Tourist faces huge bill, separation from family after testing positive on arrival in Thailand

A tourist has revealed his anguish at the possibility of being hit with a large bill after falling foul of Thailand’s test on arrival policy.

The tourist, named only as Kirovs, told blogger Richard Barrow how he had arrived in Thailand on Nov 7.

Kirovs tested positive on arrival in Thailand and was sent to hospital, where he will have to stay for at least 10 days, despite not having any symptoms.

His family - wife and two children - were sent to hotel quarantine and are due to take another test on day 3 or 4. If they test negative they may be able to continue on their holiday without him.

Kirovs estimates he may have to pay 350,000 Baht towards hospital and quarantine fees if his insurance provider won’t cover it.

“I knew that I was taking a gamble when I chose to buy plane tickets as soon as the Thailand reopening was announced,” Kirovs told Richard.

“We lost that bet.”

Richard Barrow also highlighted the plight of a man named James who found himself in an equally unfortunate situation after arriving in Thailand.

Despite himself testing negative, James shared a car from the airport with someone who tested positive, which for James meant he also had to go to hotel quarantine.

James said he was travelling to Thailand to be reunited with his wife. He was travelling with his friend who was visiting his girlfriend. It was his friend who tested positive.

“Upon arriving at the hotel, we both were tested at 2:30 p.m. and sent to our separate rooms. At midnight we both received a message, James said.

“His said that he had tested positive and will be transferred to hospital, and mine said that mine is negative, but I’d need to stay in quarantine for 14 days”.

James said both he and his friend were not showing any symptoms.

While the chances of testing positive on arrival in Thailand are small, it is perhaps a risk simply not worth taking for some tourists.

To date, approximately 25,000 tourists have entered Thailand since the country reopened to tourists on Nov 1.

Only 26 tourists have tested positive.

However, the issue is compounded by the fact that there is next to no official information about the risks of travelling to Thailand and testing positive on arrival.

Despite the myriad of infographics, Facebook posts and tweets from the Tourism Authority of Thailand and other related agencies on the requirements for foreigners to enter Thailand, there is very little about what a positive test on arrival could mean for foreigners, especially those travelling in groups, as a family or with young children.

Information regarding the impact of a positive test on arrival could (and should) be clearly publicised on the Thailand Pass website, which foreigners are required to upload documents to prior to travelling to Thailand.

Foreigners should also be urged to check with their insurance companies if their policy covers them for quarantine and other expenses in the event of a positive test.

Source - ASIAN NOW

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#Thailand to reopen to tourists in July but Brits may be banned

According to the Bangkok Post, Thailand’s National Security Council chief has told them that the country has set July 1 for the end of all ‘business and activity lockdowns’

Thailand will reopen to tourists on July 1 but Brits could be banned due to our poor coronavirus record.

People will be expected to wear face masks follow social distancing and wash their hands regularly once restrictions are lifted.

According to the Bangkok Post, Thailand’s National Security Council chief has told them that the country has set July 1 for the end of all ‘business and activity lockdowns’.

Gen Somsak Roongsita told the paper that the State of Emergency brought in on March 26 to deal with the coronavirus pandemic will end in June with a ban on international travel ending at the same time.

The Bangkok Post reports that Gen Roongsita has said that the lifting of restrictions would be a ‘complete reopening of the country’.

But there could be bad news for Brits.

Governor for the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Yuthasak Supasorn, has said that the country would look at restrictions on who could visit.

He told CNN that Thailand would look at tourists’ country of origin “to see if their situation has truly improved”.

This could mean that once again Brits are blacklisted due to the UK’s poor coronavirus record.

Greece and Cyprus have already banned the UK from visiting when they reopen their borders to foreign tourists.

Mr Supasorn said: “We are not going to open all at once.

“We are still on high alert, we just can’t let our guards down yet.

“We have to look at the country of origin [of the travelers] to see if their situation has truly improved. And lastly, we have to see whether our own business operators are ready to receive tourists under the ‘new normal’.”

Next month Thailand will enter the third phase of easing lockdown restrictions with officials preparing measures for July.

“Authorities will have serious discussions because after the emergency decree ends, other laws will be used instead,” Gen Roongsita said.

He added: “People’s cooperation is important. This concerns the use of face masks, social distancing, hand wash and limited activities.

“As long as the disease is spreading worldwide, we will have to fight against it for a while.”

Mr Supasorn told CNN there will be still be restrictions on where people can go.

He added: “We have studied a possibility of offering special long-stay packages in isolated and closed areas where health monitoring can be easily controlled – for example, Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Samui.

“This will be beneficial for both tourists and local residents, since this is almost a kind of quarantine.”

In preparation for the reopening of the country Thailand will next week shorten curfew hours and ease restrictions on more businesses.

This is in response to its low numbers of locally transmitted cases of the coronavirus.

Starting from June 1, cinemas and theatres can reopen, but with no more than 200 people at a time and with strict social distancing measures.

A curfew will be shortened by one hour to last from 11pm to 3am and shopping malls, which reopened earlier this month, will also be allowed to extend their operating hours, he added.

“The reopening will help stimulate the economy and ease some financial burdens,” Somsak said.

Zoos, beauty clinics, spas, and traditional Thai massages will be allowed to operate, with social distancing in place, as will soccer fields and volleyball and basketball courts, but only for training purposes and with limits on spectators.

Fitness clubs can also reopen but with limited users at each time.

Thailand’s planning agency on Thursday said the impacts of the coronavirus could cause the loss of up to 2 million jobs this year, particularly in the tourist industry. It predicts the economy will shrink 5%-6% this year.

Thailand confirmed 11 new coronavirus cases on Friday, an no new deaths. All those cases were arrivals from Kuwait and were in state quarantine.

All but one of the cases reported this week were detected in quarantine.

The coronavirus has infected 3,076 in Thailand since January and killed 57.

Source - Pattaya One / Bangkok Post