Thai dad creates 'Covid-19 isolation room' in car to pick son up from airport

With "social distancing" emerging as the latest buzzword in the fight against Covid-19, one dad went as far as to modify his own car — just to pick his son up from the airport.

The man, who hails from Phitsanulok province, attracted praise on Thai social media for his Macgyver-ed car partition, set up as a precaution to isolate himself from his son, who returned from Italy on March 10, reported Thai media.

Italy has been hit hard by Covid-19, with 24,707 positive cases and 1,809 deaths as of March 15.

The driver's unique set-up gained attention when one Twitter user, who claimed to be a friend of his, shared a series of photos of the partition — a plastic sheet taped between the front and back seats.

Despite having safety at the top of mind, he did not forget his son's comfort. Two plastic pipes ran from the air conditioning vents to the partition, delivering cool air to the back seat. 

The post also included photos of a safety cordon outside the family's home made of raffia string and handwritten signs that prohibited "outsiders" from entering the area.

[embed]https://twitter.com/Nichada1998/status/1237693802107662336[/embed]

The tweet, which amassed over 4,600 retweets, left netizens equal parts amused and impressed.

One replied: "A very socially responsible, educated solution!"

"This family is so cute," another netizen commented.

According to a spokesperson for the Thai health department, the father took other precautions such as wearing a mask while he drove his son home and refraining from making any pit stops along the way.

As travellers entering Thailand from high-risk countries such as Italy are required to self-quarantine for 14 days (in addition to furnishing a medical certificate clearing them of Covid-19 before boarding their flight), the father had approached the local health department for advice on how to quarantine his son at home safely, the spokesperson explained.

Praising the man as "a good example in society", the spokesperson added that the man had also prepared an isolation room complete with WiFi for his son.

While it remains unclear how effective the DIY partition really is, the son has been monitoring his temperature daily and has not shown any symptoms of the virus.

ALSO READ: Malaysian mum welcomes son at airport by dousing him in disinfectant

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kimberlylim@asiaone.com