The opposition Pheu Thai Party has slammed the government's decision to remove illegal Thai migrant workers who returned from South Korea from the national facility in Chon Buri's Sattahip district and send them home for self-isolation.
Anudit Nakhonthap, secretary-general of the Pheu Thai Party, said the government's decision to let the returnees go home may worsen the spread.
The government on Wednesday decided to send 240 Thai workers who returned to Thailand this week after working illegally in South Korea to their home provinces for self-quarantine, following advice that keeping many people quarantined in one place may lead to widespread infection.
Mr Anudit criticised the self-isolation policy, saying it might endanger the public or even their relatives as there are a number of reports of so-called Phi Noi flouting bans and mingling in public places.
"If the government couldn't assure containment of the virus spread at the national centre, who could elsewhere?" he asked.
He also asked the government to help Thai nationals who are still in quarantine in South Korea, return home.
According to Mr Anudit, those illegal Thai workers have already completed a mandatory two-week quarantine but have not been able to return home simply due to the fact that Thai authorities have not allowed them to.
Meanwhile, in Chon Buri, 240 Thai workers who were repatriated from South Korea earlier and were later quarantined at the national facility left for their homes in 16 different buses on Friday.
