Far too early for normal

As a regular user of public transport, I have to admit feeling uncomfortable getting on a slightly crowded public bus in the evening when leaving work. But seeing much larger crowds trying to barge into the subway convinced me that there’s no other choice for me to get home. As the bus has to comply with Bangkok Metropolitan Administration rules limiting the number of people onboard, it’s become the job of the ticket taker to calm down commuters waiting at bus stops, but it’s hard for her to ease their frustration.

In the seat behind me on the bus, a woman in her 50s was telling another passenger that authorities should be flexible in controlling bus passenger numbers as new Covid-19 infections have fallen considerably.

She also coughed and sneezed a few times but I didn’t dare turn back to see if she was still wearing a mask, as some others had taken theirs off when they boarded.

Welcome to the “new normal”. As the virus will remain a threat for months to come, we all have to do our best to protect ourselves, especially in public places. We must not lower our guard yet.

While Thailand is in the second month of an emergency with restrictions including an overnight curfew, authorities have been cautiously allowing some businesses to reopen. Despite warnings from health experts, the country lifted a ban on alcohol sales on May 3 in most provinces for a 14-day trial period, setting off a frenzied rush to buy booze amid fears of a further ban.

As the daily tally of new cases has dwindled to single digits, authorities have also signalled that they will consider a second phase of eased restrictions, such as reopening of more and bigger businesses this week.

While concern about the prolonged pandemic has eased a bit, some have even suggested that the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) end its daily briefings to save costs. I disagree — timely and effective communication with the public is critical at a time of crisis. We don’t want to go back to the chaos of confusing messages and policy flip-flops that scared so many people before the CCSA was set up, do we?

While new infections and deaths in Asia are well below those in the United States and Europe, we should also learn from the cautionary tales of other countries in the region. Singapore, for example, was widely hailed for reacting quickly and effectively to contain Covid-19 for two months following its first case on Jan 23, with travel restrictions, screened arrivals, and a test-trace-quarantine regime, with temperature checks in schools and workplaces.

But subsequent spikes — though still low compared to global levels — compelled the city-state to impose a lockdown on April 7 with schools and most workplaces shuttered. Some of the new cases were linked to Singaporeans returning home, especially from the US and the UK, two countries that were very slow in their responses. Then came the huge jump in cases among hitherto overlooked migrant workers in their tightly packed dormitories.

While Malaysia reopened much of the economy beginning of last week and Vietnam has already eased a nationwide lockdown following a two-week streak of zeroes, Japan felt compelled to extend its loose state of emergency to try to stamp out the virus until the end of May.

India has extended its nationwide lockdown to May 17 with large segments of the economy remaining shut down. Those caught flouting the regulations can face imprisonment.

The Philippines, meanwhile, has taken an aggressive approach to enforcing its lockdown. One factor driving that policy of President Rodrigo Duterte’s government is that the high mortality rate among confirmed coronavirus patients suggests its medical services are severely strained.

South Korea has recently relaxed its social distancing guidelines as new cases have dwindled to a handful each day, but the government says safeguards it describes as “everyday quarantine” will remain in place indefinitely.

Nonetheless, epidemiologists warn that no place is immune to a Covid-19 second wave. As cases decline, countries look to get back to business but this may only be a semblance of normality.

And while people yearn for normalcy, we should not be too optimistic that the pandemic is being beaten quickly and that life will be the way it was a few months ago. Cautious optimism is not misplaced, but keep in mind that we still face a long and bumpy journey to complete recovery.