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The public is now being advised to only wear face masks if they are (1) caring for someone believed to have the virus or (2) If you are coughing or sneezing. The graphic below appears in an article that also describes the Thai government’s new investigation into the availability of masks in the country. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1871804/mask-shortage-sparks-supply-chain-

Comparative risk per 100,000 population: number of cases South Korea. 9.39 China. 6.02 Italy. 3.36 Singapore 1.86 Taiwan 1.74 Hong Kong. 1.38 Iran 1.18 Random others: France 0.29 Japan 0.21 Germany 0.18 Malaysia 0.11 Thailand 0.06 United States 0.02 Vietnam 0.02

Risk is usually represented by incidence per 100,000 population Assessing risk by number of cases or number of deaths is an irregular measurement for purpose of relative comparison In any case, why not make a list of top 9 instead of top 10?

Aside from common sense, probably not.

From CNN The surgeon general wants Americans to stop buying face masks The United States' top doctor has one simple request: Stop buying face masks. US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams' message, posted to Twitter on Saturday, was a response to face mask shortages as people stocked up due to coronavirus concerns. "Seriously people," he began, and though it's a tweet, you can almost hear the exasperation in his plea. "STOP BUYING MASKS!" They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can't get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!" he continued. Washing your hands, staying home when sick and other "everyday preventive actions" are the best protections, Adams said. He urged people to get a flu shot, as fewer flu patients means more resources to fight the coronavirus. The tweet comes during what has become a mask boom. With coronavirus popping up in the United States, some have begun buying face masks as a form of protection, despite the likes of the US Centers for Disease Control and Preventionand Vice President Mike Pence saying they're unnecessary. And, like Adams points out, if these masks run out, they won't be available to the medical professionals who are at the highest risk for disease transmission. Dr. William Schaffner, a preventive medicine professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, told CNN the rush to buy masks is a "psychological thing." "The coronavirus is coming, and we feel rather helpless," he said Saturday. "By getting masks and wearing them, we move the locus of control somewhat to ourselves." Meanwhile, stores across the country have run out of masks. As for online shipments, many orders have been pushed back. The CDC recommends the following to prevent the spread of any respiratory disease: Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Stay home from school or work when you are sick. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. If soap and water are unavailable, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/29/health/face-masks-coronavirus-surgeon-general-trnd/index.html

Here’s what Khor Tose said above: “BS then and now. Now you get to come back on and troll away, and produce all kinds of things as "proof", and I am positive enough idiots of this site will defend you and damn me for calling a fake a fake. You are definitely on the right board. Troll away and good luck. KT out.“ That surely qualifies as offensive and derogatory over-generalizations on Khor Tose’s part. You seem to be advocating for one standard to be applied to OP’s posts and a different one to Khor Tose posts.

Babe was to Moonlight what Mekhin was to Tawan. Devotees will always associate these superstars with these bars long after they’ve moved on.

Khor Tose Gender:Male Location:Seattle/Chiang Mai Interests:Married to a Thai-together for 10+_ years as of 09/2019 So your decade long marriage to a Thai has worked out well for you. By your reasoning, however, this guy Schuft (who desires the same thing) has to be a fraud of the first order? You’ve had a hard on for this guy going on three years. What’s up with that?

From Bangkok Post Vendor nabbed for overpriced masks A vendor was arrested on Friday for selling face masks at an inflated price during a check on shops in the Government Complex after authorities received complaints. The vendor, identified only as Maneerat, was charged with violating price-control regulations. Face masks and hand-sanitising gel were categorised as specially controlled goods after demand skyrocketed amid fears of the Covid-19 outbreak. Ms Maneerat, who reportedly sold a pack of five masks at 100 baht, may face a jail term of seven years and/or a fine of up to 140,000 baht. The suspect admitted to selling packs at 100 baht each, but said the cost price was high and she could not sell them for any less. Not far from her shop, people were queuing up outside a Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) shop, where packs of 10 masks were sold at 10 baht each. The sale is limited to one pack per person, and the stock is sold out in minutes. Whichai Phochanakij, director-general of the Internal Trade Department, said the department will soon sell face mask packs of four at 10 baht each via convenience stores nationwide. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1868049/vendor-nabbed-for-overpriced-masks

For those of us stupid enough to check our investment holdings the past few days, the pain is almost everywhere. But we might take heart in the history of recovery times from corrections and bear market setbacks from the past. All good things to those who wait. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/27/heres-how-long-stock-market-corrections-last-and-how-bad-they-can-get.html

