Quarantine procedure “Tell your story” post it here !

[richard_smith237 26,067]

5 hours ago, MJKT2014 said:

On 7/22/2020 at 10:21 PM, richard_smith237 said:

That said, its possible it could develop, but another test on day 5 will continue to prove I am Covid-19 negative - then surely thats enough and the remaining 14 days will be a farce !!!

Great report thanks.

 

I read some people don't test positive until later in the 14 days, and 14 is the world standard. If I recall a Thai came up positive on day#13 but negative before that.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/04/01/824903684/the-science-behind-a-14-day-quarantine-after-possible-covid-19-exposure

There are reports of people testing positive after 26 and 28 days in quarantine... 

 

The incubation period is at the moment a best guess - there are reports that majority of asymptomatic Covid-19 carriers will test positive within 5 days.

 

The two week quarantine is just a number someone came up with - why 2 weeks? why not 9 days, 13 days etc.. its rounded to 2 weeks because it's a ‘human constraint’ rather than a scientific absolute. 

 

I’ve not really any issues with having to do a 14 day quarantine - but I do question the science behind the decision making. 

 

 

 

Edited July 23, 2020 by richard_smith237

[BritTim 9,627]

23 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

The two week quarantine is just a number someone came up with - why 2 weeks? why not 9 days, 13 days etc.

The reason is fairly well explained in https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/04/01/824903684/the-science-behind-a-14-day-quarantine-after-possible-covid-19-exposure. Since that early assessment, while extremely rare outliers exceeding 14 days for the disease developing have been reported, it is still widely accepted that people are over 99% safe after 14 days if no symptoms have developed. For a little greater protection, some countries insist on 14 nights with at least two half days on either end.

[JHicks 86]

23 hours ago, unheard said:

An excellent report!

How much was the economy ticket on the same flight?

I think the £2500 he paid is pretty normal for a business class ticket from London, so I would think the economy tickets would be at normal prices too. I'd expected a huge mark up so that's good news. Whether you can get an economy ticket is obviously another matter. It's probably a question of how long you're prepared to wait. I'm hoping the ASQ bottleneck will get sorted out fairly quickly - you wouldn't think there'd be a problem signing up more hotels, and it looks like it's the availability of ASQ places that's driving the availability of flights.

 

An excellent report, as you say.

[SVC Porter 201]

Anyone got any idea of the ASQ hotels in Pattaya......is there a list?

[unheard 220]

20 minutes ago, JHicks said:

I'm hoping the ASQ bottleneck will get sorted out fairly quickly - you wouldn't think there'd be a problem signing up more hotels, and it looks like it's the availability of ASQ places that's driving the availability of flights.

Actually the ASQ room availability has become a major bottleneck.

More so than the flight availability.

They keep adding more groups of people eligible to enter the country.

All reasonably priced ASQ rooms are booked solid until September.

A lot of hotels are not even eligible to join the program since they can't meet the program's requirements (presence of carpets).

[unheard 220]

12 minutes ago, SVC Porter said:

Anyone got any idea of the ASQ hotels in Pattaya......is there a list?

There are 26 Hotels in the ASQ program:

 

https://thaiest.com/blog/list-of-alternative-state-quarantine-asq-hotels-thailand

[mjakob007 117]

On 7/22/2020 at 4:10 PM, richard_smith237 said:

The following is my account of the arrival process and the ASQ hotel.

 

Previously: CoE applied for (as per the other threads on this topic). 

Notification came in from the Thai Embassy, UK that the CoE had been approved (approx 10 days before travel date. I was offered a repatriation flight from LHR to BKK (only £2500 business class available). I paid the Airline directly for the flight (bank transfer). ASQ secured (45,000 baht) Wife called around the various ASQ hotels. 

Covid-19 test taken 3 days before flight. Covid-19 Negative Certificate and Fit to Fly certificate issued less than 48 hrs after submitting the Covid-19 test (i.e. day before I flew).

 

Flight: London to Bangkok. Check-in was a slow process, we were told to get there 4 hrs before departure – Check-in counter opened 3 hrs before flight. Check-in staff made a detailed check of our documents, also asked us to download the AOT Airports App and register (track and trace?).

The flight was uneventful – I was surprised that beer and wine was served (business class anyway).

 

 

Arrival: Step by step.... 

-     Upon stepping off the aircraft on to the airbridge a throng of Immigration officers and Airline staff await (i.e. 30-40 people) – All with Signs and asking if we are ASQ (all foreigners are ASQ and a number of Thai’s who so choose). 

-     We identified ourselves and were checked off a list (Name / ASQ booking)

-     Rows of seats (all forward facing toward the terminal) were placed on the concourse (two rows each side of the travellators)

-     ASQ’s were told to sit (filling up the rear of the rows of seats), we waited about 10mins

-     All SQ’s (State Quarantinee’s / Thai’s) were directed down the travellators and filled up the rows of seats from the front. 

