to get a vaccine passport
If Thai,s are not vaccinated many countries will not allow tourists to Thailand anyway It is also possible new strains are resistant to vaccines anyway???
Good luck Thailand