PeterRS said: But I certainly wouldnt be relying on any advice or quotes made here. Do your own research and make up your own mind. Its your life, after all. In fact, I think this thread can end up being misleading. I suggest it is closed. ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————- I believe it’s by reading differing points of view that we can better arrive at an informed opinion. Precluding opposing views limits our options. From BBC Science Focus How long can a virus live outside a body? It's enough to make you sick! Viruses can be stubborn little blighters to get rid of. Viruses can live for a surprisingly long time outside of a body, depending on conditions such as moisture and temperature. They tend to live longer on water-resistant surfaces, such as stainless steel and plastics. A cold virus can sometimes survive on indoor surfaces for several days, although its ability to cause infection drops dramatically over time. Flu viruses can survive in the air for several hours, especially at lower temperatures, and on hard surfaces they can survive and remain infectious for 24 hours. Enteric viruses, such as norovirus (pictured) and hepatitis A, can survive for weeks on a surface if conditions are suitable. The norovirus is known for causing sickness outbreaks in schools, cruise ships and hospitals. https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/how-long-can-a-virus-live-outside-a-body/

From Bloomberg News How to Avoid Coronavirus on Flights: Forget Masks, Says Top Airline Doctor Forget face masks and rubber gloves. The best way to avoid the coronavirus is frequent hand washing, according to a medical adviser to the world’s airlines. The virus can’t survive long on seats or armrests, so physical contact with another person carries the greatest risk of infection on a flight, said David Powell, a physician and medical adviser to the International Air Transport Association. Masks and gloves do a better job of spreading bugs than stopping them, he said. As concern mounts about the scale of the outbreak, carriers from United Airlines Holdings Inc. to Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. have scrapped thousands of flights to China. Here is an edited transcript from an interview with Powell. IATArepresents about 290 airlines and more than 80% of global air traffic. Q: Is there a risk of becoming contaminated with the virus on a plane? A: The risk of catching a serious viral infection on an aircraft is low. The air supply to a modern airliner is very different from a movie theater or an office building. The air is a combination of fresh air and recirculated air, about half each. The recirculated air goes through filters of the exact same type that we use in surgical operating theaters. That supplied air is guaranteed to be 99.97% (or better) free of viruses and other particles. So the risk, if there is one, does not come from the supplied air. It comes from other people. Q: What are the chances of getting the virus by touching the seats, armrest or any of the objects on a plane? A: Viruses and other microbes like to live on living surfaces like us. Just shaking hands with somebody will be a greater risk by far than some dry surface that has no biological material on it. The survival of viruses on surfaces isn’t great, so it’s believed that normal cleaning, and then the extra cleaning in the event that someone was discovered to be contagious, is the appropriate procedure. Will people stop getting together inside an airplane? I would respond by asking: Will I stop going to the movies, or sports games, or concerts or conferences? I don’t think so. Q: What’s important if you are on a plane to ensure you don’t get infected? A: Hand hygiene -- because contrary to what people think, the hands are the way that these viruses most efficiently spread. Top of the list is frequent hand washing, hand sanitizing, or both. Avoid touching your face. If you cough or sneeze, it’s important to cover your face with a sleeve. Better yet, a tissue to be disposed of carefully, and then sanitizing the hands afterward. Washing your hands and drying them is the best procedure. When that’s not easy to do, alcohol-based sanitizer is a good second-best. Q: Does wearing masks and gloves help prevent infections? A: First of all, masks. There’s very limited evidence of benefit, if any, in a casual situation. Masks are useful for those who are unwell to protect other people from them. But wearing a mask all the time will be ineffective. It will allow viruses to be transmitted around it, through it and worse still, if it becomes moist it will encourage the growth of viruses and bacteria. Gloves are probably even worse, because people put on gloves and then touch everything they would have touched with their hands. So it just becomes another way of transferring micro-organisms. And inside the gloves, your hands get hot and sweaty, which is a really good environment for microbes to grow. Continues at https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-06/want-to-avoid-virus-forget-face-masks-top-airline-doctor-says

