THB600 million set aside for bar-workers

The Cabinet on Tuesday earmarked about 600 million baht to help approximately 120,000 workers in the entertainment industry who have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The scheme will grant 5,000 baht to each person, including those not insured under the social security scheme, provided employers can prove their place of business has been closed due to the pandemic.

Pubs, bars, karaoke joints and other entertainment venues have been ordered closed since early this year.

Further details of the registration process will be released by the Social Security Office later.

Source - BangkokJack

Bars warned it takes proper accreditation to be a restaurant

The practice of bars and clubs tossing up a sign selling french fries and calling themselves a restaurant in order to reopen after Covid-19 restrictions ban entertainment venues from operating has been commonplace for months in Thailand. Now bars, pubs, and karaoke establishments are being warned in Bangkok that it takes more than a slapdash bite to eat to qualify as a restaurant and sell alcohol again.

A meeting of the Bangkok Municipal Authority chaired by the Deputy Governor and focusing on the Covid-19 situation in the capital city addressed the issue of fake “restaurants” reopening. The meeting instructed that bars wanting to serve food in order to reopen must be accredited with proper Covid-19 certification.

Restaurants must have an SHA and SHA+ certificate as well as be approved as a Covid Free Setting and follow all the set Covid-19 safety provisions before they are allowed to operate as a restaurant. Oddly, the need for a restaurant license did not seem to be a concern for the Bangkok Municipal Authority meeting.

Once properly accredited, the “restaurants” would be allowed as part of the tourist Blue Zone designated area to serve alcohol until 11 pm each night. Authorities have been patrolling the 50 districts of Bangkok and will continue to do so, looking for those who are violating the rules and restrictions for businesses to open as restaurants and sell booze.

The meeting about Covid-19 was called to address worries about the Omicron variant which has now been identified in Thailand. Experts are reporting that they believe the new variant is no more harmful than the Delta variant, which swept Thailand (and the world) creating by far the worst phase of the pandemic so far. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has assured that Thailand is not likely to go into another lockdown over the emergence of the new variant.

SOURCE: ASEAN Now

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Thailand’s nightlife venues to reopen on Jan 16, subject to assessment

Pubs, bars and karaoke bars in Thailand’s COVID-19 restricted zones and “sandbox” provinces may be allowed to reopen from January 16th, on the condition that they meet the required criteria and pass assessments by relevant authorities, according to the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

The Public Health and Interior ministries, as well as the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, have been designated by the CCSA to enforce safety measures to be imposed on these venues.

One of the required safety measures is that venues must improve their environment and air circulation system and that all staff are fully inoculated against COVID-19.

Pubs, bars and karaoke bars, located in restricted and “sandbox” areas, are given until January 16th to make preparations and improvements ahead of evaluation by assessment committees in each province.

Venues which pass the assessment will be registered and allowed to reopen for business and must strictly comply with the safety measures. If a COVID-19 infection is found in any of the venues, it will be closed down.

The CCSA, at its meeting today, agreed to reduce the COVID-19 “dark red” provinces to just Tak, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala and Songkhla, where infections are still spreading. The night-time curfew between 11pm and 3am is in place only in the “dark red” zone, and until November 3otth, pending a further CCSA decision whether to extend the curfew.

Bangkok is now included among the “sandbox” provinces, which also include the popular tourist destinations such as Krabi, Phuket and Phang-nga. The ban on serving alcohol in eateries has been lifted in the “sandbox provinces” and five other provinces deemed at low-risk for the spread of COVID-19 – Nakhon Phanom, Bueng Kan, Mukdahan and Sakhon Nakhon.

All the provinces classified as “dark red”, “red” or “blue” zones are required to comply with the Universal Prevention and COVID Free Setting regimens.

All international arrivals will still have to undergo an RT-PCR test and an Antigen test upon arrival as per the current practice, according to the CCSA, following the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s proposal to switch to only antigen tests to reduce the waiting time.

Source - Thai BPS World

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Bars, pubs and nightclubs in Thailand could remain closed until 2022

Bars, pubs, nightclubs and other entertainment venues in Thailand could remain closed until 2022, according to a proposal due to be considered by the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

A report surfaced in Thai media on Wednesday (Nov 10) that Cabinet ministers have proposed keeping entertainment venues closed until after the new year.

