Tourism
Pattaya bar owners waiting for CCSA to allow later closing hours

Pattaya bar owners are waiting for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration to allow businesses to close at later times, as a decision is expected today to reveal new provincial risk assessments. If Chon Buri province, which features Pattaya, is determined to be a “green” zone by the CCSA, the businesses would be allowed to stay open past midnight, with the hopes of getting more revenue from domestic tourism.
Chon Buri province is currently a “yellow” province but today has marked 2 weeks without a single local case of Covid-19. If the province is labelled “green” it would fall under “low surveillance.” But that doesn’t mean the midnight closure rule would be guaranteed to be relaxed.
Pattaya has always been broken down into “special administrative zones” in which the nationwide rules of closing up bars and businesses by midnight, was always ignored, depending on which zones the bars were located.
But such a bending of rules has been banned under the nation’s Emergency Decree to help control the spread of Covid-19, at least before the second wave hit. Meanwhile, the CCSA is mulling whether to end the Emergency Decree and replacing it with the Communicable Disease Control Act, which would allow Pattaya to adhere to closing times, once again, under its special administrative zone status.
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Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Pattaya police warn restaurants not to act like bars

Following the closure of entertainment venues in 41 provinces for 2 weeks, Pattaya police warn that bars acting as restaurants and restaurants acting as bars would be punished. In Pattaya, police patrolled heavily to check in on venues and remind them of the penalties and fines for breaking shut-down rules. The current outbreak of Covid-19 throughout Thailand has been disproportionately spread by nightclubs and bars, including many pubs in Chon Buri and Bangkok. While the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has called for a 2-week closure, the Chon Buri edict is open-dated, expected to be in effect until conditions improve. One warning Pattaya police stressed was that, while restaurants are allowed to stay open and sell alcohol, abusing that exception will be punished.
In previous entertainment venue shutdowns during the pandemic, many businesses took advantage of the restaurant loophole. As there’s no exact wording in the law saying people have to order food and not only drinks, many restaurants served drinks and allowed dancing and socializing without any social distancing. Some bars were even seen hastily adding a quick food menu of easy snacks in an attempt to skirt the rules and operate as a restaurant serving alcohol. But this time Pattaya police warn that restaurants using these sneaky tricks won’t be tolerated. Even businesses with multi licenses will need to take measures to make it clear they are not operating more like a bar as police will have the discretion to make judgement calls on venues.
The 2-week closure of entertainment venues went into effect yesterday and banquet halls, movie theatres, saunas and soapies are all closed. Restaurants are allowed to stay open, but with a 10 pm curfew on dine-in services. Takeaway food is allowed after 10 pm until 5 in the morning. Officials hope this shutdown on Covid-19 spreading entertainment venues will slow the outbreak enough to avoid the dreaded full lockdowns, travel restrictions, and domestic quarantines.
SOURCE: The Pattaya News
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Chiang Mai
Tourism officials slash Songkran travel expectations by half

The TAT, ever the optimists regarding anything tourism related, even domestic tourism, predict that the Bangkok clusters that have emerged in the week before the Songkran break could reduce traffic and spending by up to half.
Today the CCSA is reporting 789 new infections and one additional death. 522 were local infections, mostly walk-ins to Bangkok hospitals, 259 were discovered through track and tracing. The remaining 8 were found in quarantine from overseas arrivals. In Phuket, another 17 cases have been reported today, taking the island’s week total to 43.
GRAPH: Worldometer figures for Thailand, up to April 9
A 68 year old man from Nakhon Pathom province died on April 4 but wasn’t reported until today. The CCSA report that he died from Covid and “complications”. 33 other former patients have recovered and been discharged.
Last week the TAT estimated 3.2 million domestic trips would circulate 12 billion baht for the Thai economy. But the Tourism Authority has now slashed their estimates by half after hotels, airlines and bus companies reported mass cancellations in the last few days. Other provinces are reporting less than 20% cancellations. Although this weekend will see a lot of travel, Songkran doesn’t formally start until next Tuesday and the TAT expect there could be additional fallout as travellers decide to have a staycation for Songkran instead heading home.
Bangkok Post reports that 70% of travellers to Prachuap Khiri Khan and Hua Hin have already cancelled hotel bookings. Similar cancellations have been reported in Pattaya, Phuket and Chiang Mai. Many other provinces, particularly in the north east and north, are also enforcing quarantine on arrivals or additional paperwork to try and protect their provinces from any of the Bangkok clusters.
8 north eastern provinces rare now requiring 10 or 14 day quarantine periods for anyone arriving from areas where new clusters have been reported. Chiang Mai provincial officials say that tourists from Samut Prakan, Nakhon Pathom, Bangkok, Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi – basically Bangkok and surrounding provinces – must complete a 14 day mandatory quarantine or conduct a test for Covid when they arrive.
The reality is that the travel and quarantine changes are outstripping the ability to communicate them all. Anyone crossing into other provinces in the next few day, especially if you’re travelling from Bangkok and surrounding provincial ‘red zones’ can expect some additional paperwork or a Covid test. Or even quarantine.
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Pattaya
Unemployed elephants walk 500 kilometres from Pattaya to Surin