From South China Morning Post NGOs striving to clear Cambodia’s minefields are giving opportunities to local men and women, including landmine survivors and female labourers Six years ago, Soy Kossal stepped on a landmine as he walked along a well-trodden path to his fields in Battambang province in northwestern Cambodia. The force blew off his right leg, leaving the 28-year-old part-time carpenter a cripple, with no immediate hope of being able to support his wife and family. His tale is all the more tragic because it was an occurrence so regular as to be almost unremarkable in Cambodia. “I was so depressed. I was ashamed and isolated myself from everyone. I didn’t want to live. People were telling my wife she should get a divorce,” says Soy Kossal. Luckily his wife, Kolab, paid no heed to the doomsayers, helped him to overcome the trauma and encouraged him to seek other employment. Furnished with a prosthetic, Soy Kassal found a job as a deminer with a charity, and promptly took on a new lease of life. ”It took me a long time to cope with the emotional struggle,” he says. “I knew I had to continue to support my family, but at the same time I didn’t want other people to suffer the same fate that I did. I want to clear all the mines in the country, every single one.” Soy Kossal is one of thousands of innocent victims – estimated at 64,000 – who have fallen foul of unexploded ordnance (UXO), a hideous legacy of the conflict that ravaged Cambodia late last century. There’s now a hospital in Battambang that treats anyone injured by UXO for free – though there’s no shortage of victims lining up for service. One of the biggest minefields in the world – a 500-metre (1,600-foot) wide strip dubbed K5 that was laid in a fruitless attempt to forestall Khmer Rouge guerillas – runs for 800km (500 miles) along the Thai-Cambodian border. Continues with photos and video https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3052284/why-job-clearing-cambodias-landmines-giving-locals-chance-improve-their

Ask any waiter at Freshboys. They seem to know what everyone does.....including the punters.

Quite sobering prediction: Lipsitch predicts that within the coming year, some 40 to 70 percent of people around the world will be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. But, he clarifies emphatically, this does not mean that all will have severe illnesses. “It’s likely that many will have mild disease, or may be asymptomatic,” he said. As with influenza, which is often life-threatening to people with chronic health conditions and of older age, most cases pass without medical care. (Overall, about 14 percent of people with influenza have no symptoms.)

When seeking information on how infrared non-contact thermometers work for post above, I read much technical data on the accuracy of readings which can vary with training and experience of user and calibration of device. They are a tool to help identify people who could—or could not— have a fever. But they are not the the basis for diagnosis. If someone has been out in the sun it’s understood that their skin surface temperature is going to be elevated, as Anddy points out. Read that Israel has been so dissatisfied with results of temperature screening at airports that it no longer relies on it. They rely more q and a interview. =============================================== from Reuters Thailand reports three new virus cases, urges disclosure of travel history BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand reported three new cases of a coronavirus on Wednesday, taking total infections to 40, health ministry officials said, criticizing patients for not disclosing their travel history. Two of the new patients, all of whom were Thai nationals, had returned from vacation in Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido and came into contact with the third patient, an 8-year old boy, said Sukhum Kanchanapimai, permanent secretary at the ministry. The male patient had not disclosed his travel history when he first sought medical attention and risked becoming a super-spreader, an incident of large transmission from a single source, health minister Anutin Charnvirakul said. “We have to criticize this case ... it creates a lot of trouble for us,” Anutin said. The patient came to the hospital on Feb. 23, but did not disclose his travel history until the next day, B Care Medical Center said in a statement. The patient came into contact with 30 medical personnel at the hospital, who later tested negative for the virus and are in self-quarantine at home, the statement said. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-thailand-idUSKCN20K0NL

From South China Morning Post Japanese-Korean duo on success and same-sex relationships They strut their stuff during fashion week, are DJs and are always willing to strike a pose in the latest eye-catching trends for Japan’s oshare snappu street photographers, but you don’t have to scratch the surface too hard to discover that Taiki Takahashi and Noah Lee are far more down-to-earth than their public personae might suggest. In many ways, the duo are almost humble about their rise to influencer fame, honest about their ambitions to help others and fiercely protective of their relationship. Given that they come from countries that still have a tendency to look askance at same-sex relationships, perhaps that honesty about their love for one another is one of their biggest achievements to date. continues with photos https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3052034/fashion-models-influencers-lovers-japanese-korean-duo

Every time I see the infrared devices in contact with the skin I cringe. Not only does the opportunity for cross contamination exist, it’s contrary to recommended practice. The following is excerpted from “Non-Contact Thermometers for Detecting Fever: A Review of Clinical Effectiveness” issued by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health. ”non contact thermometers are to be held 15 cm (6 in) away from the patient” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK263237/

