The Facebook page Ratchasee Jitasa has recommended 12 essential items that people should take with them if they test positive for Covid-19 and sent to a field hospital.

The essentials recommended are as follows:

1. Power strip
2. Personal items, such as toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, towel and hairdryer.
3. Power bank
4. Wet wipes
5. Items to help relieve loneliness
6. Pillow, blanket and mattress
7. Eyeband
8. Food supplements, such as Vitamin C
9. Thermos bottle
10. Snacks
11. One set of clothes to be worn before returning home
12. Underwear for 14 days

I can think of a few more…

13. Condoms
14. Notebook / tablet
15. Books / mags
16. Headphones
17. Earplugs
18. Coffee
19. A few tinnies
20. Airfreshener

Confusion reigns down on Bangkok business owners and patrons regarding what can open when following the news the CCSA will meet this week to discuss a Ministry Of Health proposal to recategorise the capital to category red, a highly controlled area, due to the cluster of new Covid cases from nightlife spots in Thonglor.

Following this news on Monday information started spreading online that bars and restaurants would be allowed to open until 9pm but no sales of alcohol would be permitted.

Later on Monday the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration ordered closed 196 entertainment venues across 3 districts – Khlong Toei, Wattana, Bang Khae – for 2 weeks starting today (April 6).

The official order did not state the number 196, nor did it list the entertainment venues they had ordered shut until April 19. Only that pubs, bars, karaoke, and massage parlours were to close.

Also of note was the use of the words “similar to” when referring to pubs, bars, etc.

Today we were supposed to have an announcement at 10.30am from the governor to clarify the situation but so far not a peep.

Now what we are left with is a complete mish-mash of inaccurate information with the CCSA proposal and the confusing BMA order being snowballed into not one but dozens of different scenarios – none of which are correct.

Dozens of bars have already been informed by local police they must sell only soft drinks and close at 9pm – under orders from who or where? There is currently no such order in place from either the BMA or the CCSA.

Right now if you are allowed to open, you can legally close at 11pm and sell alcoholic drinks until an official order is announced stating otherwise.

As always, I will update the Stickboy Twitter and Facebook pages with the latest info as it is announced.

Here’s an update on Thailand’s quarantine measures from 1st April 2021 onwards.

– Quarantine period will be reduced from 14 days to no less than 10 days for travellers from countries with no cases of COVID-19 variant strains for travellers unable to present a valid vaccine certificate.

– Travellers from countries with cases of COVID-19 variant strains are subjected to a full 14-day quarantine.

– For travellers with vaccine certificate and travelling from countries with no cases of COVID-19 variant strains are eligible to no less than 7-day quarantine. This condition will only apply to those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 with a vaccine approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) or the Ministry of Public Health of Thailand with inoculation no less than 14 days before the travelling date.

– Travellers must present a vaccine certificate (an original paper or a print out of an online vaccine certificate) to International Port Health Control at the port of arrival, otherwise, travellers may be quarantined for no less than 10 days.

The list of countries with COVID-19 variant strains will be determined and updated by the Ministry of Public Health of Thailand every month.

At the time of publishing the 11 excluded countries are: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia, Kenya, Rwanda, Cameroon, DR Congo, Tanzania and Ghana.