March 2021 was the last time I traveled to visit and teach classes before the second lock-down of the country due to the Covid19 pandemic. Every restaurant, all entertainment and sporting events, and some businesses were closed and we were not allowed to do any religious activities. People were ordered to stay at their own home and not allowed to travel anywhere. Since it was a government order, people in the country had to follow it strictly and anyone who failed to follow that order would be fined 10,000,000 Kip (~$871 USD) and go to jail.
So, we just waited and waited for the ceasing of the pandemic, but it seemed as if we were hopeless. The pandemic got worse, the number of people who had the Covid virus and died were increasing everyday. We heard about the bad things everyday, for instance people had no work, no money, not enough food, and died.