The village was placed under ‘Bubble and Seal’ lockdown by provincial order on Sept 15. The lockdown order expired at midnight last night (Sept 28).
Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos led the efforts this morning after addressing the sea gypsies in the community.
Workers then removed the steel barriers and other materials sealing off the village, including the sheet-metal fence installed along the boundary on Wiset Rd preventing people from entering or leaving the village. Other workers moved in and sanitised the village with disinfectant.
The village came under scrutiny after mass testing of 465 villagers living in the densely populated area were tested for COVID-19 by staff from Chalong Hospital using antigen test kits (ATKs) on Aug 31.
The number of villagers confirmed as infected was never reported.
While the village was under lockdown, Rawai Municipality organised many deliveries of food, water, baby milk, diapers and many other household necessities, and had medical staff on site to provide any healthcare needed.