How Thailand turned the tide on COVID-19

30/10/2020

The article from TIME online 

The fear was palpable. The predictions were dire. In early January, Thailand detected the first case outside China of a new, highly transmissible and deadly coronavirus (COVID-19) with no known cure. The Kingdom is a favorite destination for Chinese tourists: nearly 11 million visited in 2019, and in January 2020 alone, over 7,000 arrived from Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. Public health professionals diagnosed Thailand as a country poised for disaster. 

That disaster never happened. Today, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations and global health experts are praising Thailand for preventing COVID-19 from becoming an epidemic. Since January, the Kingdom of over 69 million people has recorded fewer than 3,600 infections, 59 deaths, and just one locally transmitted case in over 100 days. Journalists, economists and analysts have been advancing theories about how Thailand succeeded in stopping the virus. Some credited lockdowns and border closures. Others point to widespread mask-wearing. More than one wondered if it could just be luck. continue reading