A group of 5 elephants and their owners began the long walk today from Pattaya to Surin after giving up on the return of tourism anytime soon. The 500 kilometre journey has to be done on foot as they couldn’t afford to hire trucks large enough to carry each elephant.
After waiting a year for the Chinese tourists that make up a majority of their customer base to return, the families decided to embark on the long journey with the 5 elephants to their home in the northeastern province of Surin. As they walk they’re protected on both sides by pickup trucks to keep them safe from cars.
5 years ago Napalai Mai-ngam came with her relatives to work in an elephant resort in Tambon Lam Huay Yai of Bang Lamung near Pattaya with their 5 elephants. They told the Bangkok Post that their earned a good living, about 75,000 baht (15,000 per elephant) plus tips from the tourists to ride elephants on nature trails, each month.
But with the borders closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic the tourists from China who usually flocked to elephant activities, were stuck back in China and Napalai’s boss had to cut their pay. Even with vaccinations finally underway, tourists in numbers, enough to sustain activities like elephant camps, may not be back anytime soon. The families finally had to surrender to the reality and start the long walk home.
They avoid the blistering Thai sun by walking early mornings while the weather was still cool, and hope the roadways out of Pattaya would provide snacking opportunities for the elephants to graze. They expect the journey to take about 2 weeks. The families have turned down offers of cash donations for fear that their long walk will be viewed as a publicity stunt.
That said, the families have expressed gratitude to the locals in towns they pass who have donated drinking water, food and fruit to the entourage of people and elephants. If you would like to donate resources you can contact them on phone number 093 335 7062.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
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Hasse
Friday, March 19, 2021 at 12:31 pm
All of Thailand is an red zone with covid everywhere. Give vaccine to 60% of the peopel and we the tourist can feel safe to travel again.
Bill
Friday, March 19, 2021 at 3:03 pm
green becomes yellow. what’s the point isaan john?
Issan John
Friday, March 19, 2021 at 4:04 pm
Who would opening the bars past midnight make any noticeable difference to?
William Lansbury
Friday, March 19, 2021 at 4:41 pm
Hi yes bares need to stay open longer yes and Thailand needs to get ride off 14 and 7 says quite tune OK yes jest get back to normal way off life yes OK I think thanks I miss going to pattaya ok yes thanks William
James R
Saturday, March 20, 2021 at 3:33 am
In the West when virus cases and deaths drop eg October last year the government foolishly opens up shops, restaurants, pubs etc and then again there is an exponential growth in the number of cases and deaths and the pubs etc are all closed again.
We are now in the UK vaccinating over 600,000 people a day, half the adult population have been vaccinated, the number of deaths have dropped dramatically yet we remain closed for another few months, most of our infections are passed on by the domestic population, not by foreign visitors.
I agree with the shutdown until most of us are vaccinated.
What I find strange is Thailand has not closed shops bars etc yet there are very few cases, you only need one or two people to get the infection for it to increase exponentially, yet there are hardly any caseseven though millions of people are rubbing shoulders with each other in shops, bars, restaurants etc.
I think people are living with their head in the sand in Thailand and the cases are being hidden.
Many people in Thailand live in small villages and I can image each deaths is attributed to old age etc.
joe molinario
Saturday, March 20, 2021 at 6:42 am
THAILAND, THE LAND OF THIEVES, CROOKS, SCAMMERS AND LIARS.
THE CASES OF COVID19 ARE HEAVILY DISTORTED AS ONLY COVID 19 cases treated in hospitals!!!! are reported and statisticaly recorded.
Vaccinating all popuation defies the purpose as now are succeptible to a new more agressive mutant strain, GO FIND YOU ANOTHER IDIOT TO PASS ON YOUR LIES, FUCKING MODERATOR BITCHES AND WANKERS.
Mark
Saturday, March 20, 2021 at 11:28 am
You are so right
Issan John
Saturday, March 20, 2021 at 7:32 pm
“What I find strange is Thailand has not closed shops bars etc yet there are very few cases, you only need one or two people to get the infection for it to increase exponentially, yet there are hardly any caseseven though millions of people are rubbing shoulders with each other in shops, bars, restaurants etc.”
Hardly “strange”, James R – look at New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and even Cambodia, amongst others.
Get it right from the start, or learn quickly from other people’s mistakes, test the right people instead of the wrong ones, and keep a lid on it, and you keep things under control.
Stuff up from the start and keep on stuffing up, and things go wrong – up until now Thailand’s got it right … until now …
James R
Sunday, March 21, 2021 at 12:17 am
Issan John
Australian and New Zealand for example closed shops, bars etc and with such a small population they will find it easer to control.
Thailand on the other hand left all the shops, pubs etc open and still do, yet no large number of cases, that is the lie but if you want to believe it then no problem as staying in Thailand long term I suppose you get used to being fed with nonsense, I bet you even think the general election there was not rigged?
I think the government got more votes than the actual number of people who voted.
Test the right people? I have to laugh, in Thailand it is a case of testing no one.
But it is still a great place for long holidays as the airport in never that far away for a quick exit.