17 new Covid-19 cases in Thailand, all repatriated citizens from Middle East

Today the Centre of Covid-19 Administration reported 17 new cases of Covid-19 infection. All the cases were repatriated Thai personnel returning from the Middle East. Most the returnees were asymptomatic and were confirmed as infected after a second test.

• 13 of the new cases had returned from Kuwait, 12 were men aged 31-56, and the other was a 44 year old woman.

• 5 were put into state quarantine in Bangkok while 8 are now housed in Samut Prakan province.

• 2 patients were a male and a female who had returned from Qatar on May 22.

• 2 cases were males, aged 28 and 29, who had returned from Saudi Arabia on May 21 and May 25.

TAT will use domestic tourism as dress rehearsal for international returns

The TAT has publicly declared that it will be using the current re-introduction of domestic tourism as a dress rehearsal for how a return to international tourism might look.

Due to the current ban on international arrivals, extended several times and now in effect until at least July, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has created a strategy to support domestic tourism and “learn from the experience”, as it eases into the inevitable challenge of luring back international tourists.

In a feature posted on its website earlier this week, the TAT said it had identified some basic truths; one of them being that the tourism sector will continue to be stifled by disease control measures until a Covid-19 vaccine is developed.

“This will affect and change all behaviour and patterns of traditional travel and tourism activities starting with the aviation experience.”

The so-called “new normal,” which is actually highly abnormal for Thai tourism, will concentrate on less travel, smaller gatherings and avoiding crowds.

Pattaya’s mayor responds to video of black water gushing into the sea

Last Monday, filthy black water was seen gushing into the Gulf of Thailand right next to Pattaya’s famous Walking Street.

The video, from the ‘We Love Pattaya’ Facebook page showed filthy water pouring into the sea from a pumping station near the entrance of the infamous tourist magnet.

Pattaya’s mayor tried to explain away the video, saying it wasn’t sewage but muddy storm runoff, intentionally released into the sea rather than remain on the streets to flood homes and businesses.

“In times of heavy rainfall, the system can’t keep up and water backs up and floods homes, so engineers have the option to open filter gates and allow rainwater to run directly into the sea.”

He insisted the dark colour of the water was sand and sediment, and not sewage.

As Thailand’s beaches reopen, crowds flock back

Yesterday was the Queen’s birthday and a public holiday, so many of Thailand’s popular beaches heaving with visitors as they reopened for the first time since their closure by the Emergency Decree in March.

People across the country took advantage of the easing of inter-provincial travel restrictions that took effect from Monday. Not the least to Chon Buri’s Bang Saen beach was very popular as visitors flocked to its sandy shores.

The crowds caused traffic jams in the area up to 2 kilometres long, such that municipal officials had to close down the beach for a short while again, in an effort to control the numbers.

Major makeover proposed for Pattaya’s Walking Street

Images on the Facebook page of Pattaya City reveal plans for a major re-imagining and makeover of one of the resort’s most notable, and notorious, landmarks – Walking Street.

Gone is the grotty road, broken pavements and lurid signs and frontages, and in their place will be an easy to navigate walking area fit for families.

But the nicely drawn artistic impressions didn’t get much love from netizens that said it looked more like a swish shopping avenue than the organic red light district that had inhabited the street for the past three decades.

Many commented that they preferred the old atmosphere and the girls in hot pants leaning out of the noisy bars.

The designs were presented by the city’s engineering team to Pattaya’s mayor and his deputies on Tuesday, to an apparently “lukewarm” reception.

Today the Centre of Covid-19 Administration reported 17 new cases of Covid-19 infection. All the cases were repatriated Thai personnel returning from the Middle East. Spokesperson Dr Taweesilp reported that most the returnees were asymptomatic and were confirmed as infected after a second test.

“13 of the new cases had returned from Kuwait, 12 were men aged 31-56, and the other was a 44 year old woman. 5 were put into state quarantine in Bangkok while 8 are now housed in Samut Prakan province. Their infection was confirmed by the second test on June 2, though only one of them had shown symptoms.”

