RANONG — A man said he was forced to spend his coronavirus quarantine inside a state-run facility in Ranong province without electricity or running water for days.
Facebook user Kachata Boonyasompob said local bureaucrats only got those essential services running after he posted photos of the decrepit room – which he had to share with another occupant.
“Yes, this is a state quarantine location in Thailand. I’m experiencing it right now. It’s two people to a room; I guess they wanted us to have a roomie,” Kachata wrote. “This is like living in an abandoned building, no different than homeless people, except that there’s a bed.”
Just outside the building was a swimming pool half-filled with murky green water. An electric fan provided by the staff was caked with dust, but couldn’t be used anyway. With no electricity, the only source of light at night were candles. Of course, TVs, fridges, air conditioners, and Wi-Fi were also out of the question.
But what to do when he’s gotta go? The Aor Sor Mor, or local health volunteers, told Kachata to relieve himself outside on the balcony and to wai in apology to the local spirits.
Those spirits must have sympathized with Kachata and worked some magic, since water and electricity started running on 11pm Saturday – hours after he shared his story on the internet.
In an update posted on Sunday afternoon, Kachata shows himself brewing coffee and using his laptop in his quarantine room.
“Thank you everybody for your concern. The Aor Sor Mor and other officials here are doing the best they can, even with such an inconvenient location,” he wrote. Kachata has not responded to messages as of press time.
Some state-run quarantines outside Bangkok have been known for their subpar standards of living. In May, a state quarantine facility in Narathiwat was shown to be infested with bugs, while in April some Thai fishery workers were instructed to quarantine themselves in roadside tents as they waited to be relocated to a building.
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