Reflecting on Covid

Going backward in time for a moment, it was pretty interesting going through the Narita and Bangkok airports, as all the shops were closed in each location due to Covid, and they seemed abandoned; in Narita my first thought that I must be in the wrong area because there were just so few people in the whole terminal, and no action going on. Bangkok airport was busier but still controlled with Covid.

On my flights from MPS and Dallas, both, operated by American Airlines, we were repeatedly reminded of mask mandates; flight attendants gave frequent reminders to reapply masks, even more than for seatbelts. Between Narita and Bangkok, we were reminded of seatbelts more, perhaps because masks were assumed.

A quick search for Covid information on Google gives the following data for the three countries for December 22nd:

USA 7-day avg. 171.5k new cases, 1,352 deaths; 73% 1-dose vaccinated (population 330 million people);

Thailand 7-day avg. 2,969 new cases, 30 deaths, 72.3% 1-dose vaccinated (population 70 million people);

Japan 7-day avg. 171 new cases, 1 (one) death, 79.7% 1-dose vaccinated (population 126 million people);

 

Some observations on current/ongoing Covid restrictions in place in Thailand:

-The Thai government requires (at least encourages) mask wearing for everyone when walking outside.

-Temperature checks at the entry of each business; if a business wants to open, they must purchase a temperature checking machine.

-Masks required in cars with two or more occupants (articles I see online state this is a restriction for Bangkok (population: 10.7 million), but Pishcha assures me it’s in effect for the entire country).

-For camping in Khao Yai National Park (where we spent two nights) proof of vaccination and negative Covid test within the past 72 hours (Pishcha brought her own test and mine was valid from my arrival quarantine but the park sells them, too).

-In Pishcha’s hometown (quite a rural village) several residences were cordoned off with red rope and a sign for the start/end of a quarantine period where someone at the residence tested positive for Covid (think of HIPAA rules in the USA).

-Visiting Pishcha’s hometown the past two days (quite a rural area), she was concerned that locals would see me and make trouble for us (ask a lot of questions, involve authorities, etc). We planned to get a few thins at a convenience store (ended up not needing to) and she asked that I stay in the car to avoid trouble.

-Though my trip can continue as normal, Thailand has suspended the “no quarantine entry” program for foreigners (aka, “Thailand Pass”) after just a couple months of implementation (I still must take one more Covid test and report the results in order to finish out this trip).

Checking my temperature at the hotel in Buri Ram; it was 36C. I'm not sure what happens if it's too high.

The two of us looking awesome in front of some Khmer ruins, Pishcha prefers to keep her mask on a lanyard around her neck for quick access.