Moving Abroad During COVID [Part 3 - Singapore To Thailand]

Thailand move happened on 26 Dec 2021, 

exactly 4 months after we left our home in Myanmar on 27 Aug 2021.

Just to recap a bit,

Due to visa renewal issues for Mister, we could no longer stay in Myanmar. His employer moved him from their Myanmar branch to the Bangkok HQ. However, preparing work visa documents and getting approval require 3-4 months time and we didn't want to risk overstaying that long in Myanmar so we moved to Singapore while waiting for all paperwork to be settled.  Bureaucracy is challenging to navigate as it is. When you add in Covid, it just gets tougher so below guide will hopefully make your life easier a tad bit if you are considering moving to Thailand.

Moving Abroad During COVID [Part 2 - Singapore]

Ahhh there are so many things I wanna share with you.

To start with the Covid issues, we arrived in Singapore with the unvaccinated status. As the differentiated measures were too strict (cannot enter malls and attractions, cannot dine in) for the unvaccinated, the first thing we did as soon as we completed our 2 weeks quarantine was get a jab. By Sep 2021, walk-ins were allowed and the process was so smooth.  From the time we stepped in for registration till we got out after observation, the entire procedure took around 45 minutes. We both got Pfizer for the first two doses and are thinking of getting Moderna for the booster.

Singapore is very strict about you checking in everywhere with the Trace Together app. By Oct 2021, the officials were even checking your vaccination status, upon entering shopping malls and attractions. There are always safe distancing ambassadors walking around, to ensure everyone was wearing face masks. Popular attractions like beaches in Sentosa require advanced booking on public holidays and weekends. We had to meet with friends and family in several small groups as group size limit were strictly enforced. For example, each household can host up to 5 unique visitors a day. So if you are visiting from a place where these measures are not strictly enforced, this may be a cultural shock for you though.

Moving Abroad During COVID [Part 1 - Myanmar to Singapore]

[As of 27 Aug 2021]

1 year 5 months

That's how long it has been since the first COVID patient was diagnosed in Myanmar (or Burma). 

And 7 months is how long the country was in chaos in the military took over.

Undeterred by these situations, we have stuck around at our home. 

Come August 2021, Mister's visa was expiring and despite trying to renew multiple times, our efforts were in vain. With the nightly raids by the military, even in the big city like Yangon, we didn't dare to overstay without proper visa and Form C documents. So in the last week of August 2021, we have come to accept the reality that we gotta move country. 

Once we have accepted that fact (which was an agonising and slow process - imagine leaving your home in such horrible circumstances, without slightest hint of when you can return), 

everything else which came after could only be summarised in one word - hectic.