“2 other patients were a male and a female who had returned from Qatar on May 22. The male aged 24 was asymptomatic while the woman, aged 29, had a high fever. Both were in state quarantine in Samut Prakan and tested positive on the second test on June 2.”

“The other 2 cases were males, aged 28 and 29, who had returned from Saudi Arabia on May 21 and May 25. Both were asymptomatic and found to be infected in their second tests on June 1.”

“The double-digit figure is very high, but is from the daily arrival of returnees, which is expanding to 400-500 people per day. The key is quick detention, quick treatment and quick recovery.”

So far 174 Thais had returned from Kuwait and 18.3% of them tested have positive for Covid-19. Seventy-nine returned from Saudi Arabia and the infection rate was 7%. From Qatar, 216 arrived and 5.49% of them were infected.

Today marks the 10th day without any local infections in Thailand, with the total number of confirmed cases rising to 3,101, 75 personnel are under treatment in hospitals across the nation with 2,968 have recovered and been discharged (no change), and the death toll remains at 58 with no additional changes.

Globally the total number of Covid-19 cases stands at 6.57 million, up by 82,939 over the previous 24 hours, with 387,957 deaths. Here are the figures from the top 12 notions, by number of total cases.

SOURCE: Nation Thailand | Bangkok Post

“…the tourism sector will continue to be stifled by disease control measures until a Covid-19 vaccine is developed.”

Due to the current ban on international arrivals, extended several times and now in effect until at least July, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has created a strategy to support domestic tourism and “learn from the experience”, as it eases into the inevitable challenge of luring back international tourists.

In a feature posted on its website earlier this week, the TAT said it had identified some basic truths; one of them being that the tourism sector will continue to be stifled by disease control measures until a Covid-19 vaccine is developed.

“This will affect and change all behaviour and patterns of traditional travel and tourism activities starting with the aviation experience.”

The agency predicts that only the strongest people will travel as tourists focus more than before on their health and safety. The so-called “new normal,” which is actually highly abnormal for Thai tourism, will concentrate on less travel, smaller gatherings and avoiding crowds. This is the opposite of what made Thai tourism the success it was before the pandemic… group tours, especially from China, festivals, large scale events, and a massive nightlife and entertainment industry (with all the related health risks), gave the country 39.8 million tourists last year. This year the kingdom will be lucky to attract a third of that number, and that’s supremely optimistic given the current risk-averse Thai government.

Both mainstream and niche markets will be evaluated for opportunities, but Thailand’s tourism industry is highly dependent on international arrivals, and it will ultimately be consumers who decide if and when they’re comfortable travelling overseas.

Visitors to Thailand, as of now, are required to obtain a fit-to-fly medical certificate and medical insurance cover, that includes Covid-19 treatment, valued at 100,000 US$ (3.1 million baht). Only people with current work permits or an ‘urgent’ need to return, are considered for possible re-entry at the moment.

Here are some more considerations that may be imposed, according to the TAT…

• The number of tourists will be limited to avoid congestion

• Once landed in Thailand, tourists will be required to undergo a Covid-19 rapid screening process for reconfirmation, and then depart to a sealed area resort location, most likely islands, without any stops

• The swab tests are not 100% reliable and require 6-12 hours for processing, which might not be practical for airports to manage

• Financial support will have to be extended to airlines and tour operators to use in public relations and tourism marketing campaigns

While in Thailand, tourists will have to install and use the Thai Chana tracking application on their smartphones when travelling in and out of sealed areas. Basically the focus will be on high-end international tourists who can afford the expensive medical insurance and are prepared to be transported to a “bubble” in a beach resort.

The TAT also floated the idea of a tax for outbound Thai tourists to support domestic tourism, while exempting visa application fees at Thai embassies and consulates in other countries, including visa-on-arrival fees. This move would require a compensation budget for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Immigration Bureau’s lost revenue.

(Bottomline: If these measures are to be rolled out there are very few tourists who will be inclined to jump through the hoops and then be ‘imprisoned’ in a location for the duration of their stay. The TAT also foreshadows the idea of a ‘vaccine stamp’ where people without a Covid-19 vaccine wouldn’t be allowed to enter the country – The Thaiger)

SOURCE: TTR Weekly