Singaporean tourist on Covid-19 quarantine in Bangkok 'sick' of people telling her she should've 'kept quiet about it'
MAY 21, 2022PUBLISHED AT 1:03 PMByCANDICE CAIASIAONE
Amanda Lee chose to declare her Covid-positive status as she was just "doing the right thing".
TikTok/Ladynomnom
The relaxation of Covid-19 travel restrictions means Singaporeans are once again flocking to their favourite destinations around the world.
But how many of us have thought about what to do if we were to catch the virus while on holiday?
More from AsiaOneRead the condensed version of this story, and other top stories with NewsLite.
Singaporean tourist Amanda Lee was on a highly-anticipated trip to Bangkok with her family when she tested positive for Covid-19 on a self-administered Antigen Rapid Test (ART) on the second-last day of the trip.
She reported it to the hotel and was immediately whisked away to serve a 10-day quarantine at a local hospital.
Lee, 32, who's fully vaccinated, is currently mid-way through her quarantine and will be discharged on May 24.
Posting her reflections on Instagram and TikTok this week, Lee initially stated that she felt "stupid" about the situation because her diagnosis coincided with the Vesak Day public holidays in Singapore as well as Thailand.
She was told she had to pay a 100,000 baht (about S$4,000) security deposit but could not contact insurance companies as they were closed.
"Also, the doctors are all on holiday so no one can tell me how long I have to be here and when I can fly back so I can't change my flight details."
Comments to her sharing have been both positive and derisive, especially towards her decision to declare her Covid-positive status.
"Maybe you rich enough to be backside itchy [sic]," a netizen commented.
Another stated that "If I were you, I'd double-mask on the plane, not interact unnecessarily and quarantine at home".
Yet another wrote: "I respect your decision, but you should respect other people's decision to keep quiet and just fly back to Singapore."
Others praised Lee for being socially responsible.
On Friday (May 20), Lee said on TikTok that she was "sick and tired" of the questions over why she chose to declare her Covid-positive status when she was just "doing the right thing".
"So many people have said, 'Why don't you just keep quiet about it?', 'Singapore doesn't require the ART test any more, why did you take the ART test?'"
"Because I'm trying to be socially responsible, man," Lee vented.
"Honestly, why is that so hard to understand? I didn't want to get other people sick. I didn't want to get the people I was travelling with sick," she added.
"Am I going to wander around Bangkok and get more people sick? No!"
"My short answer is, don't be an a******, if you don't feel well, take an ART test. Yes, it's inconvenient, but at least you're not getting the rest of the people in the world sick."
She also reflected that irresponsible Covid-19 patients may be the reason why she caught the virus in the first place.
"I think, we all have to do the right thing," she added.
Speaking to AsiaOne, Lee, a content strategist, shared that she had done the test "to be responsible" as she was "travelling with the elderly", including her mother and mother-in-law.
She shared that when she saw the result, there was no doubt in her mind that she had to declare her status. "It just felt very matter of fact", said Lee, adding that it was surprising at first to see all the "nasty reactions" to her videos on TikTok.
What to do if you test positive overseas
In a separate video, Lee also shared what to expect if you test positive in Thailand, stating that a representative from the hospital would "pick you up and send you straight to the hospital facility".She wrote that tourists are taken to private hospitals, and that her room was fully equipped with appliances such as a microwave and a refrigerator.
Patients also have to sign a waiver to be under round-the-clock surveillance.
"Every day, the doctor will call you on the phone, but you'll never actually meet him in person," she wrote, adding that "all your meals come with a lot of medicine." She also had to have her blood pressure and heart rate taken twice a day, and get her blood drawn every two to three days.
Lee gave credit to the "amazing" nurses who took care of her. "It's a nice facility and doctors and nurses are really nice too."
The downside is, of course, the isolation.
"It's lonely AF," she wrote, adding that she "cried a lot" out of frustration after not being to get a hold of her insurance company in Singapore at the start.
She advised others to "document everything", and to make sure to get an itemised bill at the end of the hospital stay, as well as an invoice for the flight change.
"Ask the hospital to provide you with a bill that also states the time you entered the hospital to when you leave."
Lee shared that despite doing what she thought was right, she still feels bad because "I feel like I ruined the end of my trip for my family".
She also admitted that during the initial days alone in hospital, "sometimes I wish I had done the socially irresponsible thing and gone home before I took the ART test".
There is also the extra cost involved, as her husband chose to stay behind for the additional 10 days. But as he is unable to visit, they have to contend with video calling every day.
Her biggest advice to those planning to travel, is to "buy insurance". Lee would have to submit the documents required to the insurance company before finding out if she is able to cover the total cost deducted from the security deposit.
Lee told AsiaOne: "I have to say, a majority of comments have been very nice, so that's been comforting", although the episode has made her realise that "selfish p***** do exist".
