The latest Covid restrictions

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SP55
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Re: The latest Covid restrictions

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Despite all the information online (that I've found) saying the beach in Pattaya would not close, police today were patrolling both on foot, motorbikes and cars along the beach telling people through loudspeakers it is not allowed to enter the beach. Only the footpath/pavement on the side of the beach is allowed to walk or run on.
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Re: The latest Covid restrictions

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SP55 wrote: Sat May 01, 2021 9:26 pm Despite all the information online (that I've found) saying the beach in Pattaya would not close.........
I also can't find anything about that. If a new rule has been imposed, it has not yet been published in the English language media. Of course, just like what all too often happens at the various immigration offices, maybe the police are just making up their own rules.

I am very supportive of Thailand's efforts to curtail Covid, but some of these rules make no sense to me and are on my "I Don't Get It" list. A rule that says you can be on the pavement, but not on the beach would be one of them.

Another is closing all the restaurants. I can't make sense out of that. I know of no cases that have ever been traced back to originating at restaurants - and if any have, then close those restaurants. The restaurants have been complying with all the safety rules. What is the sense in closing them, along with putting hundreds of thousands of people out of work - again? There are still places people go where they are in much more danger of being exposed than they would be in restaurants, such as the shopping malls and grocery stores.

One more is the rule that requires people alone in a car to wear the face mask. I can understand requiring the mask walking to the car and exiting the car, but alone in the car? If that makes any sense, I don't see it.

As I said, I am very supportive of the effort to bring Covid under control, but if you're going to impose rules, how about sticking to rules that are actually going to be of help without also imposing absurd rules?
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Re: The latest Covid restrictions

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If you live in or near Pattaya, for the time being if you are driving, whether car or motorbike, I suggest carrying your passport with you and you might also want to carry some sort of evidence of your residence address in case you are questioned at a police stop.
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Pattaya authorities officially starts operating large health screening checkpoints to prevent domestic spread of Covid-19 Coronavirus this weekend

By Nop Meechukhun

2 May 2021

Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh, along with Pattaya authorities, yesterday, May 1st, organized the installation of a large temporary tent to serve as a health screening checkpoint for incoming visitors in front of Wat Chong Lom of Mueang Chonburi District, Chonburi, in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19 Coronavirus.

The large checkpoint was set up following the CCSA’s new zone restrictions, listing Chonburi as one of the six highest and strictest control areas. The Chonburi Disease Control Committee, therefore, ordered to increase the intensity of disease control measures, including a major health screening point for local residents and visitors.

The checkpoint began its intensive operations today, May 2nd, under the supervision of provincial public health personnel, officials from relevant departments, and medical volunteers for 24 hours a day.

Passengers in all vehicles traveling the inbound lanes will have their temperature checked. Those passengers who were traveling from outside the area will also have their temperature checked and must present a travel permit from local governments to the staff at the Bang Lamung screening checkpoint when it applies.

Officially, those from outside don’t have to have a permit according to the Chonburi government orders, however, local officials may request essential proof that a visit to the area is needed and require a form from ones local government office. The overall message right now is if you don’t need to travel for a critical reason, don’t.

https://thepattayanews.com/2021/05/02/p ... s-weekend/
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Gaybutton
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Re: The latest Covid restrictions

Post by Gaybutton »

While the restaurant industry has requested that the ban on dining in restaurants be relaxed, the powers-that-be in control of the strictest red zones, including Bangkok, Pattaya, and Chiang Mai, so far are not backing down on the ban.

In Pattaya, Ko Larn has asked that the island be closed to tourists from May 5 to at least May 20. A provincial committee must approve that request and is expected to do so. If by any chance anyone reading this is staying in a Ko Larn hotel, assuming the request gets approved you will have to leave.

Further restrictions are being put in place at various villages and Chiang Mai has put inter-provincial travel under further restriction, including a requirement for travelers from the strict red zones to report to disease control officials (whoever they are and wherever they are) for a 14 day period of "observation" (whatever that involves). Unless people voluntarily cooperate, I'm not sure how that can be enforced, but there it is.

In short, for now it is best to just stay put, venture outside as little as possible, and accept the fact that the restrictions already in place are not going away and will not be relaxed for at least the next two weeks.

I would suggest being prepared for further restrictions to be imposed wherever you are in Thailand and if there is no significant improvement in the Covid crisis, prepared for the restrictions to last longer, possibly much longer, than two weeks.
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Re: The latest Covid restrictions

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With the infection and death numbers soaring and reaching new records, I just don't see the restrictions going away by mid May as was originally hoped. And the second article is an example of what is happening to so many businesses, along with the employees. Some are trying to survive on take-away only and/or are going to the food delivery services. Whether or not they can survive on that remains to be seen, but many have given up and already gone out of business.

