When Thai medical student Badeephak Kaosala dares to leave his rented apartment in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, he puts on a mask, gloves, a hat and layers of clothing to try to avoid infection with the coronavirus that has the city on lockdown.
![In virus-hit ghost town, stranded Thai student waits for help](https://media.zenfs.com/en-US/reuters.com/acfd73602a39efde6b4306e687cf5910)
"Anywhere you go, you are always self-conscious of touching someone or you always have to keep in mind that you have to keep a distance from the person you're walking next to - when he sneezes, when he coughs, even when he breathes," said the 23-year-old student at Wuhan's Tongji Medical College.
The Thai government has put a military plane on standby for a possible evacuation of its citizens, but Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Monday they do not yet have Beijing's permission for the airlift.