As schools reopen, COVID-19 finds weak point in Thailand’s defences

[webfact]

Students wear face masks as they line up to attend classes in a school in the southern Thai province of Narathiwat. (Photo by Madaree TOHLALA / AFP)

 

By Thai PBS World’s General Desk

 

The reopening of schools in most provinces on June 14 has spawned clusters of new COVID-19 infections on almost a daily basis. Thai PBS World takes a closer look at the factors behind this phenomenon and the measures being put in place to fight it.

 

Country’s largest school cluster

A madrasa Muslim boarding school in Yala province has generated the largest school cluster in Thailand, with a large number of its students testing positive for COVID-19 over the past week.

 

This cluster apparently spawned infections in several other provinces when students headed back to their hometowns after the madrasa was ordered to close last week.

 

Investigations indicate the virus was brought into the madrasa when students came in to contact with worshippers at the Dawah Centre of Thailand, which houses the school.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/as-schools-reopen-covid-19-finds-weak-point-in-thailands-defences/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2021-06-24

 

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[RotBenz8888]

4 minutes ago, webfact said:

This cluster apparently spawned infections in several other provinces when students headed back to their hometowns after the madrasa was ordered to close last week.

 

Just one example of measures that only make things worse. 

[Snig27]

Defenses? What defenses? Now that the privileged have been jabbed the government have walked away from caring at all. Their job is protect and enrich a tiny minority of Thais at the expense of the rest. 

[JonnyF]

I would have thought this was fairly predictable. Kids are high energy and have a short attention span, they find it difficult to follow rules for a long period of time.

 

So while intentions may be good and they can form a nice mask wearing line for a photo op during assembly, before long they are back to wrestling in the playground, sharing snacks from the same packet, riding 2/3 together on a bike etc.

 

Then once the bell rings they return home to have dinner with unvaccinated Granny.

[RichardColeman]

My daughters school in Pattaya is still closed and was due to open 1st. Now a new text this week  to say 19th July - few more weeks and she'll have had an entire term paid and never attended. If they do not sort schools out, nobody is going to pay school for schools they are never attending ! Schools will start to go broke

[tomster]

Do the boys at that school all have to have exactly same haircut?

 

Maybe it's an anti-covid haircut which in combination with face masks stops the virus from spreading...

[dinsdale]

"The requirements include keeping all seats in classrooms and cafeterias one metre apart, ensuring adequate supplies of alcohol gel, taking students’ temperature, and making face masks mandatory."

 

Just a few bits to pick apart. The virus in it's differant variants is now known to be aerosol. One metre apart is what the so-called experts said at the very beginning and even then they were wrong. Alcohol gel does nothing if you breathe the virus in.  Taking temperatures? Well from the very beginning this will only pick up those who are symtomatic with a temperature and symptoms for this virus in all it's varirants are diverse and then you have asymtomatic and pre-symptomatic. Mask wearing for students all day at school. You're dreaming. What scares me is I and many others on this forum are not experts but would appear to be smatter than those in charge. 

 

[MarcelV]

16 minutes ago, tomster said:

Do the boys at that school all have to have exactly same haircut?

 

Maybe it's an anti-covid haircut which in combination with face masks stops the virus from spreading...

Many schools require the boys to keep their hair short. Mine even has a school barber making sure the job periodically gets done. At least all girls here wear hijabs, so they don't have to deal with any haircuts.

[Stocky]

Songklha schools are still closed. My granddaughter was due to start June 1st, that moved to 14th, then 28th and they're now saying July 12th.

 

She's been doing online classes since June 14th.

 

.

Edited June 24, 2021 by Stocky

[ikke1959]

What weak point in thailand's defence? The only weak point is the incompetent Governement that is not ordering enough vaccines and let the country go down.  If they accepted all offers they got, if they order in time there would be plenty of jabs available, instead of this mess. We should educate that to our children and show how not to rule... They don't miss anything if they stay home., on ly the indoctrination of the Government

[MarcelV]

2 hours ago, Stocky said:

Songklha schools are still closed. My granddaughter was due to start June 1st, that moved to 14th, then 28th and they're now saying July 12th.

 

She's been doing online classes since June 14th.

 

.

So are Narathiwat schools. My private school was allowed to reopen, but the director decided not to go through with it and have all 200+ teachers vaccinated. We're still waiting though and not everyone is interested in getting a magic shot. I doubt we're gonna reopen before the Eid al-Adha festival.

[cyril sneer]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

A madrasa Muslim boarding school in Yala province has generated the largest school cluster in Thailand, with a large number of its students testing positive for COVID-19 over the past week.

they probably spread it deliberately down there

[hotchilli]

17 hours ago, tomster said:

Do the boys at that school all have to have exactly same haircut?

 

Maybe it's an anti-covid haircut which in combination with face masks stops the virus from spreading...

It's an anti-lice haircut... they're protected.

Unfortunately the girls suffer the head-lice morning grooming session by mother.

[skorp13]

Sorry but i don't believe a word of this post to be honest. Studies show that young children are the least likely to contract, spread, or be affected. If the government would have done it's job and vaccinated teachers schools country wide could open safely and children along with parents wouldn't be suffering from these ridiculous closures. Hw about a link to the studies???

[Cake Monster]

It has been reported in BP this AM, that a Childrens Home in Pathum Thani has an outbreak of at least 33 Kids between 3 and 6 Years old.

This Indian ( Delta ) Variant seems to be living up to its reputation on attacking younger people of society.

I really hope these children are going to get the best of medical care, and will be Ok .

If the Czar, and Anutin needed any proof that the Virus is out of control now, and that they screwed up on the Vaccine procurements, then this is it.

[Jumbo1968]

21 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

My daughters school in Pattaya is still closed and was due to open 1st. Now a new text this week  to say 19th July - few more weeks and she'll have had an entire term paid and never attended. If they do not sort schools out, nobody is going to pay school for schools they are never attending ! Schools will start to go broke

What school is it please ?

[Heng]

Yeah, picking up my kids at school.... a good percentage of kids are half masked (over the mouth but nose exposed for better air flow) by the end of the day.   I bet the private sector + the state could really get every kids vaccinated if they wanted to.   Just waiting on the announcement that Sinovac/Sinopharm has been approved for children.   

[Lopchan]

Picked up my son from school this afternoon. While waiting outside his classroom, I observed that 50% of his classmates were either wearing their masks at half mast or not at all. Worse the teacher and teacher's assistant weren't wearing them at all.
Was going to report it to the director but thought better of it. Don't want to make my boy a target for a vindictive teacher.
As I left I noticed most of the other teachers were equally complacent.