March 2020 will be remembered as the month where everything changed. Well, not quite everything. The air quality in Chiang Mai is still horrid, the worst in the world with forest fires raging unchecked in the nearby National Parks as locals burn the underbrush to make it easier to pick mushrooms in a few months -- mushrooms that fetch a high price both locally and in China. While this activity is illegal, it persists and becomes worse each year. For this reason, normally late March and April are quiet times for the Chiang Mai International Rotary Club, as many of us leave to escape the heat and bad air.
Fortunately, the Thai government and people have proven to be much better at controlling the spread of Covid-19, at least here in Chiang Mai. People seem to be honoring the curfew and social distancing restrictions and requirements to wear face-coverings when out in public. The number of cases is low and there are more than adequate hospital beds available. Our club members are becoming familiar with online meeting technology and spending time with family and pets.
We did have some activity in March and are trying to help the local community in this time of need. 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.
Since we all have some extra time available, here is the link to the English language version of the Nov-Dec 2019 edition of the Rotary Thailand magazine: http://www.rotarythailand.org/mag/file/2019-20_03Nov-Dec_en.pdf It takes a few months for Rotary Thailand to translate the magazine, but they eventually do.