However, countdown events in five locations across the country, presumably in key tourism areas, are set to be given the green light to go ahead.

The report also said that Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-Cha called on business owners within the entertainment industry “not to be selfish” with regards to reopening.

The proposals to keep entertainment venues, as well as possible easing of restrictions in Thailand, are set to be announced on Friday (Nov 11) following the conclusion of a CCSA meeting, which the PM chairs.

Despite restrictions surrounding alcohol sales in restaurants being eased in some locations earlier this month, namely Bangkok, Krabi, Phuket and Phang Nga, bars, pubs and nightclubs across the country remain closed.

 Source - ASIAN NOW

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Thai gov’t warns everybody to DRINK RESPONSIBLY

With alcohol now allowed to be served at restaurants in some key tourism cities, the Department of Health has assumed the authority to insist drinkers act responsibly.
Despite this obviously having nothing to do with the spread of a virus, the Director General has warned people to continue practicing personal protective measures against COVID-19.

Restaurants are also warned not to serve alcohol beyond the permitted hours.

Restaurants in Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi, and Phang Nga are now permitted to serve alcoholic drinks, as the government looks to stimulate tourism activities.

The Department of Health today urged restaurants and customers to comply with all the restrictions that remain, including the limit of serving hours outlined by provincial communicable diseases committees.

The Department of Health’s Director-General, Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai, said most restaurants are found complying well with the regulations, while some restaurants and their customers might become quite loose with the compliance.

He asked restaurants and customers not to serve or consume alcohol beyond the permitted hours and to prevent overcrowding at venues.

Dr. Suwanchai said lower cognitive abilities in intoxicated persons would lead to more chances of breaching disease control measures, adding that drinkers must be considerate of their own safety and that of others.

It is only a matter of time before alcohol sales are banned again on the grounds that citizens are not, in somebody’s opinion, acting responsibly.

Source - BangkokJack

Bangkok considers reopening bars & nightlife on Nov 15

After Thailand opened its doors to fully vaccinated tourists on Monday, the National Security Council (NSC) met with tourism operators the following day to assess the situation.
Unlocking of bars in Bangkok to be considered on Nov 15

General Supot Malaniyom, NSC secretary-general, said the council will meet tourism operators every two days and collate data for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), which will be presented every 15 days.

He said the opening of entertainment venues, bars and pubs will rely very much on the trend of new Covid-19 infections, the emergence of clusters and the rate of hospital beds occupied by Covid patients.

He said the first report will be presented on November 15 and if all goes well, the CCSA may consider reopening entertainment venues, bars and pubs in the 17 tourism pilot areas first. – The Nation

Source - BangkokJack

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Once Asia’s party capital, will Bangkok’s nightlife scene recover even if Thailand’s tourism industry picks up?

● Thailand’s nightlife economy was worth about US$5 billion, but Covid-19 has shuttered many bars and clubs after 20 months of lost business and no government help

● Curbs are only likely to be lifted in December, and many operators fear Asia’s party city may already have lost its reputation for variety and reinvention

Vijitra Duangdee

When DJ and producer Marmosets released his pounding techno track Krungthep Ratree (Bangkok nightlife) in June 2020, he had no idea how relevant his lament to the fading glory of Asia’s party city would be, and of the decimation ahead for bars and clubs as the coronavirus pandemic cut through Thailand.

Nightlife has only been allowed to operate legally for a few weeks since then, as authorities tried to beat back a months-long Covid-19 outbreak by banning alcohol sales inside licensed premises, effectively closing clubs and bars.

From the racy go-gos of Soi Cowboy to the mixology bars of upmarket Thong Lor, the rooftop hotel happy hours to the street-side pop ups that serve booze until dawn, Bangkok’s cacophonous nightlife has been muted.

Source - ASIAN NOW

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Pubs and bars to remain closed in 17 pilot areas after November 1

BANGKOK (NNT) - The Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has announced the details of Thailand’s November 1 reopening to international tourists, and noted that Thais returning from abroad do not need to have health insurance with 50,000 USD coverage.