-     All ASQ’s had our documents individually checked and were given a yellow ASQ badge (piece of paper on a paper clip).

-     Once all the SQ’s were positioned and had filled up the rows of seats and there was no more ‘passenger traffic’ the ASQ’s were called up, followed an immigration officer down the travellator to the front. 

-     The ASQ’s were called through to a ‘desk’ where our temperature was checked and our papers checked once more and ASQ confirmed (at this stage the CoE was taken).

-     After this check the ASQ’s were individually directed to another row of seats (deeper into the terminal where the concourses meet concourse; crossroads so to speak).

-     While sat down we had our paperwork quickly checked.

-     In groups of 10 (in the order in which we’d sat down) we were called forwards to follow an Immigration Officer who led us down the travellator and up to the main Immigration Hall (the hall was empty, every booth was occupied by an immigration officer).

-     It took about 10mins to get through immigration – the officer seemed to be triple checking everything before stamping me in.

-     Once through into the baggage hall there were still lots of Airport staff and immigration officers.

-     Baggage arrived, we were guided through customs into arrivals hall and out through the doors to the outside where the hotel staff were awaiting in ‘pseudo hazmat suits and masks’, checked off our names and took us to awaiting vans. 

-     The vans had a glass partition between passenger and the Driver and ASQ Hotel Escort.

 

 

The ASQ Hotel:

-     Upon arrival to the hotel the bags were taken up to the room, I remained in the van while my temperature was checked.

 

-     I was then told I need to take a Covid-19 Test (at my cost ±5000 baht) because my existing Covid-19 test was older than 72 hrs (it was taken 72 hrs before departure but not 72 hrs before arrival – The ASQ booking questionnaire covered and stipulated that the Covid-19 test need to be taken 72 hrs before arrival, so I was kind of stuck without a choice) Note: the Test result came the following Day (i.e. Day 1 of Quarantine, arrival is considered Day 0)

-     I was then taken to the lift by a member of the Hotel Staff (who was also wearing a ‘pseudo hazmat suit and mask’) and told my room number. 

-     In the room there is an ‘instruction manual to read’ 

-     Instructions to log into the Line App.

-     We are given 3 sets of surgical scrubs (the hotel will not wash our clothes, only the surgical scrubs – we have to wash our own underwear – washing materials are provided)

-     Food is delivered 3x per day – I am messaged once the food has been placed at my door. 

-     Quality of food is ok, I’ve no complaints. Its mainly rice dishes, but that’s my choice – I could have had pork steak for dinner (each meal is one of 3 offered choices – we select what we want from a printed menu and inform the hotel via the line app the day before)

-     There was a 12 pack of water in the room, we can request more. 

-     There were snacks in the room, we can buy more. We can look online at 7-11, list what we want and the staff can go and get something for us (we have to leave money for the staff to do this *this is the only flaw in the otherwise water tight system)

-     We have to take our own temperature and inform the hotel staff via the line App at 10am and 8pm.

-     I am unable to leave the room until day 5 or 6 once the results of the first Covid-19 test are known to be negative (test taken on day 4 or 5).

-     After day 5 or 6 ‘some’ of the hotel facilities can be used (outdoor area and gym (with a booking) but not the pool).

-     After day 6 the room is cleaned every 2 days, we have to wait in a waiting area while the room is cleaned. 

-     Family can bring items under strict guidance – the items are checked before being given to us (no fresh food, no alcohol).

-     After 14 nights we are no longer considered Poisonous and are free to travel to our respective homes (by our own means). 

 

Thank you very much Richard for sharing step by step

i appreciate you taking the time

[jacko45k 17,215]

13 hours ago, kno77 said:

Great trip report better then this clip 

 

Thanks for posting that video clip, it shows why Thailand has kept its domestic cases down to zero for nearly 2 months now, with strict and careful measures. A lot of us foreigners were likely cynical and rightly so, when one sees the chaos and lack of organisation on  the streets and especially the roads... but they can do it when they focus, and it has yielded success.

Edited July 24, 2020 by jacko45k

[vision 33]

10 hours ago, unheard said:

Actually the ASQ room availability has become a major bottleneck.

More so than the flight availability.

They keep adding more groups of people eligible to enter the country.

All reasonably priced ASQ rooms are booked solid until September.

A lot of hotels are not even eligible to join the program since they can't meet the program's requirements (presence of carpets).

I just arrived at my ASQ last night and have already noted it's very similar to Richards with just few differenaces.

