mask mandate

  • Covid-19 News

    To wear or not to wear a face mask (in Thailand) – that is the question – OPINION

    The Thai PM, chairing today’s CCSA meeting, has asked people in Thailand to keep wearing their masks. The words were carefully crafted. “…although there are no legal obligations for people to wear face masks, people are still very strongly advised to do so, especially when it is deemed necessary.” In other words, you don’t HAVE to. So nothing has changed…

  • Tourism News

    Thailand is open NOW – masks off, bars open until 2am

    Thailand is open for business. The whole country is now a ‘green’ zone, allowing a full-scale resumption of business and activities with even the Thailand Pass being dropped next Friday. It’s about as back to normal as it can be at this time. Decisions made by the CCSA on June 17 were put into effect yesterday after being published in…

  • Thailand News

    It’s official – face masks now voluntary in most places in Thailand

    Any face mask confusion is now clarified by the publishing of the latest edict in the Royal Gazette. “The wearing of a mask is a voluntary practice from now onwards so that people can now live closer to normal conditions. The Ministry of Public Health only recommends that the general public wear a mask when living with other people in…

  • Bangkok News

    Bangkok’s governor says officials will discuss easing outdoor mask requirement

    After the confusing mask policy flip-flop in Phuket, Bangkok’s new governor Chadchart Sittipunt has announced plans to discuss easing mask requirements in Thailand’s capital. Chadchart stated late this week that Bangok Metropolitan Administration will meet with public health and medical departments to discuss the outdoor mask-wearing regulation. Chadchart did not, however, specify when the meeting will happen. The governor also…

  • Covid-19 News

    Outdoor mask rules eased in Phuket, new Bangkok governor says capital may follow

    UPDATE: Since this story was published, the Phuket Governor has cancelled orders to reduce the mask wearing requirements in Phuket. Read about that HERE. ORIGINAL STORY: Phuket has eased some of its mask-wearing requirements for people not at risk of serious illness as a result of Covid-19. People no longer need to wear face masks while outdoors in open-air spaces,…

  • Phuket News

    Phuket drops outdoor face mask requirement

    Wearing a mask in outdoor public spaces will no longer be a requirement in Phuket province, effective from yesterday, June 1. Medical or cloth face masks will still be required to be worn indoors, in crowded spaces and in badly ventilated spaces. The mask requirement – indoors and outdoors – is still in effect in all other provinces around the…

  • Thailand News

    PM Prayut insists no plans to drop face-mask requirement in Thailand

    Thailand’s PM and Defense Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, insists that Thailand has no plans to drop the requirement to wear face-masks. The PM asked the spokesperson to emphasise this point to the residents saying wearing masks was still “a necessary behaviour”. Last week, the Permanent Secretary of the Public Health Ministry, Kiattiphum Wongrajit, said that the ministry proposed to adjust the…

  • Covid-19 News

    Thailand’s DDC stops reporting positive ATK results

    Thailand’s Department of Disease Control has stopped reporting Covid-19 infections with ATK tests. A spokesperson for the CCSA said that tomorrow, another proposal for changes in Covid-19 reporting will be submitted to the meeting of the Public Health Ministry’s Emergency Operations Centre. The proposal states that, starting June 1, the DDC will only report cases that require hospitalisation. The spokesperson, Dr.…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand could drop its mask mandate by mid-June, says Ministry of Public Health

    After two years of compulsory mask-wearing in indoor and outdoor spaces, Thailand aims to drop its mask mandate by mid-June, according to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health Dr. Kiattipoom Wongrachit. At a conference held today at Diamond Plaza hotel in Surat Thani, southern Thailand, Kiattipoom said the ministry is considering dropping the compulsory mandate as soon…

  • World News

    Pilots announce end of US mask mandate mid-flight, passengers divided

    Midway through a flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles on Monday night, the pilot announced the end of America’s requirement to wear face masks on public transport, including on planes. The sound of cheering resonated through the plane and around one third of passengers instantly took off their masks, according to a witness. However, some passengers were outraged and scolded…

  • Covid-19 News

    Mask up! PM Prayut says Thailand’s mask mandate is still in effect

    Mask up! Although Thailand is on track to declare Covid-19 as endemic in the next few months, for the time being, the nationwide mask mandate is still in effect. In a press briefing today, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha said the mask mandate is not being lifted and there has been no meeting on the subject yet. There have been reports on…

  • Phuket News

    Mask rules enforcement starts with campaigns in Bangla and Phuket Town

    Strong punishment is written into the laws for violating Covid-19 rules laid out in the Emergency Decree and the Communicable Diseases Act, but they have rarely been enforced. So when it was announced that Phuket Police would be cracking down on foreigners not wearing masks, many questioned whether any action would be taken. But last night, police began enforcing the…

  • Phuket News

    CCSA clarifies fines for ignoring mask mandate

    The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration released a reminder to the public that there is still a mask mandate in place that needs to be respected. But in response to concerns over the reported 20,000 baht fine for being caught without a mask, yesterday the CCSA assured the public that such a high fine would only be for repeat offenders…