Extracted from Airbnb website Extenuating circumstances policy for the coronavirus outbreak Our extenuating circumstances policy covers our hosts and guests with eligible reservations who are being impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. We're closely monitoring official guidance from local governmental and health authorities and the World Health Organization in order to support the health and wellbeing of our community in severely impacted areas. As the situation evolves, we will be continuously evaluating and updating this policy. Re If your trip is covered by the policy, you will have the option to cancel your homes reservation or Airbnb Experience without charge. If you’re traveling from or hosting in a severely impacted area and we can recognize your location and reservation details as outlined below, you may be notified that your reservation automatically qualifies on the reservation details page. If your reservation is eligible under this policy but you do not have a notification, please contact us. Reservations in and guests traveling from mainland China For guests with reservations in mainland China If you’re traveling within mainland China, the extenuating circumstances policy applies to any reservations booked on or before January 28, 2020, with check-in date of April 1, 2020 or earlier. If you’re traveling to mainland China from anywhere outside of mainland China, the extenuating circumstances policy applies to reservations booked on or before February 1, 2020, with check-in date of April 1, 2020 or earlier. For hosts with reservations in mainland China If your guest is traveling from mainland China, the extenuating circumstances policy applies to any reservations booked on or before January 28, 2020, with check-in date of April 1, 2020 or earlier. If your guest is traveling from anywhere outside of mainland China, the extenuating circumstances policy applies to reservations booked on or before February 1, 2020, with check-in date of April 1, 2020 or earlier. For reservations with guests traveling from mainland China to destinations outside of mainland China The extenuating circumstances policy applies to any reservations booked on or before February 1, 2020, with check-in date of April 1, 2020 or earlier. This applies for guests traveling from mainland China with reservations outside of mainland China, or hosts outside of mainland China with guests traveling from mainland China. Other scenarios that require documentation Regardless of reservation date, the extenuating circumstances policy applies to reservations of all global hosts or guests who must change or cancel travel: In order to comply with disease control restrictions implemented by relevant governmental or health authorities; In order to perform medical or disease control duties in connection with the COVID-19 outbreak; As a result of flight or ground transportation cancellations initiated by an airline or ground transportation provider due to the COVID-19 outbreak; In the event that they are diagnosed or suspected of being infected with COVID-19 by a medical or health authority. We ask that all community members be mindful of respect, inclusion, and our nondiscrimination policy when interacting with other members of our community. https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2701/coronavirus-information-and-extenuating-circumstances-policy

This may be one of the few times booking a more expensive but flexible ticket may be the wise option. There’s no way to accurately predict conditions a few months out and the comfort of being able to change or cancel dates with little or no penalty can provide real peace of mind. It’s also a good opportunity to cash in miles for flights and accommodations. Miles generally can be redeposited if your plans change.. A quick check of hotel booking sites shows lots of flexibility in cancellation policies. One strategy is to book a full cancel room for far out dates and if conditions improve as you get nearer, cancel and choose a non-refundable option. Even if you opt for a non-refundable air ticket, airlines will waive change fees if they are responsible for canceling or changing flights. No one I know is more up to speed on the ins and outs of air bookings than PaulSF. So if he posts on the matter, take heed. In any case, it’s encouraging to see that the dwindling number of farangs are now in a position to help bolster the precarious position the bars momentarily find themselves in—and of course of the livelihood of the guys who populate them.

From South China Morning Post Born foreign: in Cambodia, it’s not easy being Vietnamese Chbar Ampov district, on the eastern bank of the Bassac River in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh, is a melting pot of ethnic diversity. Cheerful children play among the winding alleyways, their shouts reverberating off walls carrying colourful graffiti in several different languages. Vietnamese, Khmer and English can be seen on signs advertising the shops and cafes scattered throughout the area, as Vietnamese drinks and spices adorn market shelves. Street sellers pique people’s interest with Vietnamese lottery tickets and multilingual chatter fills the neighbourhood. By a brightly painted church, 25-year-old Dara* checks the engine of his Honda bike. The son of an ethnic Vietnamese Catholic family who live about 50km from Phnom Penh, he is one of 63,000 ethnic Vietnamese in Cambodia, according to a 2013 population survey – though human rights groups say the true number is around four times higher. “I have Cambodian papers. My family had connections with the authorities and got them done for me when I was 12,” said Dara, the only member of his family to have Cambodian citizenship. Around 90 per cent of Cambodia’s ethnic Vietnamese population lack an official means of formal identification, according to the Phnom Penh-based Minority Rights Organisation. And since many cannot get Vietnamese citizenship either, having lived in Cambodia for generations, they are effectively rendered stateless. Continues at https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3051863/born-foreign-cambodia-its-not-easy-being-vietnamese

One question you might want to explore: is there a Thai community anywhere in your vicinity? Sometimes they can be found around large universities or in major cities. Being able to talk Thai with those who share his cultural heritage would be a big help in adjusting to a strange environment. Best of luck to both of you.

