A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand

[yinyang]

Nine new Covid-19 cases make it single-digit increase
for third consecutive day
National
Apr 29. 2020

Thailand reported single-digit Covid-19 cases for the third successive day with nine new cases confirmed over a 24-hour period, Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, the spokesman of the government's Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said on Wednesday (April 29).

The total number of Covid-19 patients increased to 2,947.

The new cases can be divided into two groups.

The first group of six were in close contact with previous cases (three in Bangkok and three in Phuket)

The second group comprised two medical staff while the source of infection of one patient is under investigation

Meanwhile, 13 people have fully recovered and returned home. Patient recovery percentage is 90.43.

Of the nine new cases, four were found in Phuket, three in Bangkok and two in Samut Prakarn provinces.

As of April 29, the total number of confirmed cases in the country stood at 2,947 -- 228 are under treatment, 2,665 have recovered and been discharged, and there have been 54 deaths.

Globally, there are more than 3.1 million confirmed cases and around 217,000 deaths

Dr Taweesin said that in the case of a one-month-old baby who contracted Covid-19, the mother can breastfeed since the virus does not transfer via milk but the mother still needs to protect herself by wearing mask and face shield.

 

[yinyang]

BMA gives green light for activities to resume in eight areas
National
Apr 29. 2020

By The Nation

The Bangkok Metrpolitan Administration (BMA) has agreed to allow the reopening of eight areas of activities but not decided on the date yet, Pongsakorn Kwanmuang, a spokesman for the BMA, said.

After the executive meeting, BMA is preparing to issue relief measures, since the current one will end on April 30, with eight types of locations to be opened as follows:

1 Restaurants: People can eat there but seats must be kept 1.5 metres apart and alcoholic beverages are barred; timings must adhere to the Emergency Decree.

2 Markets can sell all types of products.

3 Areas for exercise: Only non-contact sports such as walking, running, badminton, tennis, table tennis, etc are allowed; team sports such as football, softball, volleyball, basketball are not allowed.

4 Public parks to be open for exercise and rest, however grouping of people will not be allowed.

5 Barber shops and beauty salons: Only allowed to cut, wash, and dry; must stop for cleaning and sterilising every two hours; only reserve a queue for service; operator has to wear a mask and a face shield as well.

6 Pet salon, clinics, or animal hospital: Only one pet or one animal can be brought in.

7 Hospitals, clinics and nursing homes

8 Golf courses

Establishments that fail to follow the guidelines will be immediately closed.

The BMA has proposed these measures to the government and they will be discussed at a meeting with the Communicable Disease Committee on Wednesday ( April 29) to prepare further measures.

A decision on the prohibition of selling alcoholic beverages, which will end on April 30, is still awaited.

 

[Froggy]

Nice Thai seafood dinner

Steamed m&d crab

River prawns and chicken wings

Sweet, sour & spice grouper

Mimosa

Prawn fried rice

Very nice Thai peel prawns and crab for me

 

[winnipegjets]

Thailand is adopting the herd immunity approach to manage covid-19?

 

[Froggy]

Thailand is adopting the herd immunity approach to manage covid-19?

No idea what you are talking about. What is herd immunity?

 

[yinyang]

No idea what you are talking about. What is herd immunity?

Let me try. Either kena and be immune after (natural immunity) or vaccinated (not soon)

https://www.healthline.com/health/herd-immunity

 

[yinyang]

There's hope for Froggy yet

Massage businesses push to reopen
National
Apr 29. 2020

Massage shop operators submitted a petition to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Wednesday (April 29), asking the government to allow their businesses to reopen given the lockdown is being eased from Friday.

Massage shops have been shut since early April when the government also closed malls and other entertainment venues to control the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

The petition signed by 327 massage operators was led by Pitak Yotha, who said shop owners had been left to carry the financial burden of bills for water, electricity and staff during the lockdown. He added that he was also representing around 300,000 traditional-Thai masseurs who had been left without income.

