Reader Talkback Results: How did Covid-19 personally affect you this year?

 

It is time for our weekly feature in which we ask our readers a question that is related to current news worthy events at the start of the week and at the end of the week highlight some of the most diverse and interesting answers as chosen by our editorial staff here at The Pattaya News.

This week we asked the following: https://thepattayanews.com/2020/11/30/reader-talkback-how-were-you-personally-affected-by-covid-19-we-want-to-hear-your-story/

If you would like to comment further on this story here is how: You can comment to us in several ways by sending us a mail at Pattayanewseditor@gmail.com, messaging us on Facebook or Twitter or leaving a comment here or on our social media.

How were you personally affected by Covid-19 this year?

Kiri-

I am a transgender Canadian living in Hong Kong. I recently ran a fundraiser to find my gender reassignment surgery, which of course I Chose a surgeon in Thailand to perform because Thailand has the best surgeons for this type of procedure in my opinion. Because of the measures in place, I was not able to have my surgery back in July as I had scheduled, and ended up running a second fundraiser to cover the excessive quarantine measures I found myself facing.
its been extremely hard both financially as well as on my mental health. Following all the reports coming from Thailand trying to stay on top of the ever changing measures and scents, trying to figure out and squirrel all the correct paperwork as well as keep on top of the REALLY high added expense AND deal with the depression and gender dysphoria… Honestly, if I didn’t NEED this surgery, I wouldn’t even consider visiting Thailand for a good long while till this whole thing is over. The measures in place are extremely and quiet excessive. Without my urgent need, I wouldn’t  bother until they drop all this. I do hope things return to some form of normalcy soon!
Thierry-
I’m from Belgium, 200 dead everyday, I’m 60 years old. I caught Covid-19 and stayed home 2 weeks sick but breathing was more and more difficult then i call emergency. After 2 weeks in intensive care and 2 weeks observation I come back my house but with oxygen machine. 
I still have difficulty to breathe, can not move inside without that machine , no medication but only patience and wait my lungs recover.
It’s sad because I had plan to retirement in Pattaya in November this year.
9 years I come there and now this.
Kjell-
I left Thailand for work February-14-2020 and was supposed to return home to my wife in Buriram May-11-2020.
I’m working for a cruise line and we were sailing out of New York when the Covid-19 pandemic hit The Big Apple badly, the ship was taken out of traffic mid-March and we went to lock-down. The ship normally has approximately 1.700 crew members and 4.000 passengers. 
April-2020: Now the big work started trying to get the crew home safe from a country who didn’t allowed repatriation of cruise ship crew, we eventually managed to send the majority of crew home using a few of the company’s ships and transferring crew ship to ship outside Bahamas and the onward to destinations around the world, most of the remaining crew was then sent home end of July in company chartered flights from Miami. The company decided to move the ship to Europe to make it easier for the remaining essential crew to have relievers (160 crew) We arrived Copenhagen Denmark mid-August and on the second day Denmark closed the possibility for crew to sign off, the ship was then re-positioned to Sweden and we could start with rotating crew. The operation was very hard as most of the crew transfers was done with tender boats and in bad weather conditions. The ship is now located in UK and we can sign on and off crew, most of the eight months of lock down have also included shore leave suspended and with very strict rules onboard to ensure the health and safety of all crew, all this is understandable but it’s a very hard and boring life.
Due to the hard travel restrictions to Thailand I chose to stay onboard working in hope of the pandemic to slow down and for the travel restrictions to ease up. What was supposed to be a three months’ work stint is now almost 10 months, I miss my wife and the extended family, I miss having a beer with my mates and I miss going to the Chang Arena to see my beloved Buriram United.
My hope is to sign off the ship beginning of January-2021, apply for Non-Immigrant Visa O ,  arrange all necessary travel document and travel back to Thailand as soon as possible to be reunited with my wife. 
The fear being away from family is the hardest, it’s a constant worry and not only Covid related. I worry about the everyday life, traffic accidents, Malaria, flooding and not being able to help my wife if needed.  It’s been a strange 2020 and I really hope things will get better 2021 and onwards.
Daniel-

My name is Daniel and I am from Barcelona. 

I have a son working in Bangkok. I have a retirement visa and I go to see him often. But now we haven’t seen each other for more than 9 months. My retirement visa does not allow me to enter Thailand now. I could ask for the special tourist visa/tr but it is excessively expensive.  I think a special plan should be made for those of us who have a retiree visa. I would be willing to go if the hotel quarantine process was affordable. Of course, I would comply with all pre-trip pcr requirements and, if necessary, three weeks of quarantine. I have the annual insurance that covers the covid and my money is still in a bank in Thailand.  I don’t understand why the government has not made a specific plan to enter Thailand for us. 

Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to explain this. 

Bryan-

I left  on advise of a so called friend in Australia because of the government  advise about a pandemic. So I got a re entry permit so I could come back to renew  my visa in August never thinking  I would be trapped in Australia for such a long time. Now my visa has expired.
I had a new life in Thailand, I could afford to live on my pension from Australia and I had made so many good friends both Thai and people from around the world and I was happy.
Now I am trapped in Australia until the borders here and in Thailand open again.
I am 83 but I am fit for my age and I hope I will be able to come back “home” to enjoy the life I once had. I lost everything I had there and start again,I did however do some good by having a friend  empty my room a take my belongings back to her village to use or distribute  among her family  and friends.
Now I await a possible vaccine  and try to start again.
Guenter-
Hi I am Rung Nuat and live 16 Years now in Thailand! I was not able to go to my Country Germany this Year! I normally give a Visit for 2 weeks for see my Daughter, Friends and Family, go shopping Food and clear administrative Things! I have a Retirement Visa with a Reentry, but could not go because cant come back to the Country i live in!! Not good at all!!
LarryCovid-19 have saved me a lot of money. No bar hopping or restaurant visits. Shopping for home delivery from Tesco Lotus, Big C, and Lazada. Spend most of the time swimming and exercising.
SomchaiI was partying every single night in Pattaya in January when there were millions of Chinese tourists around. At the end of the month I travelled to Bali where I got sick
the next day after arrival, cough, fever , loss of smell etc. for a cpl of days. I am almost sure it was covid, though there was no testing available that time.

After recovery I returned to Pattaya in mid Feb, and really enjoyed the Chinese free city. Then I travelled to Dubai in mid March for a one week business trip. Two days before return my flight to BKK was cancelled and I am still stuck here.

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Adam Judd
Mr. Adam Judd is the Co-owner of TPN Media since December 2017. He is originally from Washington D.C., America, but has also lived in Dallas, Sarasota, and Portsmouth. His background is in retail sales, HR, and operations management, and has written about news and Thailand for many years. He has lived in Pattaya for over nine years as a full-time resident, is well known locally and been visiting the country as a regular visitor for over a decade. His full contact information, including office contact information, can be found on our Contact Us page below. Stories please e-mail Editor@ThePattayanews.com About Us: https://thepattayanews.com/about-us/ Contact Us: https://thepattayanews.com/contact-us/