Phuket’s Bangla Road inspected by national and local health officials
Health officials went to Phuket’s Bangla Road, but not for a beer. The deputy director of Thailand’s Department of Health went to Phuket and inspect the famed walking street in person, reviewing Covid-19 prevention measures. While bars and nightclubs are ordered to be closed nationwide, photos from the provincial health office show bars are the street packed with people, and some venues back to playing live music. Photos show partygoers scanning their hand to check their temperature before going to party. Reports say health officials did not find any breaches of Covid-19 prevention protocols.
Deputy Director Kajonsak Kaewjarat used to serve as the Chief of the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office, and came to the island last week to lead the inspection of Bangla. He was accompanied by the current provincial health chief and deputy chief, as well as by members of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, according to a report from the Phuket health office.
The report went on to say that the purpose of the high profile inspections was to “raise awareness, recognise and motivate business owners and the public as well as give advice on various practices to comply with Covid-19 prevention and control measures.”
Bangla is famous for its late-night bars and clubs. Shuttered for much of the pandemic, it has started to show signs of coming back to life. More visitors are starting to return, especially after Thailand eased entry requirements and opened its borders on November 1. Thailand is currently experimenting with its new ‘Test and Go’ scheme. This allows international tourists to get tested for Covid upon their arrival, quarantine for one night while awaiting test results, and then leave as soon as they are deemed virus-free. The new scheme already appears to be much more popular. The Tourism Authority of Thailand reported that in the last two weeks, 10,130 people arrived in Phuket for ‘Test and Go’, whereas only 5,769 arrived for the current Phuket Sandbox scheme.
SOURCE: Phuket News
