Hotels as temporary hospitals in Thailand
As Thailand has had over 100 new cases daily, with over 30,000 infected cases currently, the Thai government has decided to roll out an initiative to set up field hospitals to accommodate the increase in patients.
On 15th April 2021, the Thai Hotels Association (THA) president Ms. Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi said that THA wants to propose a plan to convert hotels into hospitals or “hospi-tels”, in order to ease overcrowding.
More Covid-19 quarantine updates:
- Bangkok hospitals pause Covid-19 testing due to overcrowding
- Thailand shortens quarantine period to 7 days
- Phuket opens for tourism in July
Criteria for converted hotels
According to Ms. Nunbhakdi, the hospital staff from both public and private hospitals will visit the hotels that meet the criteria for this proposed plan, reported The Nation Thailand.
These are the requirements, that are laid out by the Ministry of Public Health:
- Each hotel is required to have the following medical professionals:
- A pharmacist
- A clinical psychologist
- A radiologist
- An infection control nurse
- A nurse for every 20 patients
- Each patient needs to have a portable x-ray machine, digital thermometer, and pulse oximeter.
- Hotels to pass alternative state quarantine (ASQ) standards
- The hotels are to manage and improve the patients’ symptoms within 5-7 days
Always practise safety measures
In the midst of rising cases, it’s always crucial to practise Covid-19 safety measures, such as wearing masks, social distancing, and maintaining personal hygiene. These are basic things that we should be doing daily to stay safe.
Vaccination updates in Thailand:
- Private hospitals given green light to import Covid-19 vaccines
- Virologist warns of another Covid-19 surge in Thailand
Cover images adapted from: Travelling King
Image for illustration purposes only.
Note: The Smart Local Thailand previously used an image of W Bangkok mistakenly, which has confirmed that it has no plans on joining the above-mentioned initiative.
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