The petition asked for massage shops to be reopened along with salons and beauty clinics, all of which come under the Public Health Ministry’s supervision. The massage business operators also want the government to help sanitise their shops to encourage customers to return, and to aid training of staff to boost customers’ confidence.

Though barbers and hairdressers are among the businesses that will be allowed to reopen from midnight on Friday, massage shops and beauty clinics have been ordered to remain shut until further notice.

 

[Froggy]

Very disturbing breaking news. Details on the way.

 

[winnipegjets]

No idea what you are talking about. What is herd immunity?

Like Sweden lah. Boh chap, just adopt minimal precaution. Can still makan in small groups, shopping, drinking on the assumption that most people will not be severely sick from the virus. Over time, a majority of people will have developed against the virus.

 

[Froggy]

Like Sweden lah. Boh chap, just adopt minimal precaution. Can still makan in small groups, shopping, drinking on the assumption that most people will not be severely sick from the virus. Over time, a majority of people will have developed against the virus.

https://www.sammyboy.com/threads/a-singaporeans-guide-to-living-in-thailand.107933/post-3071019

 

[yinyang]

7 new Covid-19 cases make it single-digit increase fourth day in a row
National
Apr 30. 2020

Thailand reported single-digit Covid-19 cases for the fourth successive day with seven new cases confirmed over a 24-hour period, Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman of the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said on Thursday (April 30).

The total number of Covid-19 patients increased to 2,954.

The new cases can be divided into two groups.

The first group of four were found during proactive testing (three in Phuket and one in Krabi).

The second group of three had returned from Malaysia and are in state quarantine in Bangkok.

Meanwhile, 22 people have fully recovered and returned home. Patient recovery percentage is 90.63.

As of April 30, the total number of confirmed cases in the country stood at 2,954 -- 213 are under treatment, 2,687 have recovered and been discharged, and there have been 54 deaths.

Globally, there have been more than 3.18 million confirmed cases and around 227,000 deaths

Dr Taweesin also revealed that the number of patients under investigation since March 1 totalled 62,018 people with a 4.75 per cent positive rate.

 

[Froggy]

I’m now in an Indian restaurant buying dinner home. Boss here told me tomorrow onwards can dine-in. Limited to 2 persons per table. This is good news, finally.

Tamil Nadu
11 Si Lom, Silom, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500
02 235 6336
https://goo.gl/maps/ru74TsZhmbNQYSSZA

 

[yinyang]

Booze ban +1 month

 

[yinyang]

Good portrait, but tragic suicide by 19 year old woman. Condemning loong Prayut

 

[yinyang]

Thought this was heartening, for the many displaced (and hungry)

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/new...vid19-victims-left-out-by-government-12680708

United in kindness, Thais launch food campaign for those left out of government's COVID-19 measures
Owners of a food stall selling rice and omelettes in Bangkok take part in a civil movement Pay It Forward, where people pay in advance for meals to help those in need. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)

By Pichayada Promchertchoo@PichayadaCNA
01 May 2020 06:19AM(Updated: 01 May 2020 06:20AM)

BANGKOK: Pattawadee ‘Dao’ Boonsamak and her husband have spent the past three years selling rice and omelette on the roadside of Bangkok.
The couple works six days a week, more than 10 hours a day, in the sweltering heat, mostly standing behind a small second-hand trolley that took them months to buy.

Despite their hard work, money is never enough. Yet things got worse when the COVID-19 pandemic began to put financial pressure on low-income earners like themselves.
With rocketing levels of unemployment, many of their customers can no longer afford a US$1 meal, which comes with plain rice, some meat and an omelette.
“We’ve lost 70 per cent of income due to the pandemic. A lot of people can’t afford to buy our food. We’ve lost so many customers,” Dao said.

