When will Thailand and the world re-open for tourism? Speculation Time

[christianpfc]

No speculation from my side.

You don't have to vaccinate the entire world's population to achieve herd immunity.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herd_immunity
But how high is that percentage for Covid?

You don't have to vaccinate the population in the holiday target country. E.g. if I get vaccinated in Germany, travel to Africa where Covid is rife, and my government allows me to travel and return, and the holiday target country the same, there is no need to vaccinate people in the target country. These thoughts might seem selfish, but I'm talking about science and statistics and economics and politics and not morals.

I'm in the comfortable situation of being in Cambodia with a one-year visa, and I like it here, and there are plenty of boys and no travel restrictions. I can lean back here and wait how the international travel situation develops and decide in a few months if I go back to Germany in summer.

[Brad the Impala]

Ok, so thanks to the glass of water explanation I understand that you won't get a false positive if you have been vaccinated and have viral tests, but probably will test positive for antibodies(in an antibody test), as creating these is the point of being vaccinated! Thank you!

My elderly brother had to be taken into hospital for an unrelated condition. On arrival he was tested and told that he had probably had covid in the past(having never had any symptoms). After several days in the hospital, and shortly before release, he was told that they no longer knew whether he had had covid or not!

[Marc K]

if I get vaccinated in Germany, travel to Africa where Covid is rife, and my government allows me to travel and return, and the holiday target country the same, there is no need to vaccinate people in the target country.

Hmm Christian not so sure about that. (It's possible that Moses might be able to elucidate further...) But when you have a serious viral infection (surely COVID-19 would fall into this category) your immune system becomes badly damaged (as it aggressively tries to fend off the infection) opening you to more likely being the host for one or more serious infections. That's why pneumonia is such a serious comorbidity with COVID.

So those unvaccinated Cambodians might still pose a danger to you:

Vaccines are not 100% effective, so its possible you could also be in the unlucky 5% who are still receptive to the infection.

I have not seen any study linking COVID to STDs, but common sense would say that it is pretty hard to have sex while still social-distancing, right? I'm waiting for the person who invents a method of having (satisfying) sex at a distance of two (or more) meters. Anyway I, for one, have never been much of a fan of cyber sex, have you?

[Moses]

Hmm Christian not so sure about that. (It's possible that Moses might be able to elucidate further...) But when you have a serious viral infection (surely COVID-19 would fall into this category) your immune system becomes badly damaged (as it aggressively tries to fend off the infection) opening you to more likely being the host for one or more serious infections. That's why pneumonia is such a serious comorbidity with COVID.

So those unvaccinated Cambodians might still pose a danger to you:

Vaccines are not 100% effective, so its possible you could also be in the unlucky 5% who are still receptive to the infection.

As per current studies and trial data base all vaccines are 100% effective against serious sickness, and warrants what you will NOT have serious COVID sickness (i.e. pneumonia or something like that). As per current information all vaccinated will have no COVID or will have COVID with no symptoms or COVID with mild conditions. No one vaccinated by any vaccine died form COVID or was in serious sickness with pneumonia.

[StevieWonders]

I'm in the comfortable situation of being in Cambodia with a one-year visa, and I like it here, and there are plenty of boys and no travel restrictions. I can lean back here and wait how the international travel situation develops and decide in a few months if I go back to Germany in summer.

Indeed christian and if you have an accident or catch some tropical illness the Cambodian medical and hospital system is known to be first class.

[Nirish guy]

I'm in the comfortable situation of being in Cambodia with a one-year visa.

So can I ask then Christian did you have to pay the $2000 "Covid deposit" as it says you're required to on arrival now !!!???

As if I'm reading it correctly here that money is then held by the State and used to pay for your in Country test and overnight stay in a hotel while you await your results etc ? - BUT if even ONE passenger on your plane tests positive then YOU MUST to do the whole 14 day hotel quarantine thing and THOSE costs are then deducted from your $2000 ?

IF that was the case can we assume then that a) your gamble paid off and you got away no one on the plane testing positive - and if that was the case DID the Government then pay you back your $1865 change ( after the test and your one night hotel etc) from your $2k on receipt of your negative test ok without any problem or delay ??

[goji]

https://christianpfc.blogspot.com/20...bodia.html?m=1

That refers to $1411 USD for quarantine. For comparison, my Thai quarantine cost 50,000 baht ($1665 at today's rate) inclusive of food, which would be $420 extra in Cambodia ?

The flights to Thailand were cheaper. However Christian also reports a visa extension, so Cambodia is a nice option for a longer stay, with no covid restrictions at present.

The attractions of SE Asia compared with a European winter are enough for just a few of us to roll the dice.

[StevieWonders]

https://christianpfc.blogspot.com/20...bodia.html?m=1

That refers to $1411 USD for quarantine. For comparison, my Thai quarantine cost 50,000 baht ($1665 at today's rate) inclusive of food, which would be $420 extra in Cambodia ?

The flights to Thailand were cheaper. However Christian also reports a visa extension, so Cambodia is a nice option for a longer stay, with no covid restrictions at present.

The attractions of SE Asia compared with a European winter are enough for just a few of us to roll the dice.

Do we know what health insurance obligations were imposed? Yes, it’s possible once inside Cambodia to get ME 12-month visas for (depending on the visa agency) around USD300. (And to satisfy the pedants, yes, I know you have to enter Cambodia on a business visa not a tourist visa - but we are talking about one of the most corrupt places in SE Asia). I’ve often wondered why cdnmatt bothers with his dreams of Laos given the ease of getting a long-term visa in Cambodia.

[christianpfc]

So can I ask then Christian did you have to pay the $2000 "Covid deposit" as it says you're required to on arrival now !!!???

Yes, details as posted by goji, who has it from my blog.

Everything went correctly. The business with quarantine and deposit has been going on for months* before I arrived, and there were no negative reports, and there were no irregularities in my case; it was expensive, and during quarantine I wondered if it's worth the money and the hassle, and only a week out of quarantine I could answer that question with a clear YES!

*one of the reasons why I went to Cambodia and not to Thailand. After their complete fuck-up with the STV, I wouldn't want to be a guinea pig to test the newly introduced tourist visa.

Do we know what health insurance obligations were imposed?

It was compulsory to buy Forte insurance for 90 USD for a coverage against Covid for 20 days. No other diseases covered, pretty much just a money-grab.

As per current studies and trial data base all vaccines are 100% effective against serious sickness,...

There is no 100% in medicine or biology. You can aim for 99%. Plants, animals, humans come in such a wide range. There are people who can't get HIV. People with Thalassemia can't get Malaria. At the same blood alcohol content, some people appear sober, others are in coma.

Eradication of Thalassemia (hereditary disease) in Malta by pre-natal diagnosis and selective abortion is worth a read!

[arsenal]

I'd like to think I'll be able to enjoy a relatively normal trip to Thailand at some point in November 2021.