Thailand’s Migrants Left to Fend for Themselves

Migrant workers are struggling to get during Thailand’s worst COVID-19 outbreak so far; and for many, government aid and essential-for-work tests are out of reach.
 
While the Thai government has assured that high-risk individuals would receive free COVID-19 testing and treatment, migrant workers are often forced to pay out of pocket for testing that is required for them to return to work.
 
“A migrant worker on minimum wage …  contributing 100% of their salary for testing would have to work for an estimated 9 days to cover the costs of a single COVID-19 test,” explained the UN’s Geraldine Ansart of the UN’s International Organization for Migration.

Thomson Reuters Foundation