Survey reveals Thais want to drop outdoor mask rules and extend nightlife to 2am
A National Institute of Development Administration survey revealed nearly half of all Thai people agree that the country should drop the outdoor mask rules mandate, and nearly 50% of those polled agreed to extend nightlife hours from 12am to 2am.
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday informed Thai media that he thought many Thai people were still scared of catching the Covid-19 virus and would insist on keeping mask-wearing restrictions.
NIDA’s survey, conducted from June 6 to 8 with 1,310 respondents aged 15, and above from all over the country, tells a different story.
For the outdoor mask rule about 65.5% of the respondents agreed and fully agreed that Thailand should drop outdoor face mask rules, while around 34.5% said they disagreed and fully disagreed with taking off face masks in outdoor settings. For the survey on nightlife, 51.3% of the respondents agreed and fully agreed that bars, pubs, and entertainment venues should open until 2am.
NIDA also surveyed the level of concern over the chance of getting infected. More than a half of respondents were not concerned about getting infected because they were fully vaccinated, took care of themselves, and didn’t live in high-risk areas. Other groups of respondents were still concerned because they were either partially vaccinated or unvaccinated. They had to travel, meet many people, and live in high-risk areas. Some other people polled made it known they were scared because they belonged in the old-age group and had congenital diseases. They also thought the Omicron variant spread easier and faster.
Overall, the survey reveals that the majority of people are ready to take off their mask in outdoor spaces and are not scared of getting infected, which is quite different from what the PM had expected.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is to discuss the outdoor mask rule in the next meeting expected to be held on Friday, June 17.
ศูนย์สำรวจความคิดเห็น “นิด้าโพล” สถาบันบัณฑิตพัฒนบริหารศาสตร์ (นิด้า) สำรวจความคิดเห็น เรื่อง “ถอดหน้ากากในที่โล่งแจ้ง –…
Posted by NIDA Poll – นิด้าโพล on Wednesday, June 8, 2022
