What are the current travel requirements for entering Thailand with an elite visa in August 2023?

@Paul ******

you might be right, I’m sure glad it’s mostly behind us now

@Richard *******

I think the vast majority would still wear masks even if not mandated, which is based on the simple fact 75-85% of customers/shoppers wear them. Why would employees act any different? Shoppers don't need to wear masks, yet the majority either choose to, or are conditioned to wear one.. hence the same pressure would be applied to shop employees. Therefore, I'd say 10-15% of employees would take off their masks if allowed to. Certainly not 75%. Even if they don't like wearing them (although i think most do) social pressure, not wanting to stand out will ensure they do. Now this social pressure is subtle. At this point, no one's going to say anything to your face. Besides, Thais aren't confrontational and thus even during the dark days of the mandate, few Thais lambasted their fellow Thais or foreigners for not wearing masks. Those that did, made the news for being Covid Karens.

At this point, it would be silly to say anything, the mandate is over, plenty of people not wearing masks even if still a minority (unless you go to the south or the islands where it's clearly a small minority who still wear one).

The thing is, Thais have very low levels of self-esteem and seem overly concerned with how they believe they are perceived by others.

@Richard *******

Nonsense. If most Thais wore masks before Covid I must have missed that. Perhaps 0.5% of Thais ever wore a mask, especially indoors prior to January 2020.

I don't recall ever being served by a mask wearing shopkeeper, supermarket clerk or even immigration officer before 2020.

Thais love masks because they've been conditioned to wear them. Not because they were used to wearing them before 2020.

In fact, before 2020, those working in professions where wearing a mask would have been beneficial or made sense (such as, while working in dusty environments) rarely took such precautions.

I remember having some masks with me to put on while helping to lift some bags full of plants full of fine soil dust, while the Burmese laborers who work in that environment never wore one! This was in 2014. I would put on a mask for the 2 minutes it took me to help lift these heavy bags onto my truck.

Now the situation is reversed: Thais mindlessly wear masks in all situations despite not being warranted anymore.

The Cambodian grounds keeper in my moo baan now wears a mask (often under his nose) most of the time, whereas during Covid restrictions, he rarely did! It's like he started wearing the mask all the time, around July 2022. That just doesn't make any sense!

@Nick ***************

Still, it's a bit strange, because the mask mandate was lifted long ago, so can't see such a lawsuit as being successful. Would probably be thrown out of court on day 1. If the lawsuit had been filed 18 months ago, different story.

@Nick ***************

You mean the government will be sued by the mask makers?

@Nick ***************

Haha lol, good point. However, it's a never ending cycle because masks keep being made so I guess it's permanent masks now for all service employees and voluntarily, for most Thai civilians.