Chon Buri bar raided for violating Covid-19 restrictions
Police have raided a bar in the Banglamung district of Chon Buri after it was found to have violated a closure order currently in place to curtail the spread of Covid-19. The eastern province now has over 211 active cases of the virus.
Earlier this week, the Chon Buri governor introduced strict restrictions in Banglamung and Pattaya in an effort to control the spread of infection. Both areas were classified as “highly-controlled”, with all non-essential businesses, including bars, ordered to close. Last night, Banglamung police officers arrived at a beer bar to find the venue filled with both Thai and foreign customers. According to a report in the The Pattaya News, the manager of the bar has been taken in for questioning. The name of the bar has not been disclosed pending further investigation.
Management at the bar reportedly claimed it was a restaurant, which are currently allowed to provide takeaway food. However, it’s understood no food was being sold at the time of the police raid. During the country’s nationwide lockdown earlier this year, many bars transformed into restaurants, seemingly overnight, in order to continue trading by selling takeaway food, as per the restrictions in place at the time.
SOURCE: The Pattaya News
