“I want people who live in Patong to quarantine themselves for 14 days starting right now,” Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup told The Phuket News today (Mar 30).
“Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana has already issued a notice asking people to stay off the streets and away from public areas from 8pm to 3am each night [see here], but this is an additional requirement from me,” she said.
“Most confirmed cases of infection [in Phuket] have come from Patong, but now it’s not just the Bangla area, it is now spreading everywhere,” Mayor Chalermluck noted.
“Please stay at home all day. I am not banning people from going outside. If it is necessary to go out, you must wear a face mask and finish your business quickly and return home. This is the best way to keep yourself and your family safe,” she said.
Mayor Chalermluck warned that people caught flouting the health regulations issued under the Emergency Decree may face legal action.
“People should not ignore this, we want to stop the virus from spreading. If any person ignores the regulations, officials will enforce the law,” she said.
Health officials from tomorrow (Mar 31) will conduct door-to-door checks on people in the hope of identifying any more possible infections before the virus can spread further, Mayor Chalermluck said.
“Tomorrow, health officials from Patong Municipality will inspect houses in Patong. We will check people in their residences,” she said.
Any persons found suspected of being infected will be taken to Patong Hospital and then asked to spend a 14-day quarantine at the Sleep With Me hotel, where 200 rooms have been dedicated to accommodating “persons under investigation” (PUIs) – free of charge.
“People cannot just turn up at the hotel and ask to stay for free,” Mayor Chalermluck explained.
“People must be screened by Patong Hospital first, and if the hospital requests it, the person can stay at the hotel,” she said.
Eight rooms are already accommodating such PUIs, she added.
Patong Municipality already has been providing free meals for people under self-quarantine, Mayor Chalermluck added.
People who have registered with the municipality project have three meals a day delivered to wherever they are staying.
The project was originally budgeted to provide three meals a day to 300 people, but officials are trying to stretch that even further, Mayor Chalermluck said.
“We will try to cover everyone who needs meals delivered by us,” she said.