More closures in Bangkok as BMA mulls further restrictions

• High risk entertainment venues closed

• BMA’s 437 schools closed for at least 2 weeks

• CCSA considering restricting Bangkok restaurants to take-any only services only

The Bangkok Metropolitan Organisation has closed “high risk’ venues around Bangkok as of midnight last night. The city’s 437 public schools run by the BMA have also been ordered to close until at least January 17.

The list of venues ordered to close around Bangkok include… entertainment venues (bars and nightclubs), water parks, amusement parks, playgrounds, children’s play equipment in markets, snooker tables, arcade venues, flea markets, game cafes, internet cafes, cockfighting grounds, other animal fighting grounds (huh?!).

The list also includes nurseries and childcare facilities, elderly nursing homes, boxing stadiums, martial arts schools, gyms, horse racing tracks, soapie massage, massage parlours, all sports stadiums, gymnasiums, banquet and conference rooms, amulet and religious stores, preschools, child development centres, tattoo shops and acupuncture shops.

Some of these locations, like nurseries and some schools had already been closed by previous orders.

A representative of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration says the “additional measures” of closing some high risk venues and adding further restrictions will remain in force “until further notice”.

Shopping centres and department stores will be allowed to stay open at this stage but will screen all customers upon entry.

The fate of the city’s restaurants is being discussed today by the CCSA with a proposal on the table to restrict restaurants in high risk zones to take-away services only. The BMA is asking the CCSA not to take this additional measure at this stage.

“If approved the mandatory food takeaway order may come into effect on Monday so owners have some time to prepare themselves.”

Around the city, the Nong Khaem, Bang Phlat and Bang Khun Thian districts are already under a “highly controlled” status and checkpoints in and out of these areas are now being added. Those districts are neighbours to Samut Sakhon, the provincial origin of the ongoing outbreak focussed on migrant workers in the seafood markets and industry.

The BMA say they are monitoring all the current measure and will discuss further restrictions for the city over the weekend.

Thailand added 279 new infections yesterday, 20 of them were people living in Bangkok, 2 of the cases linked to the Samut Sakhon cluster. 1 of the 2 people that died yesterday was a man living in Bangkok. At yesterday’s media briefing, Dr. Taweesilp Visanuyothin warned that the situation “remained serious and it could take some time for authorities to bring it under control”.