To travel or not to travel

[Don Brown]

Went to the Keys in October, followed their rules. Things were pretty normal except masks required indoors. Now I am NOT a masker, but have no problems complying when asked or required. I take normal precautions, you know wash, your hands cover your cough and sneeze, things your momma taught you. I never felt as if I had to be extra careful as people were being responsible. Would I go again? Hell yes, in fact I am in April. Bottom line..... be responsible and courteous. I for one am not going to sit in my house and watch time fly by being afraid, everything you do will kill you, choose wisely and enjoy life.

 

[Barmaglot]

I flew to Thailand in mid-December. Did 15 nights of quarantine at a designated hotel (zero contact with the staff until first PCR test comes back negative on day 6, can leave the room for an hour per day after that but I didn't do even that much, all meals are left outside the room in the hallway, can leave after 14 full days/15 nights and two negative PCR tests), then spent two months and change on Koh Tao, keeping up with work remotely on weekdays and diving on weekends. Only spent a couple of actual vacation days so far (I get 24/year). Scheduled to go back home in about a week (and quarantine for two weeks at home upon arrival, monitored with an electronic bracelet), but I'm considering staying here for a while longer. I believe I've been pretty responsible about it, and I brought a non-insignificant amount of cash into Thailand's flagging tourist industry. For what it's worth, I've been told by a local doctor (who was treating me for dengue fever, natch) that there hasn't been a single COVID-19 case on Koh Tao.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I flew to Thailand in mid-December. Did 15 nights of quarantine at a designated hotel (zero contact with the staff until first PCR test comes back negative on day 6, can leave the room for an hour per day after that but I didn't do even that much, all meals are left outside the room in the hallway, can leave after 14 full days/15 nights and two negative PCR tests), then spent two months and change on Koh Tao, keeping up with work remotely on weekdays and diving on weekends. Only spent a couple of actual vacation days so far (I get 24/year). Scheduled to go back home in about a week (and quarantine for two weeks at home upon arrival, monitored with an electronic bracelet), but I'm considering staying here for a while longer. I believe I've been pretty responsible about it, and I brought a non-insignificant amount of cash into Thailand's flagging tourist industry. For what it's worth, I've been told by a local doctor (who was treating me for dengue fever, natch) that there hasn't been a single COVID-19 case on Koh Tao.

Do you mind telling which hotel that you stayed in whilst in quarantine?

And when did you talk to the doctor last? I'm wondering if covid still hasn't reached the island since the recent outbreaks in the south of Thailand.

 

[Barmaglot]

Do you mind telling which hotel that you stayed in whilst in quarantine?

And when did you talk to the doctor last? I'm wondering if covid still hasn't reached the island since the recent outbreaks in the south of Thailand.

I used Hotel Icon Bangkok on Sukhumvit Soi 2. Cost was 36,700 THB all-in - the stay, three meals per day (you get to pick one of three different options for each meal), two PCR tests. The hotel WiFi was a little spotty, but upon request, they supplied me with a private router that had a 4G cellular uplink at no extra charge - this let me keep working with no interruptions for the whole time I was there. They also put an office chair in my room, again, no extra charge. Some things are charged extra, for example a microwave (didn't need one; all food was served hot or at least warm) or an exercise mat and weights.

I talked to the doctor in early to mid February, which is when I went through a bout of dengue fever followed by tonsillitis. Haven't heard anything new about local COVID thus far - there's little traffic going from and to the island; the big catamaran ferries (~450 passenger capacity) have been replaced by 30-passenger speedboats, and even those are not full. One exception was the Big Buddha Day long weekend a couple weeks ago - two whole ferries came in, stayed moored over the weekend, then left. When we went to Koh Nang Yung area on that weekend, there were half a dozen boats moored at Japanese Gardens, mostly full of snorkelers - something I haven't seen here since pre-COVID times.

 

[rick00001967]

I flew to Thailand in mid-December. Did 15 nights of quarantine at a designated hotel (zero contact with the staff until first PCR test comes back negative on day 6, can leave the room for an hour per day after that but I didn't do even that much, all meals are left outside the room in the hallway, can leave after 14 full days/15 nights and two negative PCR tests), then spent two months and change on Koh Tao, keeping up with work remotely on weekdays and diving on weekends. Only spent a couple of actual vacation days so far (I get 24/year). Scheduled to go back home in about a week (and quarantine for two weeks at home upon arrival, monitored with an electronic bracelet), but I'm considering staying here for a while longer. I believe I've been pretty responsible about it, and I brought a non-insignificant amount of cash into Thailand's flagging tourist industry. For what it's worth, I've been told by a local doctor (who was treating me for dengue fever, natch) that there hasn't been a single COVID-19 case on Koh Tao.

if people are allowed to travel, this is how it should be done. unlike our cluster f**k up here in canada.