Thailand-

The following is our weekly feature in which we ask our readers a news topical question and get their insight and opinions. We then share their feedback a week later and pick a variety of diverse and interesting responses.

This week, we want to ask our readers the following question, inspired by intense discussions on our social media over the past few days as “Omicron” continues to impact the Pattaya area and arguments and discussions take place on social media between people over their thoughts about the situation.

This week, our question is inspired by the same question asked by some other media and bloggers, however, we want the opinions of our own readers:

If you tested positive for Covid-19 in Thailand on a home rapid test, would you officially report to the government?

Some context for this question:

Currently, in Thailand and on social media, there has been much debate and discussion around what happens when one tests positive for Covid-19. We have covered this in other articles and the short answer is it can vary greatly depending on age, health, province, home living conditions, etc.

  We wanted to ask if you tested positive for Covid-19 at home, would you call and report yourself to the government or go and take an RT-PCR test to confirm the result? Or would you stay at home, self-isolate, and self-medicate?

  We have done similar polls where many readers indicated they were more afraid of potentially being “locked up” in hospitals or quarantine centers than the virus itself. Although self-isolation is becoming more common in Thailand, social media is still rife with stories of people being denied this. We cannot independently verify every story, so your mileage may vary on these.

  So, we want to know. If you are positive, do you tell the Thai government? Or do you keep it quiet? Or something else? Let’s assume for the sake of this question also one is NOT seriously ill, perhaps mild or asymptomatic.

We will keep full names private for this feedback.

We look forward to hearing from you! Tell us on our social media channels, in the comments below, or if you prefer your comment to be private mail us at Pattayanewseditor@gmail.com. We will publish the results and select a variety of diverse responses early next week, as always!