Many of Dao's clients have become unable to afford a US$1 meal at her stall after the COVID-19 pandemic began to hit Thailand. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)

The 40-year-old never thought her business would be affected by the outbreak. She was not worried when the early cases were reported in Thailand.
But it did not take long before the situation snowballed into a health crisis that has so far infected thousands of people. More than 50 people have died.
The economic impact is far-reaching, particularly among day-labourers, who are Dao’s main customers. Many of them have been hit by the closure of department stores, restaurants and various other businesses and not everyone can access the government’s relief measures.

READ: Commentary - Thailand has a cunning plan to kickstart the economy. It involves billionaires

REACHING OUT TO MARGINALISED GROUPS
Frustrated by the situation, a group of Thais decided to step in and do what they could to help people in need.
“We’re looking at social disparity. The support system is selective and the planning process didn’t include marginalised groups,” said Arisa Phochaisarn, a Bangkok resident and PhD student in medical and health social sciences from Mahidol University.
“We thought about how we can help these people whom the government doesn’t see or reach out to. Then a friend told me about a movement called Pay It Forward, where you pay for a meal in advance to help people in need. That’s how I became interested in the idea and began designing food coupons,” the 27-year-old recounted.

A man in Pattani province of Thailand's far south signs his name on a food coupon after paying for a meal to help those in need as part of the Pay It Forward movement. (Photo: Arisa Phochaisarn)

In April, she started funding the programme with her own money and small donations from friends and colleagues. They include researchers and doctors who have been treating COVID-19 patients since the outbreak emerged in Thailand. The fund was then used to pay for coupons she had designed for distribution to food stalls in her neighbourhood. They are worth between 20 Baht to 40 Baht (US$0.60 to US$1.20) each and cover different kinds of food and drinks.
“On the first day, I gave the coupons to a few stalls and asked the sellers to give food to people who really need help,” she said.

Some children from a slum came to use them. I received a note – a piece of paper torn from a children’s book. It said ‘Sister, I don’t have money and would like to take three boxes of food for the kids’.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pay It Forward movement had already existed in Thailand but only on a small scale. Today, Arisa said the movement is spreading through communities nationwide.
Its popularity grew after her Facebook post on Apr 14 about the campaign she had started with friends. The post became an instant hit. It has been shared by more than 10,000 users and attracted nearly 1,000 comments – a lot of them feature food stalls that take part in the activity. Hundreds of people have reached out to ask her for the coupon’s format.

Food coupons made by Arisa Phochaisarn as part of the Pay It Forward movement in Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic. The message in Thai encourages people who cannot afford to buy food to use a coupon worth 30 Baht (US$1) each. (Photo: Arisa Phochaisarn)

“Right now, the campaign has spread to different parts of Thailand. It’s getting bigger. We have it going in many provinces, including Uttaradit, Uthai Thani, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Saraburi, Ayutthaya, Ubon Ratchathani and Pattani,” Arisa told CNA.
“It has grown so big and way beyond my expectation. It’s overwhelming.”
READ: Eight Thai airlines seek US$770 million government assistance

"WHY DOES HELP HAVE TO BE SELECTIVE?’"
The world may be reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic but not everyone is equally affected.
In countries like Thailand, where relief packages have their limits and social welfare struggles to include all the citizens, side effects of the health crisis seem harsher for those on the margins of society.
To soften the financial blow on the people, the Thai government has rolled out a cash relief programme called “We Don’t Leave Anyone Behind”. The financial support package offers 30,000 Baht over a period of six months to Thai citizens who have lost their livelihoods due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, millions of people cannot access the programme. Its registration, which is only available online, is slow and complicated for Thais unfamiliar with the digital platform. Many others are simply unable to afford the Internet.

A food seller in Bangkok shows food coupons given to him by a participant of the Pay It Forward movement in Thailand. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)

“Do you know some people only have 100 Baht and have to use some of the money to buy Internet data in order to get the cash relief. I know someone near my dorm with this problem. I may not be able to change the policy but this campaign is what I can do,” Arisa said.

