Nightlife venues ordered to close after midnight tonight, nationwide ban on serving alcohol

Health officials have announced new Covid-19restrictions targetting Thailand’s hardest-hit, or red zone, provinces. The restrictions, which will start tonight after midnight, include ordering all nightlife venues to close. Restaurants cannot serve alcohol and those dining-in must leave no later than 9pm. If you want to get take-away, you must do so before 11pm, unless you are in a province listed as an “orange zone.”

This is the 3rd consecutive day of the country reporting a record-breaking amount of infections. After saying that no curfew would be imposed, Taweesilp Wissanoyothin of the national pandemic task force said all gatherings should be kept to no more than 50 people, schools should avoid holding in-person classes, restaurants can no longer serve alcohol, nightlife venues must remain closed and hours limited at a number of businesses where people gather in the nation’s COVID-19 “red zones.”

At midnight tonight new restrictions come into force for red and orange zone provinces. Here’s a list of the “Red Zone” provinces.

1. Bangkok
2. Chiang Mai
3. Chon Buri
4. Samut Prakan
5. Prachuap Khiri Kan
6. Samut Sakhon
7. Pathum Thani
8. Nakhon Pathom
9. Phuket
10. Nakhon Ratchasima
11. Nonthaburi
12. Songkhla
13. Tak
14. Udon Thani
15. Suphanburi
16. Sa Kaeo
17. Rayong
18. Khon Kaen

59 “Orange Zones” restrictions include:

• Restaurants can open for diners until 11pm.
• Bans on serving on-site alcohol.

FULL LIST OF PRECAUTIONS (starting at 1 minute past midnight Sunday, April 18)

Across all provinces…

• Closures of schools, all nightlife venues, pubs and clubs, karaoke bars and massage parlours

Nationwide, all nightlife venues – such as bars, brothels and karaoke parlors – must remain closed until at least April 30. Gyms and fitness centers must close by 9pm. Convenience stores and night markets must close from 11pm to 4am.

The measures are imposed for at least 14 days or two weeks starting Sunday (April 18) before the task force will “consider” if the measures should be implemented further.

Today, the CCSA has announced that there are 1,547 new infections around Thailand, a slight drop from yesterdays’ 1,585 reported new cases. Today’s additional infections takes the total number in Thailand to 40,585 since the start of the pandemic.

All but 3 of today’s newly reported infections were local – 1,544.

Bangkok – 279

Chiang Mai – 140

Chon Buri – 99 (155 cases were reported by Chon Buri officials this morning which will go into tomorrow’s national totals)

Prachuap Khiri Khan – 58

Samut Prakan – 27

The CCSA reports that 11,916 people are still under care and supervision in Thai hospitals or field hospital facilities.

SOURCE: Coconuts