Welcome to the "New Normal". It's been over ten weeks since Thailand has experienced its last local transmission of Covid-19, yet the country remains vigilant. All returnees undergo a strict 14-day quarantine -- no "socializing" with the guards, as happened in Melbourne to kick off their recent virus upsurge. While Thai people stranded overseas are being permitted to return, the situation isn't so rosy for foreigners who call Thailand their home. The hurdles are high and those with "retirement visas" are low on the list.
Sadly, Chiang Mai International Rotary Club has some members who left Chiang Mai early in the year to escape the annual Smokey Season and are now trapped overseas with bleak prospects for return to Thailand. They enjoyed having our regular meetings conducted via Zoom, but now we've returned to in-person meetings in July, as have the other Rotary clubs in Thailand. We hope to keep in touch with our overseas members and friends via social media, this bulletin and our new monthly "9at9" social Zoom meeting at 9 pm Thai time on the 9th of the month. Soon we'll roll out a fresh, new website, curated by Rtn Viki, to keep us entertained and in-touch.
Pour your favorite beverage and relax to read what we've been up to, below. You can better view each story by clicking on the story's title where you'll be taken to the story on our website, displayed in a full-page, easy-to-view format.