Liminality & Festivities Facilitating Pandemic Fatigue: Songkran and the Third Wave of COVID-19 Outbreak in Thailand

Authors

  • Steve Kwok-Leung Chan Assistant Professor, Sociology Dept. Keimyung University, South Korea

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14456/jucr.2023.27

Keywords:

COVID-19; Pandemic Fatigue; Liminality; Festival; Social Distancing; Thailand

Abstract

Asian countries were outstanding performers in preventing COVID-19 initially, but many suffered from a new wave of the outbreak in mid-2020. These countries sealed off their borders from the possible spread of the virus from outside. For more than one year, social distancing restrictions were applied and successfully kept the infection rates at a low level. Drawing on the initial findings of Chang et al. (2020) on the spread of the infectious disease intracity and intercity during festivals, this paper examines the outbreaks, with a probe into the case of Songkran, or the Water Festival of Thailand. The author found that pandemic fatigue coincided with the festivities. The liminality of the festival means relaxation of norms which breaks social distancing measures. This article attempts to explain the liminality of festivals facilitating pandemic fatigue and intensifying the spread of the disease throughout the country.

Journal of Urban Culture Research - Cover images are from a York, UK pastry shop provided by Alan Kinear. JUCR supports the sovereignty of individual countries.

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Published

2023-12-21

How to Cite

Chan, Steve Kwok-Leung. 2023. “Liminality & Festivities Facilitating Pandemic Fatigue: Songkran and the Third Wave of COVID-19 Outbreak in Thailand”. Journal of Urban Culture Research 27 (December):121-36. https://doi.org/10.14456/jucr.2023.27.

Issue

Vol. 27: Vol. 27: July-December 2023

Section

Articles

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