Showing posts with label Distancing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Distancing. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

#Bangkok, Soi Cowboy Gets The Green Light To Open Until Midnight

 Go-go bars on Soi Cowboy have been informed Monday night that they can open until midnight while down the road at Nana Plaza chrome pole palaces have been told to close under the latest BMA order shuttering “high risk” businesses and sporting venues.

It what has become an all too familiar scenario when it comes to enforcing orders, venues of the exact same type receive different directives due to their location and interpretation of orders by the local police district commander.

While Soi Cowboy gets the green light to open for business, only the Nana Plaza beer bars such as Stumble Inn, Big Dogs, Morning Night outside on Soi 4 plus ground floor venues with an outside terrace bar such as Twister BKK, Lollipop, Witchcraft and The Beer Garden inside the Plaza are permitted to open until midnight leaving all the go-go bars closed.

Note: It is highly likely this decision to allow go-go bars on Soi Cowboy will be overturned at some point on Tuesday.

Earlier on Monday the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration issued new measures in a bid to curb the spread of the latest outbreak of Covid-19 from the shrimp market in Samut Sakhon province.

Between Tuesday 29th December 2020 and Monday 4th January 2021 venues deemed “high risk” will be either closed completely or bound by a number of restrictions including closing times and live entertainment.

Source Stickboy Bangkok

Bangkok, Sukhumvit Soi 4 Beer Bars Open

 

 Following the news that numerous venues including nightclubs, karaoke bars, massage parlours and go-go’s have to close for 7 days to curb the spread of Covid-19 things have become confusing for some due to so many misleading posts and updates on social media.
 
Bars and pubs CAN open until midnight daily providing they follow all the social distancing and health measures previously outlined by the BMA.
 
This includes the bars on the front of Nana Plaza such as Big Dogs, Morning Night and Stumble Inn.
 
Bars inside the Plaza such as Twister BKK, Lollipop and others on the ground floor with an outdoor bar terrace are also permitted to open until midnight. Go-go bars will remain closed during this period.
 
While pubs across the capital have been granted permission to continue operating, I hear that officials overseeing Patpong have told a number of bars they must close.
I suspect there may be more of this in the days ahead.

Source Stickboy Bangkok

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Nightlife Venues Reopen in Thailand Despite Foreign Tourists Ban


All nightlife venues in Thailand, bars and entertainment venues, including wet massage parlous, will open their doors again on Wednesday. While some foreigners will be allowed into Thailand, but not tourists. The reopening of nightlife venues comes as virus lockdown restrictions are further eased in Thailand.

According to the Bangkok Post the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Monday gave the green light for all remaining entertainment facilities to reopen from Wednesday. They include pubs and bars, karaoke bars, and bath-sauna-massage establishments. Health measures and monitoring will be required.

“It was widely debated,” CCSA spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin said after the meeting.

All reopening premises will be required to use the Thai Chana platform. Created to alert businesses and customers to any Covid-19 outbreak.
Limited Foreigners Allowed Entry into Thailand

Investors and highly skilled workers from Japan, China, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore will be allowed entry into Thailand. Above all on condition they enter a self-sponsored quarantine program at private facilities arranged by the government. Short-term business visitors will be exempt from the requirement.

Foreigners who have family in Thailand, and those who have homes in the kingdom, will also be allowed to return, according to the spokesman.

Allowing in tourists from countries matched up with Thailand through a “travel bubble” did not get the full approval of board members of the CCSA, which is chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said health safety measures still have to be ironed out. Above all for Thai tourists going to other countries, and foreign tourists arriving here.

The Disease Control Department and Foreign Ministry were still working on guidelines. Ones which were also acceptable to partner countries, which have different health requirements, said Mr Anutin, whose Bhumjaithai Party guides health and tourism policies.

Foreigners coming to Thailand for medical treatment will be permitted in from Wednesday. But they must be accompanied by their partner, and enter quarantine at the hospital they go to.

“Only some medical tourism programs, not all of them, will be permitted,” Dr Taweesilp said.

The decision to open up more businesses, and some travel, was made after more than a month without any new local infections being recorded in Thailand.

The meeting also agreed to extend use of the emergency decree until the end of July.

Restrictions were earlier lifted on restaurants, schools, malls and many sports activities. With enforcement of social distancing and body temperature checks.

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Distancing will ruin us, say Thai bar owners


Operators of nightlife entertainment venues have cried foul over a set of proposed regulations to be enforced when they reopen, saying many social-distancing rules will threaten their livelihoods.

A total of 22 articles are listed in the draft, which was unveiled on Monday. The draft will be submitted to the Centre for Covid­19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Friday.

The CCSA is set to consider the fifth phase of the loosening of Covid­19 restrictions, which includes nightlife venues.

The novel coronavirus outbreak has brought the curtain down on pubs, karaoke outlets, massage parlours and other types of adult entertainment venues since March.

Operators have been hoping to reopen next month.

Musicians and entertainers last week made an emotional appeal to the government to allow them to return to work. They said the closure has been long and the situation has placed them in dire financial straits.

On Sunday, CCSA promised to allow nightlife venues to resume during the fifth phase in July. However, operators have expressed concern over rules that prohibit dancing, mingling and having more than a certain number of customers.

The operators say limiting customers to five per group may keep them from coming.

