Fate is in our hands

Re: “Govt to invoke emergency rule”, (BP, March 25).

The government has absolute power but it still lacks a clear and comprehensive strategy besides implementing a lockdown. We should follow South Korea, as “(it’s) one of only two countries with large outbreaks, alongside China, to flatten the curve of new infections. And it has done so without China’s draconian restrictions on speech and movement or economically damaging lockdowns like those in Europe and the US”. (NY Times, March 23).

South Korea’s hallmark response included “swift action, widespread testing and contact tracing, and critical support from citizens”. Their strategy is highlighted below:

1) Move quickly. South Korea began producing test kits in January, and now makes 100,000 test kits per day. I haven’t seen any sense of urgency in getting ours out. South Korea also quickly imposed emergency measures in Daegu, a city where contagion spread quickly through a local church, thus limiting the disease’s spread early on.

2) Test early, often, and safely. It has 600 off-site testing centres for convenient, fast checking, and relentless public messaging to report for tests. We badly need pop-up testing sites throughout our high-risk Central region. We should offer 5,000 baht for each positive result, thus drawing people in, but instead, we charge for negative results, driving them away.

3) Quick, thorough contact tracing, isolation, and surveillance. When someone tests positive, the authorities quickly trace his recent contacts through CCTV, credit card records, and GPS data from their cellphones. Those ordered into selfisolation must download an app which alerts authorities if they venture out of isolation, which attracts an 82,000 baht (!!!) fine.

Thailand is now halfway between countries which tamed Covid-19, like South Korea, and those which haven’t, like Iran. Which way we go is up to you, dear reader, and fast, decisive action by PM Prayut.

BURIN KANTABUTRA