As night venues reopen, Phuket officials on their toes

As Thailand’s bars and nightclubs reopen (until midnight ‘officially’) in 31 provinces, Phuket officials are still on their toes about Covid-19. This week, Phuket officials inspected night venues in the island province’s city area of Phuket Town.

Vice Governor Pichet Panaphong, along with Phuket City Police and others officials, visited venues around the Nimit Circle (well known as Seahorse Circle), to probe whether venues were following public health requirements. Pichet told The Phuket Express that most venues followed the requirements.

“All staffers must receive at least two doses of Covid-19 vaccines and entertainment operators must check if their customers were vaccinated.”

Phuket authorities seem to be panicking now that society is slowly inching back to ‘normal’. But Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew reversed Phuket’s mask-wearing easing order yesterday, insisting people must wear a mask in all public places even if they are practicing social distancing measures.

The flip-flop on the island’s mask-wearing guidelines, less than 24 hours after the announcement to relax the guidelines, has drawn the ire of social media, Thai and foreign.

Narong made the announcement just one day after he relaxed some of the mask-wearing measures, saying healthy people could to take off their face masks while in open-air places, beaches, public parks and stadiums, as part of further easing Covid-19 restrictions in Phuket.

The new order states people must still wear face masks in all public areas, especially in closed areas with no airflow, and when joining activities with many people.

There are some exceptions however, the order says people can only take off their face mask while:

• Drinking or eating
• Exercise in an open area with airflow away from other people
• To verify identity at the request of a competent official.

Meanwhile, venue owners across Thailand are angry that venues still have to close at midnight, with several business owners describing the re-opening as pointless as long as this stipulation remains in force.

SOURCE: The Phuket Express