Hello,
One of the questions we receive the most here at Viajando Fácil and on our social networks is about the current situation of the pandemic here in Phuket, where we have our base.
Well, the situation is now very balanced and stable across the country. There are no new cases of internal transfer from Covid-19. The last cases were of repatriated Thais and the virus was detected while they were still in quarantine after arriving in the country.
Phuket initially had a high risk of exposure to the virus, given that about 1 million international tourists arrive in the city each month and a large portion of these tourists come from China. But the government measures that implemented a lockdown in the city had a great result. In all, there were only 227 cases in the city, and 3 deaths. Today, June 20, 2020, we have completed 26 days with no new cases in this blessed Thai paradise.
We are already in phase 3 of reopening the markets and we decided to do something different for the blog today: take a tour of 3 local markets here in Phuket - the 3 very close to our base here - and show how this reopening process is going, after the restrictive rules that lasted for 3 months.
The markets have not yet returned to fullness. The lack of tourists and the closing of trade during the lockdown made the situation of local commerce very complicated. There is a large portion of the unemployed population, but solidarity has never been so high. Local and foreign businessmen who live here have created actions to donate food to the poorest people, owners of commercial and residential properties have reduced or even paid a month or two of rent.
And little by little, beautiful Phuket is getting back to normal!
I am glad that Puket goes back to normality little by little, excellent news.