Blue skies and clear air have returned to Chiang Mai wit the summer rains, and the province has gone nearly a month without any new cases of COVID-19 due to strict enforcement of social distancing, a no-alcohol policy that discouraged socializing, quarantining of the entire province and other measures that would be unthinkable in the west, but have clearly worked to keep the death toll and number of cases to extremely low levels. Sadly, though, in an area like Chiang Mai where many people rely on tourism and day-labor for income, the economic cost is high and many people are going hungry. Thai people and local foreign residents have joined together to help feed the jobless.
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