Health Minister Meltdown Over Coronavirus

As part of an initiative and PR stunt last week, Thailand's Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul was at the Siam BTS public transport terminal handing out free face masks to commuters using the Bangkok Skytrain. Apparently some foreign tourists did not accept or wear the masks which led to a derogatory outburst making statement that it was all "farangs" refusing and "that's something the embassys should be notified about". Further more the minister went on to suggest they "should be kicked out".

For those of you that are unaware the word farang (falong) is a term used generally and rather rudely to describe fair skinned tourists from Europe of North America. Most of us find it rather insulting, no modern human enjoys being generalized or racially profiled.

The Minister was later quoted saying "They (farang) don't care about the big picture and these tourists are in the country. We're giving the masks to them and they still refuse."

The frustration of Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is understandable. These are trying times and he is responsible for the health and health education of the people in Thailand. However when a large portion of these issues could have been avoided through proper health precautions over the last two months, combined with better public health education, I think we should all have little sympathy. It would seem the minister is looking for a simple solution to a very complicated problem.

The World Health Organization (WHO) state the following in regards to wearing a face mask when it comes to the transmission of the virus:

Wearing medical masks when not indicated may cause unnecessary cost, procurement burden and create a false sense of security that can lead to neglecting other essential measures such as hand hygiene practices. Furthermore, using a mask incorrectly may hamper its effectiveness to reduce the risk of transmission.

So giving out free masks is great but according to WHO the person wearing it needs to know how to effectively use the mask. This includes things like not having facial hair, making sure the mask fits and of course they still need to practice proper hygiene when it comes to keeping clean. Now I don't know about any of you, but I find it very rare to find a sink in a washroom in Thailand that has warm water. I also see street vendors constantly cross contaminating food. Clearly the idea of the masks is as the WHO suggests, to allow for a false sense of security.

The most effective way to deal with these viruses, as anyone who comes from a country where the Flu virus is a daily winter routine is really simple. Start teaching the people proper hygiene. Show them how to was their hands properly in warm water with soap, the good old 30 second rule. Teach them to disinfect high contact surfaces like door knobs, light switches and hand rails regularly. Now I know I am just a stupid farang but this all seems to work well in our homes.

Another thing that would greatly help is if in the future, a health risk was taken more seriously. Immigration officials report that 1,004,067 Chinese passengers arrived in Thailand between January 1 – February 6. 23,933 of those arrivals were from Wuhan. Sure people were screened at the airport for fever but it has been reported that the virus does not display symptoms in everyone in the same way. A fever is easily kept at bay with some cold medication and not many people will cancel a holiday over feeling a little sick. There was a warning out about the virus and it was ignored in order to bring in that Chinese tourist money and now the tourism industry in Thailand is suffering a great deal.

In the past 2 years Thailand has made it more difficult for non-Asian tourists to stay here. The atmosphere has changed from great full that we holiday and stay here to we are lucky we are allowed to. Now it looks like we are going to be the blame for spreading of a virus that originated in China and should never have been allowed here to begin with. I for one am growing a bit tired of this attitude and I know many other people who have in the past year changed where they holiday as a result.

If you do decide to come to Thailand during this tourist season and are from Europe or North America I don't think you will have a lot to fear when it comes to the Coronavirus. For us its just another flu and as long as you maintain your typical hygiene standards like you would at home you should be fine. Avoid busy areas and don't walk behind some Asian that's hacking and coughing on their way down the street, even if they are wearing a mask. There is no guarantee the masks will help if they are not worn properly and there is more emphasis being put on wearing a mask than how to use it.

For more interesting articles about experiences around Thailand, Southeast Asia and more check out my profile. Once again thank you for reading and for your support. I hope you have enjoyable and safe travels wherever you may go.