The steady decline of Covid-19 cases in recent weeks has raised hopes that the country may eventually curb the outbreak that has ravaged the world.
As of yesterday, almost 1.6 million had been infected with coronavirus, with more than 95,000 deaths worldwide. In Thailand, the number of new cases had seemed to soar in recent times before slowing down.
Our relative success is attributed to a swath of stringent measures implemented by the Prayut Chan-o-cha government, which on April 2 declared a state of emergency. Those measures have intensified, with a partial curfew and public transport curbs, while local administrative agencies started to lock down the provinces. The government has promoted a work-from-home policy, and local authorities have made great strides in fighting against the pandemic. There is no place for complacency.
Over the past 10 days, the infection rate has seen a satisfactory diminution, from over a hundred daily in the past two weeks to 54 new cases yesterday. The death rate seems under control, at one to three a day.
Previously, health authorities warned the infection rate this month could hit the five-digit mark, with thousands dying if Thais refused to cooperate and ignored the stay-at-home advice. Today the news is relatively good with the number of cases dropping. But new worries emerged last Friday when 158 Thai returnees arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport, causing a commotion on the way. Several returnees were from at-risk areas in Europe and Asia, sparking quite the scare when it seemed they had been able to slip the quarantine regime.
More importantly, cluster infections in some groups, including 42 out of 76 Muslims who had returned from religious services in Indonesia despite fit-to-fly documents and completion of a 14-day quarantine before departing, caused super-spreader hysteria.
The Muslim pilgrims, mostly are residents of the three sounthernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat, form one-fifth of Covid-19 patients. Quite a few are also in Satun, which has resulted in this province losing its Covid-19-free status.
There are lessons to be learned from the Suvarnabhumi airport incident on April 2, the first day the curfew took effect. A lack of coordination among state agencies caused confusion that left returnees in the lurch for several hours.
On top of that, many were unaware of state-quarantine due to the short notice of the state order, which resulted in them storming out of the airport. Then the witchhunt began. Luckily, everyone is now under state quarantine as arranged by the government.
The CCSA has provided statistics on those currently facing strict quarantine. Among them are four out of six who were infected after returning from Italy, with 50 more under investigation (PUI); 47 infections out of 132 pilgrims from Malaysia and 1,000 PUI; 51 out of 83 people infected from two pilgrimage trips to Indonesia and more than 500 PUI; and four infections, with one death, from those returning from the UK.
High infection rates among returnees prompted the government to ban inbound flights until April 18. This is to delay the arrival of more than 15,000 Thais wishing to return home via air and land travel. Following the advice of health authorities, the government agreed to limit the number of returnees to 200 per day.
This is a challenge, as at least 10,000 Thais have been waiting at Thai-Malaysian border points for a chance to come home.
Thais abroad are a diverse group. Some are workers, other exchange students, and several are trapped in hotspots. Delayed returns, caused by state measures, have caused agony for both them and their families, prompting pleas to the government for help.
In this time of a pandemic, there should be no discrimination. And in this case the would-be returnees are Thais. The door home should not be shut on them.
Those who have returned to the country must do their best to help contain the disease, giving their full cooperation to the state. Measures under the emergency decree may strip their freedom of movement, albeit temporarily, but this is necessary as it has proven an efficient means of dealing with the crisis.
At the same time, the government needs to maintain stringent measures, not allowing any loopholes. We are at war with the virus; just one mistake may cause enormous damages that cannot be reversed.
It's important to prevent the emergence of further super spreaders. In the case of returnees, if one of them sparks a mass outbreak that resulted from state leniency, the stigma for the infected will deepen.
This must not be allowed to happen.