A YOUNG Thai man’s Facebook post showing how he was quarantined in a building that has fallen into disrepair with there being dusty fans and no cleaning for 15 days in Ranong province has now gone viral online, Siam Rath newspaper reported today (Jan. 18, 2021).
In his post this young man said, “”Yes, this is a state quarantine facility in Thailand that I ran into . .. quarantine two people per room. Maybe I want a companion to sleep with.
“There is no TV, no refrigerator, no air conditioner, no Wi-Fi. They gave two fans, but now there is no electricity. When there is no electricity, there is no water. It’s like entering an abandoned building, like in (the movie) Homeless, only there is a bed.
“Village health volunteers said go to the rear balcony and raise your hands to pay respect and then urinate. Judge for yourself whether this place is habitable or not? It is not surprising that some people have fled quarantine centres. It is a test of the human mind.”
Later Dr. Satit Timkkham, Ranong’s health doctor, admitted that the quarantine centre in his province for those waiting for Covid-19 test result had suffered a power cut for a hour, making it impossible to pump up water during that duration, but repairs were completed within that time, Amarin TV reported.
While admitting that this facility does not have amenities, he explained that it was so because the local authorities were not able to find suitable places with hoteliers refusing to let their premises be used for this purpose while some local people refused to let those to be quarantined into their communities.
However if a person wants to stay in a good hotel where a la carte food is served in the room then he or she has to pay approximately 40,000 baht for such a room for 14 days. To date the state has paid for their quarantine.
Nonetheless the province is making an effort to find new places to accommodate these people as quickly as possible, he added.
CAPTION:
The run-down building in which the young man was quarantined for 15 days. Photos: Siam Rath
