Covid-19

Tiggs · **on:** February 07, 2020, 08:53:23 PM

Kick foreigners, not wearing face-masks, out of Thailand

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/coronavirus/kick-foreigners-not-wearing-face-masks-out-of-thailand-minister

rdrokit · **Reply #1 on:** February 08, 2020, 08:37:42 AM

The sky is falling. The sky is falling. lol

Tiggs · **Reply #2 on:** February 08, 2020, 11:42:04 AM

So does wearing a mask keep you from becoming effected, lets ask the who (no not the rock band)

Wearing a medical mask can help limit the spread of some respiratory diseases. However, using a mask alone is not guaranteed to stop infections. Their use should be combined with other preventive measures. Watch this short video to find out more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ded_AxFfJoQ" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ded_AxFfJoQ</a>

Tiggs · **Reply #3 on:** February 08, 2020, 02:53:11 PM

Health minister apologises for racist outburst

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1852794/health-minister-apologises-for-racist-outburst

Roger · **Reply #4 on:** February 08, 2020, 03:26:50 PM

Thanks Tiggs for that WHO link . . .

As for the Health Minister, shocking to see his original 'racist' and poorly informed comment - surprising that he remains in his job

His comment not good for Thailand's tourism interests

Tiggs · **Reply #5 on:** February 10, 2020, 07:31:00 PM

Coronavirus cases in Thailand remain at 32

a recent study of new disease treatments has shown that when healed, a person will become immune to the virus.

full article nationthailand.com

Sixty more people confirmed with coronavirus on cruise ship in Japan

TOKYO (Reuters) - Testing aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan has revealed 60 more confirmed cases of coronavirus, media said on Monday, as quarantined passengers took to social media to warn of depression setting in over their confinement.
Monday's figure takes to 130 the number of infections on the ship docked in Yokohama, domestic broadcasters TBS and NHK said, citing Japanese health ministry sources.

businessinsider.com

8 Feb 2020

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lQDv5IkTx0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lQDv5IkTx0</a>

Tiggs · **Reply #6 on:** February 10, 2020, 11:37:41 PM

Amid Coronavirus Outbreak, Disney Shuts Down Theme Park & Thousands Of Movie Theaters Across China Close reports forbes.com The article below states thailand as saying We are 100% in control of the situation

Thailand keeps doors open to Chinese tourists

Amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, Thailand has not restricted Chinese tourists from entering the kingdom, or dropped its visa-on-arrival fee waiver implemented to mainly attract Chinese.

This is in clear contrast with concerned nations around the world. Singapore bans entry to all Chinese passport holders and foreigners with a recent history of travel to China. The U.S. decided to halt entry to the country of foreign nationals who had been to China within a 14-day incubation period.

The Solomon Islands implemented regulations to restrict the entry of any person who had visited countries with confirmed cases of coronavirus, while Japan and South Korea have taken milder measures and blocked visitors from Hubei Province, the epicenter of the outbreak.

full article asia.nikkei.com

Tiggs · **Reply #7 on:** February 11, 2020, 12:15:45 PM

THE GOOD NEWS - there were no new cases in Thailand. Thirty three people had been or were being treated in hospital as confirmed cases.
Ten had already gone home after making a full recovery. Not a single person has died from coronavirus in Thailand. 77kaoded.com

Thailand refuses entry to cruise ship with no coronavirus cases
Thailand has barred passengers from Holland America’s cruise ship MS Westerdam from disembarking, its health minister said on Tuesday, the latest country to turn it away amid fears of the coronavirus despite no confirmed infections on board. uk.reuters.com reports

How worried should we be about the coronavirus?

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRGL3DcnuKg" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRGL3DcnuKg</a>

Hector · **Reply #8 on:** February 11, 2020, 12:40:51 PM

Thailand has recorded one new case of coronavirus, bringing the total in the country to 33 since January, a health ministry official said on Tuesday.

Tiggs · **Reply #9 on:** February 11, 2020, 12:52:06 PM

there you go & thanks for that Hector - post modified - always good to put a link

Thailand reports 1 new case of coronavirus, brings total to 33 bangkokpost.com

Shanghai officials reveal novel coronavirus transmission modes

Confirmed transmission routes of the novel coronavirus include direct transmission, contact transmission and aerosol transmission, a Shanghai official said on Saturday.

“Aerosol transmission refers to the mixing of the virus with droplets in the air to form aerosols, which causes infection after inhalation, according to medical experts,” said Zeng Qun, deputy head of the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau.

“As such, we have called on the public to raise their awareness of the prevention and control of the disease caused by family gatherings,” said Zeng during at a daily media briefing by the municipal government regarding efforts to contain the spread of the virus.

Experts explained that direct transmission refers to infection caused by inhalation of air close to a patient who sneezes and coughs, while contact transmission occurs when a person touches an object tainted with droplets containing the virus before infecting himself through subsequent contact with the membranes of his mouth, nose and eyes.

The government has urged residents to avoid gatherings, open windows to help with ventilation, practice good personal hygiene and regularly disinfect their homes, especially areas like door handles, dinner tables and toilet seats.

chinadaily.com

Tiggs · **Reply #10 on:** February 11, 2020, 11:13:43 PM

Coronavirus emergency 'holds a very grave threat' for world - WHO

China’s coronavirus outbreak poses a “very grave threat for the rest of the world”, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday in an appeal for sharing virus samples and speeding up research into drugs and vaccines.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was addressing the start of a two-day meeting aimed at accelerating development of drugs, diagnostics and vaccines against the flu-like virus amid growing concerns about its ability to spread.

To date China has reported 42,708 confirmed cases, including 1,017 deaths, Tedros said.

