As Thailand eases its lockdown measures and opens its doors back up to Thai nationals who have been stranded abroad, those that return home must undergo 14-days of state quarantine.
Thai Enquirer had a chance to interview one of the many Thai citizens to have stayed in state quarantine. Apitai Kanchanasuwon is currently a Masters student studying in the United States of America.
Apitai decided to return to Thailand because he believed it was safer than being in the US.
TE: When did you return to Thailand?
A: May 19 around 9:30 in the morning. I came back from the US.
TE: What was the process that you had to go through once you have arrived in the country?
A: Once we got off the plane, we were met with lots of people in PPE uniforms and they checked our temperature. I was quite happy with their treatment. After, they looked at our documents, like the medical certificate or the fit to fly document which certifies that we don’t have a fever or any related symptoms to COVID-19. It basically says you are approved by the Thai Embassy to fly. They also make you sign a document that you are willing to go into state quarantine with the possibility of staying two rooms per-person.
They started to gather the first hundred people that were done and then we were transported to our hotel for state quarantine. Mine was in Bangkok.
There was a bit of confusion when we had to get our luggage because they wanted the first hundred people to go to the hotel first and then the luggage would follow.
TE: What was the process of asking for the medical certificate or the fit to fly form?
A: I was in Pittsburgh and I got mine from a clinic there. When I asked them about getting the medical certificate, they were quite confused because there is no form for them to fill out and so many of them refused to issue the type of forms they did have. Also, they do not encourage people to go to clinics. After a lot of referrals, I was able to find a clinic that was quite far from the city, around 20-30 kilometers.
The embassy would notify you around five to six days before you can fly and the medical certificate is only valid for 72 hours.
TE: Was it hard to travel to the clinic?
A: It was quite difficult because I did not have a car, so using public transportation was two and a half hours ride each way. But some people who were in a hurry used an Uber, which is around US$100 each trip.
TE: What was the process like when you arrived at the hotel?
A: So, before we boarded the bus we were sprayed down [with anti-bacterial chemicals], and once on the bus, we had to observe social distancing.
When we arrived at the hotel after we checked in, we were sprayed down again and then we entered our rooms.
TE: Were you able to go to other parts of the hotel during your stay or did you only stay in your room?
A: I only stayed in my room. We were not allowed to come out. We had food delivered to our room, three meals a day. Every three to four days we would receive new bedsheets and the authorities would come to collect our trash. I also noticed there were spray stains around the door frame.
We could also have food delivered to us from Grab, Line Man, or even from our relatives, but all of this had to be done before 11 a.m. All items and food that were coming in had to be inspected. Of course, sharp objects were forbidden, but also uncooked food like som tum and sashimi because [officials] were afraid that we would get diarrhea.
TE: Do any of the authorities or medical personnel come to see you?
A: I was only visited twice for the swap test for COVID-19, which was on the sixth and the thirteenth day of my stay. Other than that, no one came to see me.
We had to report our condition to the authorities daily. We were given a sim card that had 30 days unlimited data and we were to report our condition through the official Line account and report our temperature and other symptoms such as muscle sores or vomiting.
TE: How do you cope with that kind of isolation?
A: I was already used to staying at home because that was my routine when I was still in the states, so I didn’t have to adjust much. I registered for a couple of online courses that I thought might be beneficial but then there was not much productivity so I ended up talking to my friends or playing video games.
TE: Do you feel stressed out being the only one in the room?
A: It was not too stressful because I really enjoyed the food that they provided. I had to cook my own food during the lockdown before which wasn’t that good, so I didn’t really feel stressed.
They looked after us quite well here – actually much better than expected. I feel quite bad because I didn’t need to pay for my stay and turning on the air conditioning 24/7 for two weeks is already expensive, including the food. This is because I see many people have a hard time and i felt like I was taking advantage of people.
