New York Times has just published an article from Phuket.
“Phuket, one of Thailand’s top tourist havens, had an ambitious plan to reopen to the world this summer. But with a spike in cases, the island’s desperate situation is unlikely to end anytime soon.
But Thailand is now gripped by its worst Covid-19 outbreak since the pandemic began, spread in part by well-heeled Thais who partied in Phuket and Bangkok with no social distancing. The confirmed daily caseload — albeit low by global standards — has increased from 26 on April 1 to more than 2,000 three weeks later, this in a country that had about 4,000 total cases in early December.
For months, Thailand’s strict quarantines, lockdowns, border vigilance and rigorous use of masks kept the virus at bay, although the economy suffered. But even as the last couple of weeks have brought repeated daily caseload highs, the Thai government is reacting slowly.
In early April, as cases began to mount, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha reacted with a verbal shrug.
“Whatever happens, happens,” he said.