“With 99% of cases in China, this remains very much an emergency for that country, but one that holds a very grave threat for the rest of the world,” he told more than 400 researchers and national authorities, including some taking part by video conference from mainland China and Taiwan.

“The detection of this small number of cases could be the spark that becomes a bigger fire. But for now it’s only a spark. Our objective remains containment,” he said.

full article uk.reuters.com

rdrokit · **Reply #11 on:** February 12, 2020, 08:01:55 AM

Not sure what all the fuss is about. The mortality rate of this new virus is 2% and the mortality rate of the flu is 7%. Over 61,000 people died of the flu last year. I would be worrying more about the flu and get a flu shot. Just my 2 cents.

Tiggs · **Reply #12 on:** February 12, 2020, 12:40:00 PM

I agree somewhat, maybe they should be more worried on the deaths on Thailands roads, 1602 killed so far in 2020.
as it's gone on for so long gets largely unnoticed across news feeds. from the Daily News, a staggering 1,602 people have been killed on Thailand’s road so far in 2020. the figures only record the people who died at the scene of accidents and do not take into account people who die later.

Tiggs · **Reply #13 on:** February 13, 2020, 12:50:36 PM

Not sure what all the fuss is about - could be money

As people are reluctant to travel, the virus bites in to their business as From Feb. 1 to Feb. 10, arrivals booked by the Association of Thai Travel Agents were down 71 percent from last year. The Tourism Authority of Thailand has predicted a revenue loss of 95 billion baht ($3.05 billion) from fewer Chinese tourists from January to April, but that number could rise higher as travellers from other countries are now staying away.

Not just Chinese travellers staying away as virus shakes Thai tourism

businessinsider.com

Hector · **Reply #14 on:** February 13, 2020, 04:34:05 PM

In The Nation today (please note, Tiggs) is the following (edited by me) gem:
"The government might extend the Songkran festival to stimulate the national economy.
According to a government source, there is a proposal to extend the holidays during the Songkran festival by two days -- from April 13-17 -- which would enable people to extend their holidays by another two days on Saturday (April 18) and Sunday (April 19), a total of nine holidays.
Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak said that he was prepared to propose to the Cabinet to extend the long holidays since people will have to return to their home town and travel, which will boost tourism and help the economy.
In this regard, he has coordinated with Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, to consider adding special holidays in the first and second quarters of the year to encourage Thai people to travel domestically during the first half of the year to alleviate the impact of the virus outbreak."
At a time when nations - other than Thailand - are restricting the inflow of Chinese tourists, closing borders, instituting stringent health checks, discouraging mass gatherings and cancelling sporting and business events, the best this country can do is to extent the water wasting festival when the road deaths in one day will no doubt exceed the number killed in the Korat shooting (non sequitur, I know). Unbelievable!

Tiggs · **Reply #15 on:** February 13, 2020, 11:00:03 PM

Virus shaving tourism in half, minister says

Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn expects tourist arrivals to plunge by 50 per cent in the first half of this year because of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

He dropped the bomb at a government-private sector meeting on Thursday (February 13) where mitigation measures were discussed.

Tourist numbers from February 1-9 were down 43.47 per cent, he said, and among Chinese visitors 86.55 per cent.

“We expect the situation to pick up in April and will be discussing with Airports of Thailand ways to manage flight schedules for Chinese tourists to reduce airport congestion,” Phiphat said.

“There’s also been the news about the speedboat collision in Phuket in which several tourists were killed, so we want to put the priority on tourist safety.”

He plans to propose to the Cabinet a visa fee exemption for Chinese and Indian visitors as a way to stimulate tourism and asked the private sector for its support.

“We might also propose that the Cabinet allow entrepreneurs who run businesses in the entertainment area to stay open until 4am, but we must first survey the operators and tourists to get their opinions.”

A 50-per-cent reduction in tourist numbers in the first half means cutting the prediction from 40 million people to 20 million.

“The Tourism Authority of Thailand will need to work harder in the second half to compensate for the first,” he said.

nationthailand.com

Tiggs · **Reply #16 on:** February 14, 2020, 11:45:32 AM

Well seems like a bit of everything is taking a battering, even valentines day. just as Thailand was doing so well, now everything seems to be falling apart. I realy can't see it's all down to the virus, just shows how quickly things can change.

Thailand tourism struggles due to coronavirus outbreak

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL28Zz99sBE" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL28Zz99sBE</a>

Tiggs · **Reply #17 on:** February 14, 2020, 07:34:16 PM

1,716 Chinese medical workers infected, 6 died as of Feb.11

About 1,716 medical workers have been infected by the coronavirus nationwide as of February 11, six of them have lost their lives. The Chinese State Council Information Office outlined extra measures to better protect health workers. channelnewsasia.com

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQa3uuQwOFM" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQa3uuQwOFM</a>

Hector · **Reply #18 on:** February 15, 2020, 05:29:10 AM

Reply 16:"....... just as Thailand was doing so well", Really?

Tiggs · **Reply #19 on:** February 15, 2020, 11:09:29 AM

The Wuhan coronavirus has reportedly spread to North Korea. Experts say the country isn't equipped to fight it.

As the rapidly spreading Wuhan coronavirus infects people across the world, one country has remained silent about the progress of the virus within its borders: North Korea.

Although North Korean leaders have yet to report any coronavirus cases, several South Korean outlets with sources inside the country report that the pandemic has hit the isolated country. Experts are worried that the poor, isolated country could be devastated by the illness.

"There's not enough medicine for the country. I'm really concerned about them facing an outbreak," Nagi Shafik, a former project manager, and consultant at the WHO and UNICEF offices in Pyongyang told Insider. "It will be dangerous for them - it could go everywhere."

North Korea has isolated itself even more amid the outbreak

full story msn.com