The government didn’t consider how homeless people would be able to access the website to register their details or how an 80-year-old person or people with disabilities would manage to do it. Why does help have to be selective when we’re all feeling the impact?

With Pay It Forward, Arisa hopes help will reach more people who really need it. Every day, she and her friends spend about two hours in the evening visiting small food and drink stalls in different neighbourhoods and handing out the coupons to them.
Donors can then purchase the coupons from the vendors. The coupons can be used by the needy to pay for their meals.

Dao is one of the campaign’s beneficiaries. She received the coupons from a participant last week and her stall has since begun to see more customers. She said only one in ten clients would use the coupons and she often gives them a bigger portion of food without any extra charge.
“People who can still afford to buy our food don’t use them. As for those who really need help, they’d thank the donors and wish them well. A lot of them have been told by their employers to only come to work every other day or every two days,” she told CNA.
“Most of them work in the restaurant business and used to get free meals at work. Now, they don’t because many restaurants are closed.”
Shortly after the food coupons became available at her stall, Dao said residents from her community started to chip in. "A doctor came by and bought ten coupons the other day, saying she would love to take part," she added.

A man stands behind his food trolley on an empty street in Bangkok. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)

Arisa and her friends want to help as many people as possible. But they intend for the growth to be organic and driven by communities. It means not accepting monetary donations from people they do not know.
“We usually decline donation offers not because we’re narrow-minded or anything but because we want the campaign to spread across Thailand. If you give us money, it will only stay near us but we have people in trouble everywhere in our country. So community members are the best persons to distribute help,” she said.
“If people want to donate, we’ll tell them we’d like to send them the coupon format instead so they can download it and distribute help themselves.”

 

[yinyang]

With six new cases, Thailand making constant progress in battle against Covid-19
National
May 01. 2020

Thailand reported its lowest number of Covid-19 cases in over a months with six new cases confirmed over a 24-hour period and no deaths, Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman of the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said on Friday (May 1).

The total number of Covid-19 patients increased to 2,960.

Of the new cases, five were found during proactive testing in Yala and one got infected from a Bangkok market.

Meanwhile, 32 people have fully recovered and returned home, taking the total of patients under medical care below 200 for the first time in months. Patient recovery percentage is 91.86.

As of May 1, the total number of confirmed cases in the country stood at 2,960 -- 187 are under treatment, 2,719 have recovered and been discharged, and there have been 54 deaths.

Globally, there have been more than 3.5 million confirmed cases and around 233,000 deaths

The highest number of confirmed cases in the last 28 days have been reported in Bangkok and the deep South provinces.

More than 400 Thais will return home from different countries over the next two days. On Friday, 165 will return from Singapore (didn't realise we shad that nos. stranded here?) and 38 from Nepal and on Saturday, 55 will return from Kazakhstan, 35 from Netherlands and 130 from the United Arab Emirates.

Meanwhile, 371 Thai nationals in neighbouring countries registered and 282 returned on Thursday -- 34 from Myanmar, 10 from Laos, 24 from Cambodia, and 371 from Malaysia of whom 89 were unregistered..

Dr Taweesin reported that people are undergoing state quarantine in 765 areas. Since April 10, 7,628 people were in state quarantine and another 439 were added on Thursday. Of the total, 5,922 remain in quarantine while 1,706 have returned home. Currently, quarantine facilities can accommodate 15,170 people.

With more people travelling, Taweesin expressed concern about the virus spreading. He urged travellers to stay safe by wearing masks, cleaning their hands, and maintaining a safe distance with others.

He asked people to help take care of those at risk of depression and suicide. He said in such cases, people must contact the mental health officer or related official for help.


