On November 18th a government official announced that Thailand's Prime Minister, Dictator, Songwriter and a man of many words Prayut Chan-o-cha approved the extension of the nationwide state of emergency through January 15th, 2021, to prevent a resurgence in coronavirus infections during the peak New Year's travel period and to help the authorities to enforce mandatory quarantines and streamline disease-control plans. The emergency was imposed during March 2020 and gives Prayut Chan-o-cha sweeping powers, including a ban on large gatherings that prevents anti-government protests.

When Myanmar authorities closed the 1G1 Hotel in Myanmar's border town of Tachileik on November 24th due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic there, it took only a few days for the virus to appear in Thailand, brought in by Thais working in the establishments of the infamous party hotel complex. According to security officers, they entered Thailand 'illegally' to avoid quarantine. For their transport, they used Nok Air, Thai Smile, and Thai Lion Air as well as public transport such as buses and taxis. Later, the authorities had to admit that the 'refugees' were using official crossings, but at the very time when a 'shift change' was taking place. Thailand collects an entry fee of 1'800 Baht from Thai citizens entering the country from abroad, but it is said that more or less of this money often ends up in the pockets of corrupt border officials. The hotel complex employs several hundred Thais who, having lost their jobs, are now all trying to return home more or less quickly and cheaply. After the Corona diseases were reported, the authorities rushed to reassure the public that they had not detected any further transmissions during their tests of the 'refugees' and that they had the matter firmly under control. We now know that this was not the case. The virus needed only a few days to infect dozens of visitors and vendors at one of the country's largest shrimp market in Samut Sakhon. Because the market is a workplace for hundreds of migrants from Myamar, who live crammed into inhumane housings, it was easy for the virus to spread rapidly, giving authorities the opportunity to blame immigrants for the nationwide spread of Covid-19. As of December 31st, the time of writing, local infections were reported in 51 (of 73) provinces. According to independent observers, corrupt public officials are primarily responsible for the new wave of local Covid-19 cases. On December 25th, Pol. Gen. Damrongsak Kittiprapat, a Royal Thai Police deputy commissioner, admitted that human-smuggling mainly happened through the border in Kanchanaburi, Chiang Rai, Tak, Chanthaburi and Trat provinces.

Dr Banyat Jetanajan, a Democrat member of the House of Representatives for Rayong province, said on December 27th that Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Deputy PM General Prawit Wongsuwan and Interior Minister General Anupong Paochinda must take responsibility for letting gambling dens exist in Rayong, which had led to the infection among local people. He added that I have raised the issue of gambling dens in Rayong for discussion in Parliament meetings many times, so I believe the PM and related ministries must be aware of the problem. Nevertheless, Police Major General Paphatdet Ketphan of Rayong provincial police clarified the very same day that there were no gambling dens in Rayong but rather was a domestic place that was operated for illegal gambling activities. According to him only 7 people from a domestic gambling place, not den, were found positive for Covid-19, not 36 as claimed by several media channels yesterday but the number has reached 36 patients from transmission of the seven patients. The police commander added that we inspected this venue following rumors on social media and found no gambling activities. We believe it is only a warehouse. But on December 28th Thailand's National Police Chief Pol Gen Suwat Jangyodsuk has transferred the Rayong police chief, Pol Maj Gen Paphatdet Ketphan, to an inactive post at the Royal Thai Police Office over the surge in Covid-19 infections in the province, all linked to an 'illegal casino'. Later in the day, the National Police Chief signed another order to transfer four more police officers in Rayong after the 'gambling den' became a hotspot for Covid-19. On December 31st Thailand's Royal Thai Police announced that Chonburi Provincial Police Commander Major General Prakan Prajongthat has been moved to the Royal Thai Police Headquarters Operations Center following a cluster of Covid-19 infections in the province, many stemming from alleged illegal gambling establishments. In Bangkok the head of Thung Song Hong police station and four other senior police officials at the station have been transferred, following a crackdown on a major illegal casino in their jurisdiction. It seems that Thailand's Police are taking every opportunity to improve their income. A 45-year-old carpark staff for the ('non existing') gambling den in Rayong's city center died on December 28th morning, a day after he tested positive for the coronavirus. January 4th, 2021: Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, Thailand's Minister of Defence and the man of 'borrowed' luxury watches, confirmed today that according to him no illegal gambling dens were believed to be in Bangkok. January 5th, 2021: National police chief Suwat Chaengyodsuk admits he's aware of illegal gambling dens in Bangkok, despite an assertion by Deputy PM Prawit yesterday that there are none .... January 6th, 2021: Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan insists he NEVER said there were no gambling dens in Bangkok (despite having said exactly that on Monday). Gen. Prawit told reporters it's the job of the police to ensure there will be no illegal gambling operations. Bad luck: News reporters recorded his statement in a video and thus exposed the liar.

The Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) informed the country's citizens that on December 26th, 2020, the Vibhavadi Hospital in Bangkok Bang Khen announced its offer of Covid-19 vaccines (from from Astra Zeneca) at 4'000 Baht/person for the first 1'000 customers who made reservations before January 31st, 2020. Dr Thares Krainairawiwong from the Department of Health Service Support said that the FDA has not permitted any healthcare operator to provide Covid-19 vaccine to patients and such an advertisement by the hospital could be an exaggeration. The Department has contacted the hospital and ordered them to take down the advertisement He added that the FDA will launch an investigation into the hospital for possible violation of Health Facility Act BE 2541 under Section 38 Paragraph 1, for posting an unauthorised advertisement, and Section 38 Paragraph 2, for providing false or exaggerated information that could lead to misunderstanding about the health facility's operations. According to the advertisemwnt, the hospital initially charged 4'000 Baht to book the vaccine, which the hospital said is due to arrive in Thailand in October 2021. The price of the vaccine itself, according to the hospital, is expected to be 6'000-10'000 Baht. As of 28 December, the website directing visitors to their vaccine booking system could no longer be accessed. FYI: The European Union (EU) is buying the vaccine from University of Oxford/AstraZeneca for 1.78 Euro (67 Baht).

According to Thailand's Ministry of Digital Economy and Society more than one in five activities carried out on the internet involves a financial transaction of some kind. E-banking is convenient, but risky at the same time. In early December 2020 29 Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) customers received an SMS after they contacted SCB's call centre. The SMS told them to send back their 13-digit ID number and a one-time password (OTP). The scammers then reportedly used the ID number and OTP to sign up to a mobile banking app which they used to transfer funds from the victims' accounts. On December 14th, all 29 victims filed complaints with the Police Cyber Taskforce (PCT), and its chief, Pol Maj Gen Phanthana Nutchanart, pledged a full investigation. To our information, SCB is the only bank that allows the use of its mobile app on more than one device. The scamers used this special feature. The bank denied any involvement or data breach on its part. The police is investigating and on December 18th already arrested suspects from at least three groups linked with fraud.

The four extended Government Holidays are

• Chinese New Year on February 12th
• Songkran extra day on April 12th
• Substitution day for Buddhist Lent on July 27th
• Mahidol Day on September 24th

These holidays will mostly apply to civil servants. The new dates will give them a whopping 24 days off in the year!

There have been 61'662 cases of dengue fever in Thailand with 41 deaths in the first 9½ months of this year. While Thailand seems to have the corona virus under control, the situation with dengue fever, another viral disease, is extremely worrying in the Kingdom. Thailand's Public Health Officials advise people to make sure that there is no standing water around their homes, as this is a breeding ground for mosquitoes carrying the dengue virus.

October 11th: Mae Hong Son province in northern Thailand has reported the highest incidence by far with nearly 500 per 100'000 population. This is followed by Rayong, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chaiyaphum and Chainat provinces.

