240 Thais return home after ‘naval quarantine’

240 “phee noi” (little ghosts), Thais who have thus far returned from South Korea, have been allowed to return to their homes after they tested negative for the Covid-19 coronavirus. A spokesman for the Royal Thai Navy made the announcement yesterday.

“We prepared 16 buses to take them to their homes and we have coordinated with Public Health offices in their provinces to monitor their health closely.”

After returning from South Korea earlier this month, the Thais had been held at a quarantine facility at Sattahip Naval Base in Chon Buri province. Most are labourers who worked illegally in South Korea.

“The quarantine facility is fully operational and will continue to monitor those [who are] suspected of infection. We sent some home to reduce crowdedness and increase the efficiency of medical staff.”

Meanwhile, a source from the Ministry of Defence revealed that the ministry plans to postpone the annual conscription date by two weeks, from April 1-11 to April 16-26.

“This is to allow additional time for conscription stations to prepare the venues and medical staff to screen the candidates to prevent the spread of Covid-19.”

“Furthermore, those who wish to extend the exemption period, like for instance those who are studying, need not to be present at the conscription stations this year to reduce over-crowding. They can send the appeal online or via mail.”

SOURCE: nationthailand.com