Tony Fernandes, CEO of the AirAsia Group, is calling on governments to stop overreacting to the arrival of the new Omicron variant and instead focus on reducing the cost of PCR testing.
“It is a huge overreaction. We don't know anything about this variant yet. Let's wait and see before we panic," Fernandes said in a virtual speech at the Bangkok Forum on Thursday.
“The world is different now, we are better equipped and better prepared to deal with Omicron than with previous changes. There are medicines for Covid-19 and anti-viral medicines are also coming from Pfizer. We are vaccinated and boosters are available. I am optimistic, it is not all doom and gloom.”
Thailand will not impose a lockdown for the time being
Prayut has announced that Thailand will not reimpose an immediate lockdown despite concerns about the new corona variant Omicron. However, the timetable for easing anti-Covid measures for entertainment venues may be postponed for another month. Thailand is alert to the variant, which has now been discovered in at least 24 countries worldwide.
According to Prayut, the Omicron variant has not yet been identified in Thailand.
Source: Bangkok Post
About this blogger
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Known as Khun Peter (62), lives alternately in Apeldoorn and Pattaya. In a relationship with Kanchana for 14 years. Not yet retired, have my own company, something with insurance. Crazy about animals, especially dogs and music.
Enough hobbies, but unfortunately little time: writing for Thailandblog, fitness, health and nutrition, shooting sports, chatting with friends and some other oddities.
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I do agree with him … let's wait and see the data first. The MSM (multi Stream Media) brings the news in capital letters and is thus jointly responsible for the unrest that arises. Of course, the drivers are afraid to take measures too late…
Constantly adjusting the data creates uncertainty for many.
Many tourists are eager to come to Thailand but you don't know what to expect, this always causes postponement and / or cancellation of bookings and after 2 years the tourists start to look for other places (possibly permanent if it goes well )
The hope of 500.000 tourists before the end of the year with all the restrictions and uncertainties will be a difficult challenge, and then disguised with the real numbers as positive.
The only positive thing is that there is no yo-yo policy in Thailand like in Europe, only delayed relaxations without reversing them.
There is no yo-yo policy in Thailand?
Forgotten the lockdowns of spring 2020 (April to June), old/New Year 2020/2021 (a few days around New Year) and February 2021 (the whole month)?
Color
Dear Cor,
Not really comparable to Europe, where mouth masks are off / yes / no, catering closures, planning and canceling major events, etc. are constantly lurking and every time you have to hear the daily news to know what can and cannot be done today.
In Thailand, the rules differ slightly per province, mainly due to alcohol, but currently everything that is necessary is open, rules are relaxed regularly, and they are almost never reversed, even the PCR test on arrival and the 1 night quarantine is almost over, only a quick test, PCR 72 hours before flight and proof 2 vaccines.
For the rest, in my opinion, both Pattaya and Chang-Mai are visibly opening up more and more,
A drink with my food has never been refused (daily) or from a different glass / cup
In my own opinion things are going well, slowly, step by step, but really not like in Europe
Greetings and welcome to Thailand
Thailand initially tried to drive and keep the virus (the Wuhan version and closely related mutations) out of the country with rigorous measures. That was a strategic choice. The policy objective intended at the time, to keep Thailand covid-free in a world full of covid outbreaks, was successfully achieved in 2020, up to and including spring 2021. I was positively surprised about that. The social cost of that strategic choice was painfully high for most of the Thai population. A very limited clique became better, especially much richer, from that political strategic policy choice.
In March – April 2021, the situation changed. With the illegal, well-organized import of cheap labor from Myanmar for, among other things, the scampi sector and outbreaks in Bangkokian hiso clubs (illegally imported specialized personnel?), the much more contagious delta variant appeared in the country. The classical migration of peoples with Song Crane helped spread virus outbreaks to the smallest hamlets. The fence was off the dam. The Thai covid dikes had failed.
The government was therefore forced to change the anti-covid policy asap and switch to a vaccination strategy. A recognizable policy for us because this has already been followed in the low countries. Incidentally, only partly with success, according to advancing insight.
It was also difficult for the Thai government to obtain vaccines at such a late stage in a highly demanded market with limited supply at the time.
In addition, known completely inexplicable mechanisms complicated the purchasing policy. Sinovac and AZ were the first choice, with a minor role for Sinopharm after a courtly family intervention.
Whether the anti-covid policy in Thailand, or in other countries, has something yo-yo-like or not, I leave in the middle. I think this is mostly perception. It is clear that the governments in Thailand, and elsewhere in the world, must adapt to the whims of the virus, to the twists and turns of the pandemic.
Man proposes and the virus disposes … to a large extent … boundless worldwide.
Incidentally, it looks like humanity is not done with this virus yet. Or rather, this virus is not done with our humanity yet.