Es gibt Neuigkeiten von Richard Barrow. Er befindet sich gerade auf der Rückreise von UK nach Thailand. So hatte er auch Gelegenheit den Thailand Pass selbst zu erproben. Über die Erfahrungen und andere Dinge zur Einreise berichtet er in seinem aktuellen
Newsletter.
Insgesamt ist er mit dem Thailand Pass (nach ein paar Startproblemen) sehr zufrieden. Er selbst hat seinen QR-Code bereits 24h nach Antragstellung erhalten.
Er berichtet auch über einige andere "Gerüchte" - also mögliche Entwicklungen, die aber noch nicht spruchreif oder final entschieden sind. Das betrifft u.a. auch die - auch hier im Forum oft bemängelten - PCR-Tests bei der Einreise.
Richard Barrow hat geschrieben:The new rules started on 1st November. A review of this is expected to take place in a couple of weeks. I was told by a senior TAT executive that we might see a relaxation in some key areas. For example, in the near future, there is a good chance that they will stop the need to have an RT-PCR within 72 hours of departure. So, you would only need to do an RT-PCR on arrival in Thailand. I am also told that in the future, maybe in December, this test will be changed to the cheaper lateral flow test. I presume this would mean that if this is done at the airport, then it would literally be a Test and Go and you wouldn’t need to stay one night in a hotel. Let’s see. This is what they want but it is not known how soon that can start.
Es bestehen also Chancen, dass in ein oder zwei Monaten, wenn sich alles eingeschwungen hat (und die Corona-Situation nicht schlechter wird), zumindest einer der beiden PCR-Tests wegfallen könnte. Im besten Fall sogar komplett und nur noch ein (oder zwei) Schnelltests notwendig würden.
Warten wir also ab, was die nächsten Wochen bringen werden.
Er äußert sich auch zu einer Situation, die bei der Einreise wohl am kritischsten ist: wenn man ein Hochrisikokontakt einer positiven Person ist.
Richard Barrow hat geschrieben:Another thing that is of concern to people coming to Thailand is the rule about High Risk Contacts (HRC). What are the rules if someone next to you tests positive on arrival? Before I tell you about the rules, I just want to throw in my two cent’s worth of opinion here. Modern aircraft all have HEPA filtration which does a great job of cleaning viruses from the air. They also have a good process for ventilation which helps keep the CO2 levels down. So, in many ways a flight on an aircraft is safer than say a visit to your local supermarket. But that is not recognised as yet by authorities.
So, here are the HRC rules for people who test negative but were sitting near a person who tested positive on arrival. Before, everyone in the surrounding area were considered at risk and were put into quarantine. This has now changed. You will only have a problem if the person on your left or right tests positive. You are not considered a HRC if it is a person in front of you or behind you. So, on a flight like mine where there were only 50 people, I think the chances are high that you will have no one sitting next to you. In fact, when I checked in back in Bangkok, I made a point of asking for a seat that had no-one in front of me and no-one to my side. I will do the same on my return flight.
Next, the consequences of being a HRC. At the moment, I am told if you test negative but are sitting next to someone who tested positive, you are both taken to hospital for ten days. There is no home quarantine or hotel quarantine. However, they are now working on reducing this to only 3-4 days if you test negative on the second test. On the other hand, the person who tested positive has to stay in hospital for at least ten days. As always, I will post updates about this on my social media channels as and when I get anything new.
Zusammengefasst: Ein Hochrisikokontakt ist man (künftig) nur noch, wenn man direkt neben einer positiven Person saß. Dann muss man allerdings weiterhin in ein Hospital in Quarantäne - allerdings (nur noch) für 3-4 Tage. Man sollte also am besten dafür sorgen, dass niemand neben einem sitzt - was bei künftig sicher wieder besser gefüllten Flügen schwieriger werden dürfte...
Insgesamt also wie immer in Thailand: alles ist im Fluss. Nicht zu viele Gedanken machen und warten, was die nächsten Wochen bringen...