 

My wife had taken the repatreationflight from San Francisco at the end of May and gone throught the Sate Spoonsored (SQ?) program.  She had a better experience than the freind the earlier poster here and although she is picky with food she only ever eats a fraction of what is presented and she rearley ever bothers to turn on the AC even as I'm sweating like a pig so maybe thats why she reported the food to be fine and had no ventilation issues?  Her main gripe was not being allowed out and she told me it was going to me of a problem for me than it was for her.

 

So my flight cost 1200 (economy from Los Angeles) and everything was very similar to what Richard has already documented so i will focus again only where I noticed slight differenaces.

 

At the time I was trying to book a room the list had 21 hotels on it and they ranged from about 35K to 80K with i think 1 or two of them even above 100K.  This will come with meals and the required testing so its not fantastic but not totally unreasonable.  I called/emailed/line messaged the ones starting at the lower side and they either didn't reply at all or told me they were already booked up for my July23 entry requirement.    I ended up at a place called Solaria on Sukhumvit at a cost of 60,000.  Before all of this I would have a lot higher standards for 4000 baht a night but the hotel itself is decent, the staff replies to my questions (Via Line) quickly and in decent English and I have about 5 breakfast choices and 10 or so lunch/dinner choices.   They have told me that i will get my first Covid screen on the 28th and if that comes back negative I will then be allowed visits to the bar and the rooftop when those areas are not already at maximum occupancy by other guests (no idea yet how that is determined).

Edited July 24, 2020 by vision

[vision 33]

11 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

There are reports of people testing positive after 26 and 28 days in quarantine... 

 

The incubation period is at the moment a best guess - there are reports that majority of asymptomatic Covid-19 carriers will test positive within 5 days.

 

The two week quarantine is just a number someone came up with - why 2 weeks? why not 9 days, 13 days etc.. its rounded to 2 weeks because it's a ‘human constraint’ rather than a scientific absolute. 

 

I’ve not really any issues with having to do a 14 day quarantine - but I do question the science behind the decision making. 

 

 

 

I work as an engineer at pharmaceutical and biotechnology manufacture companies so I am no expert on the normal and possible incubation period for this virus but i can tell you this:  The standard procedure when you don't have hard data is to assume the worst case at first and work backward from there.  It's very likely that future travelers will get shorter and shorter quarantine as the data from our groups come in.   While it's very probable that a shorter quarantine time is fully adequate and may be all that's required in the future we chose to come now when there is not yet statistically significant evidence to justify that shorter time.  We get the reward of coming early but we must suffer the consequence as all early adopters.  

[mrwebb8825 891]

14 hours ago, unheard said:

I also wonder how they handle senior diplomats.

Just a week ago they've made a lot of noise in the media regarding an European union diplomat being refused an entry into his/her own accommodation and being forced to stay in an ASQ hotel.

 

should have just sent his european behind back where he came from then. I really dislike self-importance

[scorecard 21,113]

On 7/23/2020 at 1:51 AM, jasonr3255 said:

Thanks for your account Richard will be very helpful for many 

AGree, great report and very useful.

 

My problem goes back to the basics, I can't find the site giving the COE application form and needed attachment.

 

Appreciate if someone could please give me a link etc.

 

Also, anybody in this thread done the Sydney to Bangkok repat. Flight?

 

- Please share whether you were able to get an economy ticket, and the cost? 

And are you aware whether COE holders, if only Business class seats available can elect to wait for the next repat. flight, or must take a bu. class seat. 

 

Thanks. 

 

[sammieuk1 20,054]

Great report and vindicates my decision that no matter how much I miss my family being rinsed and prodded and imprisoned for 14 days is never going to happen to me good luck to you brave souls at what sounds like a circus asylum 

[vision 33]

19 minutes ago, scorecard said:

AGree, great report and very useful.

 

My problem goes back to the basics, I can't find the site giving the COE application form and needed attachment.

 

Appreciate if someone could please give me a link etc.

 

Also, anybody in this thread done the Sydney to Bangkok repat. Flight?

 

- Please share whether you were able to get an economy ticket, and the cost? 

And are you aware whether COE holders, if only Business class seats available can elect to wait for the next repat. flight, or must take a bu. class seat. 

 

Thanks. 

 

The CoE will be issued you by yourlocal embassy/consulate.   Look on thier website and you should find a link that will likely require you to upload several documents.

 

With the seats as with the rooms it seems the lower cost opetions tend to fill up first so if you want next available you can expect you may have to pay more.  It might work to wait until a new flight is announced and go for it when it opens up.

Edited July 24, 2020 by vision

[treetops 1,054]

12 hours ago, unheard said:

There are 26 Hotels in the ASQ program:

 

https://thaiest.com/blog/list-of-alternative-state-quarantine-asq-hotels-thailand

Your link at the time of writing this shows 28, but even that is out of date.  What I understand is the official list now has 29.

 

http://hsscovid.com/

 

Click on: