A group of unemployed migrant workers were allowed to leave the resort island of Phuket to return home yesterday (Tuesday), as the provincial administration agreed to temporarily lift the travel ban so they can rejoin their families.
One of the workers, from the neighboring province of Nakhon Si Thammarat, told Thai PBS that he has been out of work for two months, andt could not continue to stay in Phuket because his wife had a job at a hotel, which was recently ordered closed, along with the other hotels on the island, by the provincial governor.
With both of them now unemployed, and having to pay rent, he said they decided to go home because, at least, they would have food to eat and free accommodation there.
Since the provincial administration has restricted the movement of people in and out of the province, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, unemployed migrant workers have not been allowed to leave.
The worker added that he was willing to enter mandatory quarantine for 14 days at a designated facility.
Before leaving Phuket yesterday, a senior official told the workers about the need to restrict travel and that, after their departure, they will not be allowed to return until the end of this month.
Meanwhile, it is reported that 41 of the 76 Thais recently returned from Indonesia tested positive for coronavirus and several of them have been hospitalized, with the rest being quarantined in Songkhla province.