Screenshot from https://covid19.ddc.moph.go.th/en

 

[yinyang]

Don Mueang roars back to life
National
May 01. 2020

By The Nation

The buzz returned to Don Mueang Airport on Friday (May 1), as Thai AirAsia and Thai Lion Air resumed flights on domestic routes after flying was temporarily halted due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Passengers started arriving from 5am. The airport has installed additional measures to screen passengers, such as thermometers at every entrance, including the exit at the passenger terminal. Officers are enforcing distancing between passengers to reduce the risk of being infected with Covid-19.

 

[yinyang]

Exodus sparks new virus transmission fears
Bangkok Post PUBLISHED : 1 MAY 2020 AT 13:05

Vehicles stay bumper to bumper on a section of Road 304 bound for central Nakhon Ratchasima in Wang Nam Khiew district.
(Photo from @Hook31_Thailand Twitter account)

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) is concerned about the possibility of increased virus transmission as many head to their home provinces for the long weekend.

Traffic police media outlets and other social media showed heavy traffic on Friday, the start of a four-day holiday in Thailand. FM91 Traffic Police radio and Jor Sor 100 traffic radio reported bumper-to-bumper traffic for kilometres on one of the most congested highways, Road 304 from Bangkok towards Nakhon Ratchasima.

Vehicles exiting Bangkok jammed Mittraphab Highway towards the northeastern region, roads to Pattaya and other eastern provinces and the Asian Highway and Pahonyothin Road to the North.

The exodus came as the country begins a four-day holiday period, starting on Labour Day on Friday and finishing on Coronation Day on Monday. People can get extra two days if they take Tuesday off as the coming Wednesday is another public holiday, Visakha Bucha Day.
Some airlines also resumed domestic flights on Friday after they grounded their fleets last month.

• Virus sparks bid to transfer 26 detained Rohingya
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• First Covid restriction easing

"It is a deepening worry," CCSA spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin said on Friday.

He urged travellers to stay at home after arriving at their destinations and follow regulations issued in the province they live.
"You have to follow the rules in your province," he added.
Local authorities under the provincial communicable disease committee are authorised to issue restrictions based on the virus situation in their province.

In Bangkok, people were out on the streets before the long weekend came, according to statistics compiled by the CCSA. They showed 800,000 people travelling in Bangkok in all types of vehicles including public rail transport on April 15. The number jumped to 848,000 on April 23 and 960,000 on Thursday. The CCSA did not elaborate on how the figures were calculated.
"Everybody felt more relaxed so they decided to go out," Dr Taweesilp said.
"Do not forget to wear a mask and think of it as one of your organs," he added.

 

[Froggy]

Take away Indian dinner at home from Tamil Naidu restaurant in Bangkok

Prata

Chicken masala

Spanish mackerel pan fry with Indian herbs and spices

Chicken biryani

Dinner

 

[yinyang]

Six new cases, no deaths for second day
Total cases at 2,966, with 180 people remaining in hospitals
Bangkok Post PUBLISHED : 2 MAY 2020 AT 13:04

An airline staff member checks the temperature of passengers at Don Mueang airport on Friday, the first day domestic flights resumed. (Photo by Pornprom Satrabhaya)

The government on Saturday reported six new coronavirus cases, raising the nationwide total to 2,966, with no new deaths for the second day. The death toll remains at 54.

Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said 13 more patients have recovered and been discharged, raising the total number of recovered cases to 2,732. A total of 180 patients remained in hospitals.
Nine of the country's 77 provinces have never reported any cases, and 39 provinces have not reported any cases for 28 days or more.

• Covid-19 Infected Situation Reports

The six new infections brought the total confirmed cases in 68 provinces across the country to 2,966. Fatalities remained unchanged at 54, said Dr Taweesilp.

Two of the new cases were those who had been in close contact with previous Covid-19 cases. Two others in Phuket were identified during active case finding and the other two were returnees from India and Japan in state quarantine, he added.

• Saturday: 6 new Covid cases, no deaths
• Phuket: 3 new cases, total 220
• 7 new Covid-19 cases, no new deaths