Hundreds of thousands of lives. Thailand was one of the first countries to report an infection outside china. But the death toll remains relatively low. As of the end of may 2020, 3,081 people had been infected and 57 had died. The rate of infections have dropped below 10 on most days. But while the number of infections declined, the number of people who have lost their jobs continues to rise. In thailand, a predominantly buddhist country, monks are among those standing up to help people in need. This temple near bangkok has handed out thousands of meals to people who have lost their jobs while maintaining social distancing measures. It has been two months since a state of emergency was declared. We follow the lives of those struggling to survive the coronavirus crisis. Day two of the state of emergency. This bangkok bus terminal is one of thailands main travel gateways. At the entrance, staff are disinfecting passengers and taking temperatures. Thailand chose to carry out a soft lockdown. That means people can move, but restrictions are enforced when there is suspicion of infection, such as a fever. Bus operators are enforcing social distancing guidelines by spacing out passengers. Bus services have been reduced, and the number of passengers is about 10 of the usual number. Car movements are also monitored. Check points in bangkok stop vehicles coming in from the provinces. Police and citizens are working together to prevent the spread of the infection. Volunteers from the public carry out temperature tests. Health Department Staff questioned drivers and passengers. They are asked how they feel and where they have been. All are subject to followups. The number of infections in thailand began to climb steadily in march. Around the end of the month, the number of new cases per day continued to exceed 100. Each day since the state of emergency was put in place. By this stage, infections were starting to spread to rural areas. This province is in the northeast of thailand, 450 kilometers from bangkok. A Migrant Worker brought the virus to the village after returning from a holiday resort. Text it is week before revealed that three relatives were also infected. Since the lockdown even people from the village and their families have not been allowed to go in. On april 3rd, the Thai Government imposed a curfew, prohibiting people from going out between 10 00 p. M. And 4 00 a. M. The next day, april 4th, a ban was placed on International Passenger flights. It was a major blow to thailands tourism industry, which accounts for 20 of the countrys gdp. He was a taxi driver at the airport. Tourists were his main customers. He stopped working shortly after the state of emergency was declared. He rented his car from a taxi company. But with no passengers, he couldnt afford to stay on the road. He lives with his wife and fiveyearold grandchild. They say they have no income and no way to meet their home loan payments. There is one place offering concrete help. This semipl known as the pink temple is about an hours walk from his home. Every day, the temple distributes food and fruits to the local community. At 5 00 in the afternoon, the distribution of food begins. He has been coming here every day since he lost his job. On this day, a special bonus is given out, rice. He gets home at 6 00 p. M. This was the first meal of the day. He splits the temple offerings into two meals. The state of emergency has been in force for three weeks. The resulting contraction of Economic Activity has been severe and widespread. In eastern thailand there is a world famous beach resort attracting more than nine million tourists a year. That was before the pandemic. The downtown area usually swarming with tourists is deserted. Shops are being forced to close. Starting around the end of march, the Thai Government began providing economic assistance to those who have lost their jobs. The government announced it would provide around 150 a month to workers who have lost income due to the novel coronavirus. Day after day Unemployed People poured into the social insurance offices all over the country. Not everyone can afford to wait. Pink temple has been providing Food Assistance every day since the state of emergency has been declared. Its seven in the morning. Sacks of food are brought in from a nearby market. For 25 months, serving and training at this temple are all at work. The locals come to give a hand as well. This Outreach Program is being handled by the chief priest. They have prepared nine different dishes this day, including chicken curry and desert, enough for 1,000 people. Money to pay for the food is collected at morning arms giving. Lay people visiting the temple also make donations. Even before the outbreak, the pink temple was supporting the community. It started providing weekly Food Assistance for the local needy six years ago. Those activities have built trust. And today food is not the only reason residents come to the monks for help. This man is the head of the local community. He wants masks and gel to hand out to the residents. Its 4 00 p. M. Food distribution starts in less than an hour, and people are beginning to gather. The temples parking lot is to make sure thorough social distancing is ensured. Other temples have been providing food support during this state of emergency. But some were forced to stop after crowds packed into the temples, leading tod chaotic scenes. But drawing on this experience, the monks say they have had no such problems. The monks continue handing out the meals they had prepared. 1,000 meals by night fall. This spirit of helping those in need is spreading among thai communities. Just north of bangkok, a group of volunteers is handing out food bags. The group was set up by women in the neighborhood. They have been going around to poor neighborhoods handing out masks and disinfectant gel. The volunteers have also turned their hand to making face shields. The materials are bought with their own money. The face shields are delivered to a hospital where coronavirus infected patients are being treated. On this day, 400 shields were donated. They are used by doctors, nurses and patients families. It has now been 39 days under a state of emergency. The number of new infections is declining with the daily count of new cases dropping to less than ten. In terms of Economic Activity, restrictions have been relaxed, and some restaurants and other establishments have resumed operations. Tourists have yet to return with the ban on International Flights still in place. He is still unemployed. Today he is visiting the taxi company he used to work for. He is hoping the owner will agree to lower the price of the car rental so he can start working again. He cant persuade the owner. Meaning, he cant go back to work. Time is running out on his overdue home loan payment. His wife heads to a neighborhood trash bay. She is collecting empty plastic bottles to sell. They desperately need money to make ends meet. Their grandchild helps, too. This was the seventh collection of the day. Doing this every day, morning and night brings in just 60 a month. But this is now the sole source of income for his family. If restrictions on niEconomic Activity continue, it is estimated 10 Million People in thailands population will lose their jobs. The state of emergency has been in effect for 45 days. More and more people are showing up at the pink temple in need of help. And the chief priest is encouraging them to come, using his smartphone to live stream the food distribution. The chief priest is making full use of social media to spread the word on the temples activities. And hes being heard. More young people can be seen in the crowds joining the ranks of unemployed and Migrant Workers. The Safety Network is building. More people are donating after learning about the temples activities online. The monks of pink temple have so far given out 70,000 food packs. They have started a circle of mutual help around their temple, and it continues to expand