From South China Morning Post Singapore ‘idiot’s guide’ to coronavirus crisis control: don’t do it like Hong Kong If you haven’t yet heard that leaked audio clip of Singaporean Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing’s recent rant against “idiots” panic buying masks and stripping store shelves of daily essentials such as rice, noodles and toilet paper, I cannot recommend it enough. It’s an appeal to common sense and a lament for the lack of it, as well as a contemptuous rebuke to mass hysteria, mob mentality and selfish, irrational behaviour triggered by the coronavirus crisis. And it’s all delivered in classic Singaporean style – thickly accented, punctuated regularly with Singlish slang, and simultaneously crude, hilarious and on point. Chan explains his government’s initial decision to distribute four masks to every household as taking a “gamble to calm the nerves”, rather than a supreme necessity and right for each citizen. “But to issue four to every family, I burn another 5 million masks from my limited stockpile. When China now asks for masks, right, China is burning at a rate of hundreds of millions a day. Which country, and even which production line, can meet China’s needs? Cannot, right?” Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s handling of the crisis provides a handy guide for Chan on how not to do it, otherwise “I can guarantee you today our hospital system would have broken down. If we issue surgical masks and give everybody surgical masks just to make them feel shiok shiok[immensely satisfied] because they say Carrie Lam wear mask, right? At the conference, right? Ah today you see newspaper. What is happening to Hong Kong now? What did South China Morning Post report about Hong Kong? They are down to less than one month’s supply of masks for their medical people. Which means that when the medical people don’t even get masks, you think they dare to go and take care of the sick people?” He goes on to lambast Singaporeans stockpiling everything from masks and alcohol swabs to rice and even condoms, go figure. Continues with video at https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3051916/singapore-idiots-guide-coronavirus-crisis-control-dont-do

From Khaosod English THAILAND’S WORST-CASE PLAN FOR CORONAVIRUS REVEALED BANGKOK — Military field hospitals and closure of facilities like schools and prisons will be introduced if the coronavirus epidemic took a turn for the worse, a government source said Thursday. The contingency plan for an uncontrollable spread of the virus was approved by the Cabinet during its Tuesday’s meeting, according to the source. The plan was drafted in case the infection rate reaches as high as 1,000 cases per day and results in deaths, a scenario named by the officials as “Phase 3.” Measures for “Phase 3” outbreak include setting up military field hospitals in schools, ordering people to work from home, postponing or canceling large public gatherings, and designating emergency disaster zones in areas that are particularly affected. Crowded facilities like schools, prisons, and military bases will also be shut down in order to contain the virus under the plan. Thailand currently reports 35 cases of coronavirus infections so far, 17 of which have already recovered and were discharged from hospital, health officials said. Another government meeting will be held to lay down preparation plans for the disease, whose official name is Covid-19, on Feb. 21. https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/2020/02/20/thailands-worst-case-plan-for-coronavirus-revealed/

From The Guardian Vietnam police charge seven over role in trafficking Police in Vietnam have charged seven people in connection with the deaths of 39 migrants whose bodies were discovered in the back of a lorry in the UK in 2019, authorities said late on Thursday. The victims, who included two 15-year-old boys, were mostly from two provinces in north-central Vietnam, where poor job prospects, encouragement by authorities, smuggling gangs and environmental issues have fuelled migration. Seven defendants, including a Vietnamese woman living in China, were charged with creating immigration profiles for 67 people in Vietnam for illegal work in Britain and Europe, Ha Tinh province regional police said in a statement. Police referred specifically to the case of 26-year-old Pham Thi Tra My, who was one of the victims found in the back of a lorry in Essex on 23 October last year. “They contacted the victim in late June 2019 and charged her $22,000 to create immigration profiles,” the statement said. “The victim in September was then taken to China, France and the UK.” British police last week arrested two more people over the deaths. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/21/essex-lorry-deaths-vietnam-police-charge-seven-over-role-in-trafficking