413 Bars in Bangkok ask permission to reopen as restaurants

Photo via PR Bangkok Facebook page

More than 400 bars, nightclubs, and entertainment venues in Bangkok have applied for permission to reopen as restaurants. The venues have been closed since April due to strict disease control measures. The government delayed its plan to allow bars and nightclubs to reopen in mid-January due to the Omicron outbreak in Thailand, but decided to allow the venues to apply for permission to reopen as restaurants.

In Bangkok, and other provinces classified as “blue” zones, alcohol sales at restaurants is allowed, but only until 9pm. A total of 413 places applied for permission to reopen as restaurants and some are still being assessed by officials.

According to Bangkok’s Secretary, the entertainment venues that want to reopen have to follow the “Covid-19 Free Setting” measure and be approved under standards set by the Safety and Health Administration. All staff members must be vaccinated. Customers who are unvaccinated have to show a negative ATK test result before entering. The area also has to be airy and spacious enough for social distancing.

Restaurants serving booze after 9pm can face a fine of up to 7,000 baht for their first offence. Venues that repeatedly breach the cutoff rule will face fines ranging from 12,000 baht to 20,000 baht. Venues that continue to break the measure could be forced to shut down. Bangkok’s secretary ended that most of the businesses are willing to follow the measures and adapt in order to have a chance to open during this time.

SOURCE: Khaosod

Bangkok NewsCovid-19 NewsThailand News

Petch Petpailin

Petpailin, or Petch, is a Thai translator and writer for The Thaiger who focuses on translating breakingThai news stories into English. With a background in field journalism, Petch brings several years of experience to the English News desk at The Thaiger. Before joining The Thaiger, Petch worked as a content writer for several known blogging sites in Bangkok, including Happio and The Smart Local. Her articles have been syndicated by many big publishers in Thailand and internationally, including the Daily Mail, The Sun and the Bangkok Post. She is a news writer who stops reading news on the weekends to spend more time cafe hopping and petting dwarf shrimp! But during office hours, you can find Petch on LinkedIn and you can reach her by email at petch@thethaiger.com.

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