Phuket Opinion: The problem with Phuket’s COVID containment camps

[webfact]

An officer looks through the bars to where people who test positive for COVID-19 only by a rapid antigen test but not exhibiting any signs of infection are to be detained. Photo: Phuket City Municipality

 

By The Phuket News

 

PHUKET: The move by local officials to create ‘Phuket COVID Care Centers’ should be raising more alarm bells than anyone is willing to report right now. In effect, the “care centers” are nothing more than COVID containment camps, and even then they are just for those who test positive by a rapid antigen test and still are not showing any signs of infection.

 

The centres have been set up in each of Phuket’s districts: Kathu, Thalang and Muang. The best known example is the conversion of the old prison in Phuket Town to accommodate some 500 people as COVID inmates.

 

Previously, asymptomatic were asked to observe home quarantine, but now they are going into confinement – despite officials not publicly recognising how many infections have been traced to asymptomtic carriers. Doing so would be a good idea just so the people understand what is going on.

 

Full story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-opinion-the-problem-with-phuket-covid-containment-camps-81055.php

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2021-08-16

 

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[RichardColeman]

43 minutes ago, webfact said:

An officer looks through the bars to where people who test positive for COVID-19 only by a rapid antigen test but not exhibiting any signs of infection are to be detained.

There corrected - An officer looks through the prison zoo bars to where people who test positive for COVID-19 only by a rapid antigen test but not exhibiting any signs of infection are to be detained.

[ukrules]

It's a <deleted> prison and they're not even attempting to hide it any more.

[ThailandRyan]

Can I be put in the crocodile enclosure, oh wait that's the old zoo, such a 3 ring circus this has become.

[HeijoshinCool]

Well, just like that, there go my plans to return (and contribute to the economy)....

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, RichardColeman said:

There corrected - An officer looks through the prison zoo bars to where people who test positive for COVID-19 only by a rapid antigen test but not exhibiting any signs of infection are to be detained.

but... it's not a jail, it's a care centre, didn't you see the numerous 5 star care staff all feining 5 star service and love?

 

[Damrongsak]

57 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Can I be put in the crocodile enclosure, oh wait that's the old zoo, such a 3 ring circus this has become.

They already sold all the body parts of the former animals at the zoo to the Chinese.  Just repurposing the building. 

[Bkk Brian]

The Phuket Governors method for keeping numbers down and sandbox open. 

 

Go directly to jail if you test positive. We won't even record it unless you bother us with the need to be admitted to a real hospital.

 

Job done, now how many of those International tourists do we have coming today?

[smedly]

soi dogs are free on the island apparently some innocent humans are not and are been rounded up and contained in what amounts to concentration camps, this is not just happening in Phuket

 

 

[head bender]

very 1984 dreadful of what crime are they guilty?

[edwinchester]

Can't wait to see a few hiso's behind those bars after a +ve antigen test.

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

The centres have been set up in each of Phuket’s districts: Kathu, Thalang and Muang. The best known example is the conversion of the old prison in Phuket Town to accommodate some 500 people as COVID inmates.

And there you have it... 

Caring, compassionate; amazing safe trusted Thailand.

[Almer]

2 hours ago, smedly said:

soi dogs are free on the island apparently some innocent humans are not and are been rounded up and contained in what amounts to concentration camps, this is not just happening in Phuket

 

 

Wow, this will be a talking point in travel agents offices in the west

[HeijoshinCool]

5 minutes ago, Almer said:

Wow, this will be a talking point in travel agents offices in the west

.

 

Unfortunately, I have not seen a travel agent office in the US in 20 years....

 

Oh, for the good old days.

[mancub]

But there's free Wifi, surely ?

[Almer]

8 minutes ago, HeijoshinCool said:

.

 

Unfortunately, I have not seen a travel agent office in the US in 20 years....

 

Oh, for the good old days.

Still plenty in the UK and busy, but not sending many or any to Asia

[petermik]

5 minutes ago, mancub said:

But there's free Wifi, surely ?

Nope.. media blackout assured

[Geoffggi]

4 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

The Phuket Governors method for keeping numbers down and sandbox open. 

 

Go directly to jail if you test positive. We won't even record it unless you bother us with the need to be admitted to a real hospital.

 

Job done, now how many of those International tourists do we have coming today?

I believe the local name is "Phuket Covid Monopoly" ....................LOL

[khunPer]

Makes me compare with lepers in old time...????

[AnotherFarang8]

That is precisely why tourists ain’t coming in significant numbers until this nonsense is over. Vaccinated tourists can still test positive and end up behind bars. PCR test upon arrival is the main deterrent, nothing else.

[impulse]

5 hours ago, AnotherFarang8 said:

That is precisely why tourists ain’t coming in significant numbers until this nonsense is over. Vaccinated tourists can still test positive and end up behind bars. PCR test upon arrival is the main deterrent, nothing else.

While I agree it's a travesty, foreign arrivals are put up in ALQ hotels at their own expense.  Not a gub'ment quarantine cubicle which are for local people who cannot afford a hotel room.

 

Still, with thousands of hotels begging for business (any business), you'd think the gub'ment could come up with something more humane than those prison cells.

 

[AnotherFarang8]

6 minutes ago, impulse said:

While I agree it's a travesty, foreign arrivals are put up in ALQ hotels at their own expense.  Not a gub'ment quarantine cubicle which are for local people who cannot afford a hotel room.

 

Still, with thousands of hotels begging for business (any business), you'd think the gub'ment could come up with something more humane than those prison cells.

 

A comfy prison still a prison. Paying to be imprisoned is not an idea of happy vacations most tourists have.

[impulse]

21 minutes ago, AnotherFarang8 said:

A comfy prison still a prison. Paying to be imprisoned is not an idea of happy vacations most tourists have.

Then stay at home...

 

There is no international travel during a pandemic that has no risk.  Stay at home and risk catching it at the Aldi, come to Phuket and have a 1% chance of getting thrown into ALQ, or come to Mexico and take your chances with Covid.

 

Some people wanna travel, given there's risks even if they stay home.

 

Edit:  I'd add that I know about 30 people in Texas who have had Covid, 10 of them had to be hospitalized and 6 of them died.  They all caught it living their everyday lives.  None caught it traveling.

 

[AnotherFarang8]

2 hours ago, impulse said:

Then stay at home...

 

There is no international travel during a pandemic that has no risk.  Stay at home and risk catching it at the Aldi, come to Phuket and have a 1% chance of getting thrown into ALQ, or come to Mexico and take your chances with Covid.

 

Some people wanna travel, given there's risks even if they stay home.

 

Edit:  I'd add that I know about 30 people in Texas who have had Covid, 10 of them had to be hospitalized and 6 of them died.  They all caught it living their everyday lives.  None caught it traveling.

 

Covid hasn’t been on the list of my worries. Most people i talk to who are active travelers don’t worry about it much either. The worry is authoritarian governments that will ruin traveler’s plans without giving it a second thought. There is a large group of travelers that refuse to be brainwashed into fearing covid. The fear of arbitrary lockdowns and lockups for a tiny reason is very real though. This is the nonsense many travelers are not ready to put up with. Yes, i stay at home now hoping that by winter time Thailand will abolish PCR tests upon arrival. There are other tropical countries, like some Caribbean nations, that are already of less administrative risk to travelers.

[impulse]

10 minutes ago, AnotherFarang8 said:

There are other tropical countries, like some Caribbean nations, that are already of less administrative risk to travelers.

So riddle me this.  When you take your mandatory PCR test to return home after your Caribbean adventure, which of those Caribbean nations are going to allow you free movement if you test positive?  'Cause they sure aren't going to let you on the plane.

Point being that the perception of administrative risk is pretty subjective.  Thailand wears theirs on their sleeve.  Which is offputting to some travelers.  But not all of them, especially those who think things all the way through.

 

 

[AnotherFarang8]

16 minutes ago, impulse said:

So riddle me this.  When you take your mandatory PCR test to return home after your Caribbean adventure, which of those Caribbean nations are going to allow you free movement if you test positive?  'Cause they sure aren't going to let you on the plane.

 

 

 

I have information that they can select to test a few tourists from the plane upon arrival which is a huge improvement over testing everyone 3 times as they do now in Phuket. Suppose they run 30 tests (30 people out of 300 on the plane) vs Phuket running 300x3=900 tests. Mathematically, Phuket is 900/30=30x more risky.

 

I don’t have information that they make you take a test on your way back. If they do, you’ve already had happy vacations anyway, this is still a huge improvement over Phuket. You might have to take a test upon arrival in your home country but this isn’t so painful if you test positive and is unavoidable.

 

To sum up, there is a lot of administrative improvements Thailand will need to make to attract tourists.