Covid ... fear or myth!

The Premier Sen Sok Centre

This is the Premier Sen Sok Centre where President Russell M Nelson stayed and used as a venue to meet with the Saints in Cambodia back in 2019 before Covid.  It was a grand hotel, but now it becomes one of the  quarantine facility In Cambodia,;  if one is tested positive for Covid, they will be sent a  quarantine facility for two weeks.  The once beautiful maintained ground is now littered with trash and people hanging their clothes to dry and people!

The most frustrating thing for me in Cambodia is the fear of Covid!  Since Covid, no one has any other diseases such as normal cold or flu.  Missionaries will think they had covid when they have a stuffy nose.  The weather in Cambodia had changed from dry to wet season, there is monsoon rain pouring down in a minutes and then dried in 10 minutes.  Missionaries are on their bikes and most of the time they don't have a poncho with them, so they get wet and then go into a place where the air conditioning is on full, they get chills and cold, a fever follows.  Every time they texted or called, they wanted to know what I can give them!  My question to the missionaries has always been:  do you have a fever and the answer is usually "NO" but I know I feel HOt inside of me.  Most of the time their true temperature is normal.  

As I said before, when a person is tested positive, he or she is sent to a government quarantine facility where almost no medical services is provided, therefore, our policy is to not go to get tested and treat covid symptoms as covid and have the missionaries stay quarantine in their apartment for 10-14 days.  Majority of the symptoms has been cough, sore throat and then a stuffy nose plus fever.  Some also has body aches.  When we (I) don't administer the test, missionaries feel I don't care for them.  I tried to educate them that if I do test them, I will need to send them to quarantine facility and that whether they have covid or not, the treatment is the same, quarantine/social distancing, medication to treat symptoms!  I feel like a broken record to repeat the same every time a missionary called with their complaints.  I feel like people are mostly reacting out of fear and all critical thinking is gone ... So frustrating!

I wondered if life as we knew is forever gone and Covid is here to stay, hopefully, just like everything else, we will get so used to have Covid, it becomes one of those normal illnesses that we will have to live with from now on!  One thing I do know is that it is no fun to live in fear.  

So, please stay healthy, take care of your body with good nutrients, practice good hygiene, hand washing, cover your mouth when you sneeze, stay home if you have a fever, get the vaccine if possible, then live a healthy and fearless life!

P.S.  Vaccines:  I know there are a lot of controversial regarding the Vaccines, just a personal thought: if we do not make this a political or freedom of choice issue, if there is a disease that is easily prevented, would you want to do all you can to protect oneself.  I have lived thru Polio as a child and seeing how devastating it was, where children are crippled because of it, I was glad to get the vaccination even though it gave me a scar for life!  Please put all aside, follow the recommendation of our living prophet, see his example if you are in question!  Most of all don't let vaccines divide you from your God, your faith and your family!

Once beautiful building, now littered with people and tents outside for Covid quarantine

All the tents were set up used for people to stay for 14 days!