Corona Update #4 (COVID-19): King Power and Little Ghosts

I know it hasn't been so long, but lately, I've decided to try to update you all with more of the important Thai news, and the Coronavirus is really all that anyone is talking about these days! Not much has changed, but there have been a few important news stories which have come out in the past week. Besides that, the virus is actively affecting my travel plans, and I'm not at all happy about that!

Previous post: https://michaeldesrosiers.blogspot.com/2020/02/wuhan-coronavirus-update-3.html

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Thailand has almost miraculously kept its number of infections at just 40, with 31 full recoveries and the rest in good condition. The virus seems to dislike the warm weather, and isn't spreading hardly at all in Southeast Asia (which has the most contact with China), India (which has a huge population and lots of trade with China), or Africa (which has trade with China and fewer medical resources than other parts of the world). This may be really good news, signifying that the virus may likely die out by springtime.

Unfortunately, Thailand has also had its first death from the Coronavirus. A 35 year-old retail worker from a popular department store has sadly passed away from the virus. At such a young age, people are understandably worried. However, the man was also in intensive care from a terrible case of Dengue Fever at the time. King Power Department Store is closed for the time being.

• https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1869104/thailand-records-first-coronavirus-death

The bigger news is the repatriation of the 5,000 illegally undocumented Thai laborers who have been rounded up and deported from South Korea, the nation currently suffering from the second-worse case of Coronavirus (after China, of course). There is a big push from the conservative Thai elite to quarantine the "phi noi" on an island for 14 days after their return to the kingdom, as the Thai citizens airlifted from Wuhan were made to do. Honestly, a two-week tropical vacation in Thailand isn't such a bad deal! The undocumented workers were offered amnesty under a new program by the Korean government, and voluntarily elected to return to Thailand.

• https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1870164/returning-little-ghosts-face-quarantine

In personal news, I have a "visa run" coming up, and Thailand has added several new countries to the list of countries which the kingdom is currently quarantining. While the quarantine is still elective, I don't want to get caught abroad if things suddenly change. The current list (as of March 3) of countries includes China, Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Italy, Iran, Germany and France. I was originally planning on taking a visa run in Vietnam, but due to the increasing rate of infection there, I've decided to delay that trip. I'm instead considering Laos or Malaysia, both of which I can reach by train, avoiding the airports. I will keep you posted on my decision in a month or so, as soon as it's time for me to get a new visa.

a sign at my local skytrain station

My Chinese students have begun their semester a bit late, though all of their classes are being taught online for at least the next month. My regular student told me that she actually quite likes it, because she can wear her pajamas, have a snack, and enjoy a cup of tea during class! They still have their morning assembly and sing the national anthem every day, but all of their classes are held in virtual classrooms in what China is calling the "cloud school". I think that is a very creative 21st-century solution to a really severe problem! Fortunately, Thai schools are already closed for the semester holiday.

The truth is, the Coronavirus has been really good for business. Now, many students in China and South Korea are being kept home from school or work, and what better to do than to study English?