Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, basically it is kind of an opinion piece, my issue in this video is "normalization of PCR testing for travel'.

I will go ahead and read an excerpt that got thinking about this article is called: Unpopular Thailand Pass entry rules may end. I certainly hope that this article's title comes to pass. I think it would be a good thing for Thailand especially the tourism sector if the Thailand Pass was scrapped entirely. Quoting directly: "The Thai Tourism Ministry has indicated that Thailand may simplify the rules of entry as early as July 1. This is the provisional date when Bangkok authorities may reclassify the Coronavirus pandemic as an epidemic." (I think they meant endemic, but I will leave that there) Quoting further: "The principal advantage would be to end pre-authorization for vacationers and enable them to fly to Thailand armed with only their documents: passport, air ticket and a negative Pre Flight RT-PCR test result."

Well I thought your travel documents, if things are going back to normal, are just your passport and your air ticket. I have just got to say, and I have seen this in other articles, I was it sort of mentioned just nonchalantly in the Bangkok Post; I saw it mentioned nonchalantly in an international publication I was reading a couple of weeks ago and off the top of my head, I have to admit I can't remember which one exactly, I read a lot. But there just seems to be this kind of: "oh yeah, yeah we are normalizing so all you need is your PCR test, your passport and your air ticket." Well why? If this thing is endemic; if it is no longer the major issue we thought it was, why do we need that? Moreover and let's not forget this, I really found this concerning. People have absolutely just overlooked the fact that medical privacy is a thing. Documentation pertaining to one's medical status is generally private. It is protected by Doctor-Patient confidentiality and in some cases in a legal sense, Doctor-Patient privilege. Why, and before I ask this question or I should say my question is: "Why are we just willy-nilly going around requiring people's personal medical data in order to just live their lives?" Well the answer is because this whole thing started and we were upset about it. We didn't know what was going on and these rules were implemented. But if the "threat" is gone, isn't it time to roll back all of this and say okay we are not going to do that anymore. I don't understand why this overall PCR testing is being, and really these are not an un-invasive test. PCR testing, I have often euphemistically described as being "stabbed in the head" but I mean you are poking and prodding around up there. It is not anything particularly simple and moreover, there are other publications out there that talk about "yes there is DNA on these tests." I mean there is a lot of information, personal, medical information that is being transmitted during these tests and okay I am not going to say I agreed with doing it in the first place, but I understood the argument. I can no longer understand the argument if it is now being stated that "okay this is no longer the threat so presumably therefore then we don't need to do this anymore!" So I am really hoping cooler heads prevail and we are not going to be dealing with this ad infinitum in the future.