The Chiang Mai Convention Centre field hospital has now officially closed.
As of today, the main field hospital where most of the asymptomatic Covid positive people were housed under observation has now closed down, according to the Covid Response Centre.
The last two patients were given bouquets of flowers as they departed for home earlier today and the convention centre will soon be disinfected and cleared for regular use.
The last two patients were both men, aged 44 and 55, who are the last of a total of 2,557 people who have spent their fortnight in quarantine here.
“I feel great pride in our team’s achievement,” said Dararat Siriprasertvit, a nurse who has been on loan to the field hospital from her hospital in Sankampaeng over the past two months. “I was so excited at first to be involved in such an undertaking and I feel that everyone on the team worked hard and professionally throughout the time period. It was so hard at first, with hundreds of patients at a time to oversee. We all had to work in our PPEs for three hour shifts at a minimum, often doubling that time. But we feel as though we are a part of history and we have all worked together to hopefully overcome this crisis.”
She went on to say that it is also a sad day as the team has come together from so many hospitals and medical centres across the province and they have become very close over the past many weeks.
“I was not just tired, but very afraid at first,” added Kawalin Jaireun, a nurse from Vieng Haeng Hospital who has also worked in the field hospital for the past two months.
“At first, going into the hall where I knew everyone tested positive took quite a lot of strength of will,” she added. “But we overcame the crisis and everyone was able to return home in full health, and that is all that matters. When I return to Vieng Haeng I will have to quarantine myself in the hospital for another fortnight before going home. The first thing I am going to do is give my mother the biggest hug.”