CCSA Assistant Spokesperson Apisamai Srirungson said Thais who arrive from countries and territories whose peoples are exempted from quarantine upon entering Thailand do not need to have health insurance coverage of 50,000 USD, unlike foreign tourists.

Dr. Apisamai said Thais and foreigners who are not fully inoculated against COVID-19 will have to enter quarantine for 7, 10, or 14 days depending on the conditions met by each individual.

The CCSA has also announced the designation of 17 provinces as pilot areas for tourism. These include Bangkok, Krabi, Phang Nga, and Phuket, in addition to specific localities in Chonburi, Chiang Mai, Trat, Buriram, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phetchaburi, Ranong, Rayong, Loei, Samut Prakan, Surat Thani, Nong Khai, and Udon Thani.

Entries into areas that are piloting tourism programs would need to fall in line with the conditions set in the respective area, such as full vaccination of the entrant and a local capacity to control outbreaks.

Curfews in any of the aforementioned areas will be lifted at 11 pm on October 31. However, the CCSA is banning the holding of activities involving more than 500 people that could present Covid infection risks in these tourism pilot areas. Entertainment venues, pubs, bars and karaoke shops in these areas will have to remain closed for the time being.

Cource - ASIAN NOW

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Pattaya Bar Girls – What are they doing now?

 September 2020, many were holding out hope that the pandemic would end soon.
But the country’s coronavirus crisis has only gotten worse, with the average number of daily new infections reaching its peak on Aug. 13 at 23,418 cases.

While some resort islands, like Phuket, have reopened to vaccinated foreign tourists, tourism is far from having rebounded.

They caught up with M., 33, who they first met in the Thai tourist hub of Pattaya. Before the pandemic, she was earning good money as a topless dancer at a go-go bar and as a sex worker.

But when they spoke to her amid the crisis last year, she said she was struggling to send money to her mother, who was caring for her two sons, and was sharing a studio apartment with two other women who worked at the same bar.

In January, she gave up and returned to her rural hometown in the northeast region of Isaan and started a job in accounting at a local hospital.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

A year ago, you were worried that if tourism didn’t improve in Pattaya, you’d have to move back to Isaan. What led to your decision to leave the city?
The COVID situation became more severe. There were no tourists or foreigners staying in Pattaya, and I was very worried about COVID. I started to think about going home because there were almost no customers. My roommates went back home around November last year. It was sad.

Our room was quiet, and I still had to pay rent for the room [on my own]. Luckily, over New Year’s Eve, I made some money from a customer from Bangkok who came to Pattaya for an island holiday, and I saved it.

In early January, the bar owner decided to close the business. I wasn’t sure what else to do in Pattaya. I called my mother and told her I was coming home. But I didn’t leave for another [few weeks] because I was trying to find a job in a [government-designated quarantine] hotel in Pattaya, but no luck. (continues below)

Source - BangkokJack

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Thailand - Prayut promises to reopen bar scene on December 1

Thailand will open its doors to vaccinated travelers from a list of ten “safe” countries starting November 1, the Thai prime minister has confirmed.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha said in a nationally televised address that it was time for the country to gradually reopen in accordance with his government’s plans.

The United States, the United Kingdom, China, Singapore, and Australia were among the countries mentioned as being on the safe list with more to be announced later.

Prayut said that the decision was made with the economy in mind even though Covid-related repercussions were likely.

“I know that such decision has risk and it is almost certain that the daily number of Covid cases will increase once we begin to relax measures but we will closely monitor the situation,” Prayut said.

“This is the high season and we cannot miss this opportunity.

The government previously said that it would open the country up by October 1 but the deadline was pushed back due to increased infection numbers. But now with the government ramping up its vaccination program, Prayut said the decision was a calculated decision.

Prayut added that restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues will be allowed to reopen and sell alcoholic drinks from December 1.

Thailand has shut its doors to foreign travelers for close to two years due to the pandemic.

The economy has been hard hit by the self-imposed violation with a recession in 2020 and minimal growth in 2021.- Thai Enquirer

Source - BangkokJack

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