Songkla Lockdown Part 2

Last Friday, we went to Rattapoom, where Ying's parents are having a house built for her. It's a wooden house out in the county. Her brother's house is two doors down. That was the week of Songkran and I thought about how I really needed the couple of days off of work. Along with the Songkran celebrations, there was a huge spike in the number of covid19 cases in the province. This was the largest wave of cases the province has ever seen. Unfortunately, I was planning to go to work the following day as I had Saturday morning classes. However, there was some hope.

There was scheduled to be a big government announcement at 4pm on Friday. They would reveal their plan of action as well as tell us whether they've decided to declare a lockdown or not. I was hoping there would be another lockdown so that I wouldn't have to go into work on the weekend. This wasn't just because I needed more rest - though this was definitely a big motivating factor. It was also because I felt that a lockdown was truly a preventative method of stopping the spread of the disease. Thailand had done so well last year when we entered a lockdown early enough to stop the spread.

However, my faith in the government had dwindled and I was wondering what they were dillydallying about as over a thousand people were getting sick each day across the country. Last time in March 2020, there were only about 50 cases in the whole province when a lockdown was declared. I thought that was a great early response. This time, there were about 170 people who tested positive for covid since the beginning of Songkran. And yet, no lockdown was announced. And so we waited for the announcement with hope on Friday. 

4pm came around and my girlfriend was too busy making calls related to the new house to listen to the announcement with full attention. We heard bits and pieces but nothing about a lockdown. About an hour or so later, we read the summary which said nothing about a lockdown. By this point, I had decided not to go to work on Saturday anyway. It would have been a headache to rush there in the morning. I didn't enjoy waking up in the mornings to go to work as it was. I would have had to wake up extra early to rush home, get ready, and then go back out to work. It didn't make sense.

Additionally, I felt that my decision was precautionary. I didn't want to rush to work and risk getting sick. The fact that my tutorial school is in a shopping centre played a big role in my decision as well. I sent a message to Cal, my head teacher, and Gwang, who takes care of the front desk. "She'll probably start making calls to cancel some of my students," I thought as I was sending my apologetic message. I felt bad about having to send it so late on Friday but I told them that I had been waiting for the big announcement before letting them know.

Within five minutes, my head teacher called me back. He was the one to tell me that the school was forced to close due to a partial lockdown imposed on educational institutions. "Great!" I thought to myself and I just told him that it was a relief to know I wasn't the only one not going in on Saturday. Apparently, though there isn't a full-on lockdown, schools and tutorial centres along with bars and pubs will have to stay closed until the end of the month. And there would be a curfew imposed on places like gyms and 7-11s. This was the update as of last Friday. 

Yesterday, there was another update. The new announcement stated that educational institutions, bars, and clubs will have to stay closed until further notice. So, it's no longer just until the end of the month. It could be two months. Or it could be just a few days after the beginning of next month. It all depends on how effective the spread of the virus is controlled. I'm glad we went into a partial lockdown for both personal and collective reasons.

Personally, I am just glad I'll get more rest at home. Ever since the start of Songkran, we've been watching movies while eating snacks at home. It's so simple and yet so good. It's just great to not have to think about going to school the following day and I'm sure my students will agree. I can spend more time with my music as well. I really want to focus on music these days. I don't have time to waste. And of course, I'm happy not to be going into a big shopping mall during the peak of the pandemic.

As for the collective reasons, it must be stated that they are far more important than my personal reasons. "This thing is bigger than any one person," were the words spoken by my friend Paul in Canada on our video call on Sunday. Going into a lockdown and staying home are two things that shouldn't be taken lightly. This absolutely helps stop the spread of the disease. If anything, I would like to have stricter lockdown rules. For example, the curfews they put on gyms and 7-11s are late in the night. How many people work out at midnight anyway? Curfews should come into place sooner, like 7 or 8pm.

I see the headlines of people protesting such measures back in western countries. I've never seen such ridiculous behaviour. People are protesting the use of masks and the lockdowns imposed on them. Why? How is it an issue of personal freedom when you're potentially helping others not contract the virus by wearing a mask? People in Songkla were wearing masks long before we saw the first cases. It is also relevant to state that it is a part of the culture here to wear a mask anytime you're sick and you still have to go out in public. 

The house doesn't yet have a staircase but the builder in charge of the project said he would get to work on it next. Today we're going to check out the house once again so we'll see the developments.

This is the shaman who led the housewarming ceremony on Friday. 

"I'm not wearing this mask because of covid," one of my students was telling me last year months before Songkla saw its first cases, "I'm wearing this because I have a cold." He was sick but he was feeling okay enough to go into work and then come learn English with me in the evening. This wasn't the first time a student had worn a mask in class prior to covid. Anytime somebody was sick, they would take it upon themselves to put on a mask in public so they protect others from getting sick. This is a sign of great maturity. At first, it didn't seem that great to me. It just seemed like a practical soul-ution and civic responsibility. However, once the pandemic rolled in and people rolled out their masks, what seemed like a basic precaution turned into great responsibility.

There is no time to waste protesting masks or lockdowns. The government shouldn't have to tell you to wear a mask. You should be considerate enough to wear one. Most people are still operating out of a conditioned state of survival. As soon as people had to stay home from work, we all saw how dependent we were on the daily grind. And so people protested outside instead of going deep within and asking some important questions. "Where is my life going at this rate?" "Is it worth it to be so dependent on a job?" "Why are there people protesting against things that are absolutely necessary and integral at this time?"

These narcissists who protest the use of masks are only helping the disease spread faster through their mass gatherings. There is such a thing as collective responsibility and a collective duty to help. The sooner we all do our own part, the sooner the virus will go away. There's no time to resist. The fact that the government has to enforce these masks and lockdowns shows the level of the collective intelligence. It reminds me of very young children resisting their parents over basic needs. 

The world should take note of Asian cultures leading the way as far as collective responsibility and civic duty. I'm not saying everybody here is perfect. There are tonnes of people who don't wear their masks in the village and out in the county. That's understandable. However, not one of those people would be caught on video being denied entry into a store or mall because they refused to wear a mask. Not one of these easy-going villagers would be spotted getting kicked out of an airplane or bus due to their refusal to wear a mask. It is understood that you must wear them in such places. 

To summarize, I think the world needs a lot more healing than just the vaccines necessary to end the pandemic. The world needs mental healing. The world needs to stop working so hard for economic value and start working towards greater wellbeing in general. Money is just one part of that economic value but money isn't going to be of any use when you end up in a coffin because you got sick while protesting the lockdown. The world needs to breathe more and spend more time listening to music, going out in nature, and getting in tune with oneself. In the meantime, let's take as many steps as possible towards a healthier, greener planet. This green and blue sphere is our collective home and we are one. 

Ying is standing with the shaman behind the table used in the ceremony. All kinds of fruits, desserts, food, holy water, alcohol, and tobacco were offered to the guardian spirits of the land.

On the very left of the table, you can see a red box. It's full of fireworks. The shaman lit it without telling us he was going to so there are no photos of it. It was so loud.

The house doesn't have doors yet. In fact, that's the reason we're going in today so we can be there when the doors get delivered. We had to set up a mosquito net to be able to sleep there. It didn't stop ants from coming in and biting me in the middle of the night.

We hung a portable light inside.

We also hung this flag outside overnight.