Covid success coming at a heavy pricePrime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha gestures as he talks with vendors in a market in Rayong as the province is gripped by fear over a second Covid-19 wave following a recent visit by an infected Egyptian airman. By presiding over a public mindset of "zero" local virus infections, the government raised unrealistic expectations at a high price. Local outrage at the Egyptian and Sudanese infections and potential spread also stem from the price of quarantine. Foreign talent and direct investment connected to the Eastern Economic Corridor and Thailand 4.0 projects should be at the forefront. The alternative is to maintain single-digit or zero infections in a relatively autarkic economy with lost jobs, corporate bankruptcies, non-performing-loans, and diminished and dimming prospects for local livelihoods.

Source: Bangkok Post July 16, 2020 23:15 UTC