Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing the prospects of a long slog to October here in the Kingdom of Thailand. The reason I bring this up is I recently read an article from the Pattaya Mail, that is pattayamail.com, the article is titled: Overseas Thai Embassies Update Visa Guidance for Foreigners. There were a couple of excerpts from this I thought were interesting. Quoting directly: "Many Thai Embassies, particularly those in the EU in the UK, are revising their instructions to foreigners wishing to come to Thailand. The updates fall into two distinct time periods this year," and this is key "May 1 to September 30th and October 1 onwards." I think those who are watching this video, it is a good idea to look at the next six months or so in that vein. We are here from May until September and that is going to be this limbo period where I think, I am hoping things start to get back on track; a little bit more normality and then after October I do think perhaps in earnest we might actually start seeing some tourism return. 

However, quoting further from that article, under Quarantine Relaxation. Quoting: "The plan is to allow foreign tourists and expats who have been fully vaccinated to enter Thailand to visit one of several "Sandbox" destinations which include Pattaya and Chiang Mai. This assumes that 70% of the local host population in receiving areas have been vaccinated by the end of September. The pilot "Sandbox" is in Phuket which is scheduled to open on July 1." So very interesting. They are talking about these pilot sandboxes; we have done other videos where we have talked about the Government here in Thailand seems very intent on seeing the "sandbox" for Phuket open on July 1. That is actually something they have kept hard and fast notwithstanding all these restrictions associated with this so-called third wave we have seen over the course of roughly the past month or six weeks or so. 

So, the interesting thing to me is the way to look at this moving forward. We have the next few months. Again it is like a limbo and then everybody seems to be looking at October, the flashpoint if you will or the watershed moment where things kick in to another gear if you will. Again, how exactly this place out remains to be seen. All I can say as the title suggests is "we have got a long ways to go until October".