The term "social distancing" has become synonymous with 2020. It's become the coronavirus battle cry. Lockdowns are halting cities and towns all over the world. Schools, universities and shopping malls are closed, along with other non-essential businesses. All gatherings are banned. Working from home is the new norm, and time spent outside is down to a bare minimum.

In much of Bangkok, the concept is an unimaginable luxury. Almost 20 percent of the city's population lives in slums, where a house is basically one room for an entire family – no separate kitchen, bedroom or living room. The reason that Paang and many others who live in these communities cannot isolate is simple: it's a luxury they can't afford.

Paang is a fruit vendor. She parks her cart at her local market, which is now closed under government lockdown orders. Her husband has health problems and is now also unemployed and cannot find work.

"It's impossible for me to be afraid of the virus and stay home," Paang says.

"Those people who can do so have savings. For people without savings, it's impossible. If we stay home, we will starve to death."

Khunkuson, a tuk-tuk driver is also facing the same predicament. He relies on tourists for money. His wife has also just been laid off from her job at a mall. With kids and grandparents to feed, being infected with COVID19 is the last thing on his mind.

"I only got about three dollars so far, I have to eat free food from the temple," Khunkuson says. "I am afraid I will starve to death more than I'm afraid of COVID-19."

The sudden loss of income leaves many living in the dark. The issue highlights the sheer difficulty for this country to tackle the virus without destroying livelihoods – a challenge that is especially acute in developing nations, like Thailand, with a significant portion of the population living hand-to-mouth.

According to the National Statistical Office, almost 55 percent of the Thai workforce consists of informal workers – They suffer work insecurity, irregular income, and lack of protection from the social security system.

Many informal workers have turned to loan sharks – illegal lenders that prey on the financially desperate. Times like this, usually has lenders like Bee smelling blood. But although her phone has been ringing non-stop, she says, it's a risky time for her also.

"More people want to borrow money. Our existing clients want more, but now they don't pay us back," Bee says. "Their interest goes up, but there is no guarantee, even with collateral, that they will pay because they have no jobs."

As the virus grips the nation, and more restrictions are placed on everyday life, the reality is that COVID-19 will take a different, more deadly path, through the cramped, overcrowded alleys of Bangkok's slums. And the result will be chaos in numbers.

For Thailand's poor, this epidemic will be yet another catastrophe as the political and social order also strain to protect them.