I have been receiving pleas for money from nearly every boy I have ever met in Pattaya and Bangkok and even some from boys I have never met and never heard of. I certainly understand their desperation and I do try to help out a few who I know, but there's no way I can help out all who have been pleading for help. I wish I could.

I imagine other expat gay farang have been getting similar pleas.
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Record 31 Covid deaths 2,041 new infections

3 May 2021

The Public Health Ministry on Monday reported a new daily high of 31 coronavirus deaths and 2,041 new infections over the previous 24 hours.

This took the total number of cases to 71,025 since the pandemic began last year. The death toll now stands at 276.

This was about 50% up on the 21 deaths reported on both Saturday and Sunday.

The new wave, which includes the highly transmissible B.1.1.7 variant first detected in Britain, has accounted for more than half of total cases and deaths since the start of the pandemic.

As the rising toll was announced, a respected professor of medicine warned the kingdom faces a crisis if the number deaths continues to rise.

"If the figures do not go down and instead continue to rise, that means we are moving towards the real crisis stage," Prasit Watanapa, dean of Siriraj Hospital's faculty of medicine, said during the daily briefing of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

Dr Prasit urged people to be strict about wearing face masks, to follow all measures advocated to curb the latest outbreak and to accept vaccination.

"Please get vaccinated," he said. Vaccines would help the country contain the spread of the disease.

The latest deaths were reported across 11 provinces, with Bangkok and Nonthaburi logging a combined 10 fatalities. Pathum Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat each recorded two deaths, while Chachoengsao, Ang Thong, Phetchaburi, Suphan Buri, Lop Buri, Chaiyaphum and Ranong had one each.

A spokeswoman for the CCSA, Dr Apisamai Srirangson, said most deaths were people who been in close with previously infected people, many in their own families.

The rate of new infections returned to above 2,000 for the first time since Thursday, when the country registered 2,001 cases. Most of the new infections during the month just completed, April, were concentrated in Bangkok and three adjoining provinces - Samut Prakan, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani.

"The trend of new infections in other provinces is down, but in Bangkok and its vicinity it is going up," she said.

Dr Apisamai said the main concern was in Bangkok, especially three communities in Klong Toey district of Bangkok, the centre of a new cluster. The district reported 304 new transmissions last month, most of them in three congested communities of Pattana Mai, 70 Rai and Rim Klong Wat Saphan, she said.

These three communities were the prime focus of mass testing. Plans to curb new infections in Klong Toey district were the main agenda of talks between health authorities on Monday afternoon.

Health authorities were also closely monitoring other districts, including a community in Bon Kai in Pathum Thani district, where new infections had been detected, she said.

Deputy Defence Forces spokeswoman Col Chatrapee Poonsawat said on Monday the military was erecting a new field hospital for up to 300 patients at a warehouse at Klong Toey Port.

The CCSA said the country recorded only one new imported case, a Thai national who returned from Cambodia on April 22. He was under treatment at Sa Kaeo Hospital.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... infections
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Noodle shops go limp amid new restaurant shutdown

By Pattaya Mail

May 3, 2021

Noodles don’t travel well and Pattaya soup sellers say they may simply close rather than try to survive on delivery sales.

Dine-in service at restaurants in Chonburi, a “deep red” coronavirus-control zone, is prohibited for the foreseeable future and eateries offering takeout and delivery must close at 9 p.m.

Worrawut Nantsurasak, Nai Ton noodle shop owner, said his noodle soup doesn’t taste as good when delivered as it does at the restaurant. Noodles, even separated from the soup, get stuck together. Many customers don’t like it.

He said other regular customers stop by on their way to work, so takeout orders don’t work for them either. Worrawut figures he’ll lose 70 percent of his customers during this later shutdown.

For now, he’s cutting stock levels and hanging on.

Pairat Puttaruksakul has been selling beef and pork noodles for 12 years at her Jae To restaurant.

She agreed that takeaway noodle soup loses its appeal, even though she uses plastic bowls that separate the broth from the noodles.

She said domestic tourists still visiting Chonburi also wouldn’t be interested, as they don’t live here.

Pairat isn’t sure she can earn enough from to-go orders to remain open, even if she cuts stock levels for raw materials.

Pairat also is still paying off a loan she took during the first coronavirus shutdown. She hopes the government will lend financial assistance this time.

https://www.pattayamail.com/news/noodle ... own-353840
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Re: The latest Covid restrictions

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SP55 wrote: Sat May 01, 2021 9:26 pm Despite all the information online (that I've found) saying the beach in Pattaya would not close
Now in Pattaya it's official - kinda-sorta.

To avoid confusion, Pattaya is not locked down. But with all the restrictions in place, closings, and limited operating hours, there is not much of a need to formalize a lockdown because there are not many reasons left to go anywhere.

I hope I'm totally wrong, but I think if you truly believe things are going to open up again to some semblance of normalcy by mid May, you're dreaming.

