TAK: A migrant worker refused entry to his home village when he returned from Thailand, for fear he was carrying Covid-19 disease, opted to isolate himself in a tree house until it was clear he was free of the disease, according to a local media report.
The man, who was not named, was among the workers who returned to their hometowns in Myanmar across the 2nd Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge in Mae Sot district.
But when he arrived at his village in Hpa-an province in Karen State, the people there refused to allow him in. The residents were determined to prevent workers from Thailand and other countries entering the village, unless they had undergone 14 days of self-isolation.
So the man built a house in a tree and has been living in it, like a bird in a nest. His relatives leave food and water for him at the foot of the tree.
As of Sunday, he had been there by himself for seven days. He still had another week to go.
About 10,000 Myanmar migrant workers have returned to their homes since the Thai government declared a state of emergency ands began locking down the country to prevent the spread the virus, labelled SARS-CoV-2, that causes Covid-19 disease.