Thanks anonymint. I did read it again. It was more of a skim the first time through. You paint the big picture vividly. I have a few friends and family that are clued in but so many are still placing their hopes in their government.

In Thailand surprisingly most expats are going along with the premise of the shutdown. The Thais too are frightened, especially young mothers with children, not letting kids out to play. Thais are slow to anger but it will happen soon enough I think if restrictions are not lifted. Tension is building visibly. The supermarkets are fully stocked even with the usual vast array of imported goods. In the last couple days they are checking temperatures and forcing customers to wear masks in order to enter the large supermarkets.