On January 13th, 2021, Thailand's Bureau of Epidemiology reported 71'292 total dengue fever cases in 2020, including 51 deaths. The provinces with the highest incidence include Mae Hong Son, Rayong, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chaiyaphum and Chainat.

Another dangerous virus in this area is the Chikungunya virus. It is spread to people by the bite of an infected mosquito. The most common symptoms of infection are fever and joint pain. Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, or rash. The Chikungunya virus was found for the first time in the Americas on islands in the Caribbean in late 2013. The virus was imported by infected travellers into new areas such as Thailand. Currently there is no vaccine for prevention or medication to treat a Chikungunya virus infection.

October 16th: Health officials in Thailand are reporting 10'101 chikungunya cases in 72 provinces through October 5th. No deaths have been reported so far.

Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than 40°C, cough, runny nose, and inflamed eyes. Small white spots may form inside the mouth two or three days after the start of symptoms. A red, flat rash which usually starts on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body typically begins three to five days after the start of symptoms. Measles is an airborne disease which spreads easily from one person to the next through the coughs and sneezes of infected people. No specific treatment is available but the measles vaccine is effective at preventing the disease and is exceptionally safe. Through May 2nd, Thailand has seen 765 measles cases in 55 provinces. Narathiwat, Chiang Rai, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phuket and Chiang Mai have been hardest hit by the measles.

Thailand's Bureau of Epidemiology, Department of Disease Control at the Ministry of Public Health reported 340 Streptococcus suis cases through December 22nd, 2020. The ministry also reported 12 deaths related to the infection. Streptococcus suis infection tends to occur sporadically especially in high risk regions due to a risky behavior of eating local favorite food, i.e. raw pork with fresh blood (known as Lahp-moo) and close contact with pigs with no proper personal protection. The provinces with the highest incidence include Uttaradit, Phichit, Phayao, Kamphaeng Phet and Lampang.

• Wash your hands with a good soap.
  Hands are one of the most common ways that a virus spreads from one person to the next.
  Most viruses and some bacteria have lipid membranes that resemble double-layered micelles. These membranes are studded with important proteins that allow viruses to infect cells and perform vital tasks that keep bacteria alive.
  These lipid (fatty) bilayer are the weakest link of a virus.
  When you wash your hands with soap and water, you surround any microorganisms on your skin with soap molecules. Soap dissolves the fat membrane and the virus falls apart.
• The coronavirus is spread from person to person when someone with the virus coughs or sneezes. So people in close contact are at high risk.
  The influenza virus is spread in a similar way. A study shows when healthcare workers are within 1.8 metres of patients with influenza, their risk of being infected is increased.
  We therefore recommend to stay away from mass gatherings and to keep a distance of 2 meters to other people.
  Nowadays this behaviour is called social distancing and is a tool to slow down the spread of a disease that is passed on from person to person.
• There have been reported outbreaks of COVID-19 in some closed settings, such as restaurants, nightclubs, places of worship or places of work where people may be shouting, talking, or singing.
  In these outbreaks, aerosol transmission, particularly in these indoor locations where there are crowded and inadequately ventilated spaces where infected persons spend long periods of time with others, cannot be ruled out.
  Aerosols are very small droplets that can contain the COVID-19 virus and are able to stay suspended in the air for longer periods of time.
• A virus can not enter your body throught the skin. The virus get into your body through your eyes, nose or throat.
  Therefore it is important to protect your eyes, nose and mouth, at least if you are one of those people who likes to touch the face with the hands.
  Keep in mind, that the average person touches the face 23 times per hour.
• Avoid the polite but unsanitary greeting by shaking hands.
  Rather nod your head or use the WAI that is common in Thailand.
• Do not kiss your partner or any other people
• Refrain from sex or use a condom!
• Wear a face mask and/or a face shield
• Stay at home - and wait for better times!