No one knows exactly why Thailand has been spared.

Is it the social distancing embedded in Thai culture — the habit of greeting others with a wai, a prayer-like motion, rather than a full embrace — that has prevented the runaway transmission of the coronavirus here?

Did Thailand’s early adoption of face masks, combined with a robust health care system, blunt the virus’s impact? Was it the outdoor lifestyle of many Thais, or their relatively low rates of pre-existing conditions?

Is there a genetic component in which the immune systems of Thais and others in the Mekong River region are more resistant to the coronavirus? Or is it some alchemy of all these factors that has insulated this country of 70 million people?

Read the full article here:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/16/world/asia/coronavirus-thailand-photos.html

That NYT article is only for subscribers. Any chance you can copy and paste please?

51 minutes ago, PeterRS said:

That NYT article is only for subscribers. Any chance you can copy and paste please?

I can't post the whole article here for copyright issues. But, I just tested and it wasn't blocked for me. Try a different browser where you are not logged in if you don't have an account. That just worked for me in Chrome.

Thank you. I got it using Firefox. But only permitted one article. I wonder why a copyright issue makes copying/pasting an NYT article not permitted but the same for other media seems not to be a problem provided the source is quoted. Ido you know if this is the same for all media with a paywall? 

3 hours ago, PeterRS said:

Thank you. I got it using Firefox. But only permitted one article. I wonder why a copyright issue makes copying/pasting an NYT article not permitted but the same for other media seems not to be a problem provided the source is quoted. Ido you know if this is the same for all media with a paywall? 

I am old. So, my thoughts may be out of date. But, I do remember years ago that up to 4 full paragraphs of an article could be copies with citation given. That has been what I have tried to do for years.

For this article, I think one misses a lot with just the words as there is so many photos there which are great to view as you read.

Odd that it is now only one article as I found the same. However, I do subscribe to the NYT to support them as well as the Washington Post.  I was doing that for the LA Times but they got more expensive and they require you to call in to cancel. Being abroad, I find I get a lot of great articles from the NYT.

For me, the use of face masks is the  most important factor in Thailand's success in controlling Covid. Even today I shudder to see farangs walking about in a shop without the face mask fully over their mouth and nose. 

I should add that the restrictions put in place were very effective.

I'd add to that the high percentage of non-city dwellers. Many Provinces have  no large towns and  have  hardly been touched. 

2 hours ago, Michael said:

I am old. So, my thoughts may be out of date. But, I do remember years ago that up to 4 full paragraphs of an article could be copies with citation given. That has been what I have tried to do for years

You have jogged my memory and I recall this restriction as well. If I remember correctly it was one adopted by the Bangkok Post and not a general restriction. But I could be way off the mark.

I was doing that based on American law called the fair use doctrine. But, I would assume that most places set the same parameters years ago. I just never know if they changed. Back years ago, it was based on giving credit, and the amount used. When I studied this, 4 paragraphs with citation was OK if a long article. But, if a short article, it would not be fair. Lots of ifs and maybes.