Sanga Ruangwattanakul, president of the Khao San Business Association and CEO of Buddy Group, said the rules for entertainment venues are stricter than the ones imposed on eateries and filming crews.

Due to the economic impact of Covid­19, people tend to cut unnecessary expenses, and spending on nightlife entertainment is at the top of their list, Mr Sanga said.

“We want them to be more flexible, otherwise people will not go out,” he said.

He admitted the operators will have no choice but comply with the rules, but they will urge CCSA to revisit the situation and consider relaxing the rules one week after the implementation.

Thailand has seen no local transmissions for 28 days and if no local cases are reported by then the CCSA should consider easing the regulations for the nightspots, he said.

According to Mr Sanga, it will take time before the industry, where up to two million people are employed, rebounds from the economic fallout of the outbreak.

Of the estimated 100,000 nightspots in the country, only 20,000 are properly registered, while the rest operate without licences.

Supawan Thanomkiatphum, chairwoman of the Thai Hotels Association (THA), said business operators must be patient.

“If the measures can reduce the risk of a second wave, we may begin to allow overseas visitors,” Ms Supawan said.

“Even though hotels are allowed to reopen, most of us depend on foreign tourists.”

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea­ngam said the government is likely to consider by Friday the lifting of the emergency decree, two weeks after the implementation of the fourth phase of lockdown relaxations.

Mr Wissanu said the decision to lift or extend the emergency decree will be made based on the assessment of Covid­19 risks. If the country does not face a second wave of infections, then the Communicable Disease Control Act is adequate to contain the virus, he said.
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The emergency decree was touted by the government as a necessary tool to curb the spread of Covid­19 infections as it enables swift action and coordination among state agencies. It has been extended twice since it was invoked on March 26.

Mr Wissanu said if the emergency decree is lifted, all closure orders will automatically end, but noted that Sections 34 and 35 of the Communicable Disease Control Act can still be invoked to close down certain businesses.

“If the emergency is lifted, we can [use the Communicable Disease Control Act to] close certain shops or malls until they fix problems. We can’t impose lockdowns,” he said.

Democracy activists led by Parit Chiwarak on Monday renewed calls for the lifting of the emergency decree, saying the situation has improved significantly and this justified the lifting the decree.


Source - Pattaya One News

#Thailand - All business to resume on July 1


All businesses and activities suspended to control the spread of coronavirus disease will be allowed to resume on July 1 - including entertainment venues and "soapy massage" parlours.

Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, announced  the decision on Wednesday.

He said regulations had been drafted for the fifth round of resumption of business and activities "when complete relaxation will occur".

Businesses and activities to resume this time posed a high risk of disease transmission. Their closure had an insignificant impact on the overall economy, but some groups of people were in financial trouble because of it -  including musicians and singers, he said.

Dr Taweesilp said schools will fully open. Restrictions on opening hours at malls will be lifted.

Pubs, bars and karaoke shops will reopen, but must close at midnight. Groups of visitors will be capped at five people, and will be prohibited from joining other groups. Sales promotion activities will be banned.

Video game parlours will reopen, but will not be allowed to sell food or beverages.

Premises offering a bath-sauna-massage service [aka soapy] will reopen on the condition that customers and staff wear face masks and observe social distancing - except during "bathing time", Dr Taweesilp said.

"Customers will use the Thaichana app when they check-in, or manually register their visit in a book," he said.

Staff would be regularly tested for Covid-19 and other related diseases.

At all these premises, the government will continue to require body temperature screening, the use of face masks, social distancing, regular cleaning, one-month of surveillance camera footage to facilitate disease investigation, and use of the Thaichana app for check-in and check-out.

At wet massage parlours, surveillance cameras would cover only public zones, Dr Taweesilp said.


Source - The Bangkok Post

Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Thai pub's new rules for Re-opening - Don't Laugh


A meeting between the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA)’s special taskforce committee and entertainment venue operators resolved that pubs, bars and entertainment venues could be allowed to open from July 1 provided they strictly observe following 22 practices:

• Controlling the number of patrons to ensure the venue does not get congested;

• Checking every customer and staff member’s temperature;

• Providing alcohol-based hand sanitising gel at all entrances and other areas as necessary;

• Ensuring groups are no bigger than five;

• Ensuring customers queuing to be seated maintain social distancing;

• Ensuring all tables are at least 2 metres apart or are partitioned;

• Ensuring seats are at least one metre apart;

• Ensuring all venues are properly ventilated;

• Only eating and drinking is allowed;

• Beverages can only be served individually, and shared jugs or ice buckets are prohibited;

• Serving staff are required to wear a mask or face shield at all times;

• Stage or performance area must be partitioned, and audience must be at least 2 metres away from the stage;

• Event comperes or speakers are required to wear a face shield at all times;

• Patrons are not allowed to be loud or walk around the venue if not necessary;

• If the sharing of food or beverages cannot be avoided, everyone at the table must be provided with an individual serving spoon or glass;

• Toilets must be cleaned every 30 to 60 minutes;

• All tables, chairs and frequently touched surfaces must be cleaned regularly;

• No sports matches or competitions that will attract large groups of people are allowed;

• No video gaming or pub games like pool and darts will be allowed;

• Social distancing measures must be observed in smoking areas;

• No service personnel or public relations representatives are allowed to sit with customers.

Source - The Nation