Also, Phuket is asking people to stay home from 10:00pm-4:00am (See: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... e-10pm-4am )
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Pattaya’s lockdown is now becoming a clampdown

By Barry Kenyon

May 4, 2021

Parts of Chonburi province are now experiencing restrictions not formally announced by governmental or provincial edict. All deckchairs, umbrellas and facilities were suddenly removed from Pattaya and Jomtien beaches this week without any publicized instructions. Khun Oy, who holds a deckchair concession licence, said she received a phone call from another colleague who claimed to have had an earlier call from City Hall.

Although walking on the beach or adjoining pathway and swimming in the sea are not illegal at the present time, a spokesperson for the official hotline 1337 said that group gatherings on beaches could well lead to infection. Outdoor areas such as beaches, parks and reservoirs were open for exercise but not for socializing. The latest informal policy turn has certainly been successful as the beaches are well and truly deserted.

In another unexpected move, several markets have closed temporarily as Greater Pattaya area virus infections remain stubbornly high, topping around 150 daily. Rompho market has closed a large part of its indoor retail section, whilst Jomtien Night Market has ceased all trading until May 13. City Hall said that such closures were a matter for the market authorities, but added that the alternative was very strict screening of customers and monitored entry and exit points.

On the travel front, Chonburi theoretically does not require permission to leave or enter the province. In practice, precautions are being stepped up. Drivers leaving the province are required to have written permission from a district office or village leader. Returning vehicles are subject to random inspection with temperature checks of occupants. Mobile testing centers and a roadblock facility near Laem Chabang are operational, but not 24/7 and some vehicles are being waved through.

Lert Bangprapart, a Banglamung-based health worker, said that the ambiguities were a response to the national decision to allow local authorities a lot of discretion in handling the pandemic. Although Chonburi is a red-zone province, there is still a lot of room for local variation. He quoted the national rule that a gathering of more than 20 people required permission, but commented that nobody knew for sure what meetings with fewer people could go ahead without notifying City Hall or the police.

It appears that the government’s policy of refusing to declare a national lockdown, but to allow soft curfews and other restrictions at local level, has led to policymaking on the hoof. What happens now depends on the pesky virus. If infections and deaths continue to grow, pressures will mount on Prime Minister Chanyut Chan-o-Cha to use his emergency powers. These could include a national overnight curfew, a ban on regional travel and closure of stores and retail outlets selling “non-essential” items. A ban on alcohol sales in supermarkets is thought unlikely as it leads to black-market practices and hoarding without actually curbing the virus.

https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... own-353884
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Re: The latest Covid restrictions

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Here we go again - conflicting, confusing news reports. This time it concerns the Chonburi (Pattaya) province requirement that drivers need written permission to leave the province.

According to the Pattaya Mail, technically written permission is not required, but drivers are being asked for it anyway and can be turned back if they don't have it.
See: https://www.pattayamail.com/news/checkp ... aya-353953

According to the Pattaya News, that was a requirement, but now has been canceled, although people are discouraged from leaving the province.
See: https://thepattayanews.com/2021/05/04/c ... taya-area/

Which is it?
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Re: The latest Covid restrictions

Post by 2lz2p »

To me, it appears that both articles are correct, the Pattaya Mail mentioning the checkpoints was issued prior to the Pattaya News article mentioning the previous order, but then stating:
The new order, dated effective from Wednesday, May 5th, appears to cancel the order, stating concern of Covid-19 being spread due to the documentation process and reducing points of contact.

The article also includes a copy of the order (in Thai).

So the typical Thai practice, here today, gone tomorrow. :roll:
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Re: The latest Covid restrictions

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2lz2p wrote: Wed May 05, 2021 6:43 am To me, it appears that both articles are correct
Either way I, for one, am not going anywhere. With everything closed, what would be the point . . . ?
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Re: The latest Covid restrictions

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Pattaya scraps COVID-19 checkpoints for entry and departure

By Pattaya Mail

May 5, 2021

Just a few days after the control measures were implemented, Chonburi Gov. Pakarathorn Thienchai issued an order May 4, to remove checkpoints leading into Chonburi Province which were set up to check travelers for fevers amid the latest coronavirus outbreak.

In his latest order, the governor stated that the checkpoints were potentially a bigger risk for both the travellers and the authorities as they could be contracting and spreading Covid-19 to each other through either physical contact during the process of checking temperatures or when documents are touched during inspection.

Taking this risk factor into consideration he ordered the lifting of all checkpoints set up to check people leaving and entering Pattaya and the province, effective immediately.

Banglamung District Chief Wuttisak Singhadecho added that none of the officers in Banglamung District and Pattaya were found to have been infected by the coronavirus during the course of performing their duties.

https://www.pattayamail.com/news/pattay ... ure-354176
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