Preventative Measures to Reduce Social Stigma in Universities in Thailand During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The social stigma associated with foreign students or any suspected group during the COVID-19 pandemic is related to fear of exposure to the disease, lack of knowledge of the disease, and a general negative attitude toward the suspected group. The effects of social stigma are fear of each other, isolation from each other, non-attendance of classes, and the tendency to deny assistance to each other. The objective of this article is to suggest two main measures to prevent and reduce social stigma in universities in Thailand as follows: 1.) The 4S structural measure including Shape our teams, Survey of opinions, Speak out, and Surrounding support and 2.) The 1S and 2P individual measures including “Sang” - raise people^,s awareness; “Prap” - mindset changing and “Pluk” - recall our sense of dignity as human beings. Implementing these measures can help our universities’ students and staff have a positive response to the COVID-19 pandemic by raising their awareness to treat others appropriately in order to prevent and reduce the problems of social stigma.