What are the laws in Thailand regarding Covid 19 testing?

[thaisail]

I went to Chiang Khan hospital yesterday, where I live and my Thai wife went in to ask the cost of a Covid 19 test. The answer was 3000 baht. When my wife told them that I was an American, they told her that they would find out if it was possible and call back. This morning, the CK hospital called my wife and told her that only Thai citizens and foreigners from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia could be tested at CK government hospital. My wife asked if I could be tested at Loei government hospital and the lady on the phone said she didn't know but that Loei Ram private hospital was offering tests for farang. I am sure that the price will be substantially higher!

 

At the time, I was under the impression that I would require a negative test to be able to be issued a marriage extension at CK immigration which is due at the end of February. Last night it appears that the latest version is that the negative test will not be required for the extension to stay at immigration. But I may be flying to France in March and right now they require a negative PCR test less than 72 hours before flying and I don't understand how a government hospital can refuse an American patient the option of testing in CK rather than making the 1 hour drive to Loei to test there. I had a Thai work permit for Phuket which was cancelled on December 28 while I was in Phuket. I feel like I am being discriminated against! I will find out and post the price for testing at Loei Ram. I will also find out if Loei government hospital will offer the test and if so at what price. 

 

I was forced into early retirement by my Thai employer in Phuket in April during the lockdown.  So we drove from Phuket to CK in my Ford Ranger on May 15th when the bridge opened after the one month lockdown. While crossing the bridge to leave Phuket Island, the government put a red sticker on our windshield since we had a permit from the Ampur in Phuket to go to CK. When we stayed overnight in Bangkok, my wife called the local health department closest to our house in CK. They told her that we were not welcome to come to our bungalow in CK and would be forbidden entry to the village. This did not please my wife who responded to this with a rare show of anger. She told the lady at the local health department that she would call the governor's office in Loei and request assistance. The lady told her to stand by for a return call. She was called back about an hour later from the CK hospital who told her that we were to report to the health department at CK hospital before starting a home supervised 14 day quarantine. When we arrived at CK hospital, we were told that my wife,  our 13 year old daughter and I must take a chest x-ray before being allowed to go to our rice farm bungalow to start the quarantine. We agreed to do the x-rays and were not charged for it. We stayed in quarantine for 14 days and then we were warmly welcomed by the village chief who knew my wife from 5 months previous when she built the bungalow. We stayed in the 12 square meter bungalow for two months before returning to Phuket to pack up our things in our  rented house and ship them on a big truck to CK. By then a 48 sq. meter garage was built with a toilet and shower and we lived in the garage with all of our furniture and belongings until the 96 sq. meter house adjoining the garage was completed at the end of November. We moved into the new house in December and we are so happy we made this move. Life is great in Chiang Khan.

[Puccini]

There are no the laws in Thailand regarding Covid 19 testing.