Phuket bans alcohol sales at restaurants, issues order amid rise of Covid cases

[Thaiger]

The ban on alcohol sales and consumption at restaurants has been reimposed in Phuket and will be in place until at least August 16. Certain “social activities,” like parties at public places, are also now prohibited for the next two weeks. The order, Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew yesterday, could be extended longer if the Covid-19 situation does not improve. Phuket was also reclassified on the government’s colour-coded zoning scale based on provincial Covid-19 situations. The island province moved from a “yellow” zone under surveillance to an “orange” zone under control to combat the spread of the coronavirus. The Centre for […]

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[BookShe]

"Phuket has the potential to lead the global tourism recovery, as the historic Phuket Sandbox initiative sets the standard for other destinations to follow, he said. "

Sure...

[AdvocatusDiaboli]

Now the real Sandbox Tourists will suffer. Pools are closed, but have they closed the Beaches? I pity those Tourists with young children, they may just have to swim in the puddles left in the pot holes.

[Graham]

Fantastic, even more restrictions for the already restricted tourists in the Sandbox, book me up (Not). All the governor needs to do now is close the beaches and that Covid infested sea. 555

[EdwardV]

The term “a pig in a poke” comes to mind. 

[divrg]

Is there any research on the topic behind this decision? This is silly, why should drinking some beer or wine too your meal increase the spread of corona.

[BookShe]

1 minute ago, EdwardV said:

The term “a pig in a poke” comes to mind. 

Bill Barnet will twist this as a great success.

[NCC1701A]

"I can't have a glass of wine with my meal? This was your idea. I want a divorce." 

[BookShe]

3 minutes ago, divrg said:

Is there any research

Only competent and intelligent people can do researches. If you know anyone in this Govt. with such abilities please let me know, so I can follow them on myspace.

[Sheep]

 

• Convenience stores must be closed from 4am to 11pm.
• Is this for real or am I reading it wrong?

 

[BookShe]

1 minute ago, Sheep said:

• Convenience stores must be closed from 4am to 11pm.
• Is this for real or am I reading it wrong?

The opposite. 11Pm to 4 Am

[HappyExpat]

10 minutes ago, Sheep said:

• Convenience stores must be closed from 4am to 11pm.
• Is this for real or am I reading it wrong?

Copied directly from the article:

 

• Convenience stores must be closed from 11pm to 4am.

 

[Bobfran]

I would say that the only tourists who are travelling to Phuket are the ones who want to be able to tell their grand children in the future  about the place they went to mañy years ago that you could have a meal at a restaurant but wasn't allowed to have alcohol.. so much for a holiday .. ..

[Objectivance]

Good thing no actual tourists ever showed up.

[longwood50]

I have seen many supporting the ban on alcohol.  Perhaps I just frequent a different class of place than others.  I am 72 and have traveled throughout the world dining at restaurants and pubs.  Not once have I ever had someone drunk to the point that they were in someone's face or intruding on other tables.  

Even assuming that it did occur isn't that the job of the establishment to evict people dining or drinking that are not maintaining proper social distancing.  

I was at a restaurant about two weeks ago and I noticed that several tables had bottles of Heineken on them.  I inquired of the server and she informed me that it was not Non-Alcoholic Heineken.  Now try and convince me that it was any less dangerous for these people to be removing their masks to consume their beer that was non-alcoholic than if they were drinking the same beer but the alcohol version. 

It seems as though the government has a personal dislike in alcohol consumption and is using the pandemic as an excuse to limit it.  I find it far more likely that I would catch Covid while riding on a BTS train, standing in the meat section crowded with people, or standing in the checkout line 20 deep than I would sitting next to someone drinking a beer or glass of wine.  This is particularly true if like many restaurants here in Thailand they were open air. 

[BookShe]

12 minutes ago, longwood50 said:

I have seen many supporting the ban on alcohol.  Perhaps I just frequent a different class of place than others.  I am 72 and have traveled throughout the world dining at restaurants and pubs.  Not once have I ever had someone drunk to the point that they were in someone's face or intruding on other tables.  

Even assuming that it did occur isn't that the job of the establishment to evict people dining or drinking that are not maintaining proper social distancing.  

I was at a restaurant about two weeks ago and I noticed that several tables had bottles of Heineken on them.  I inquired of the server and she informed me that it was not Non-Alcoholic Heineken.  Now try and convince me that it was any less dangerous for these people to be removing their masks to consume their beer that was non-alcoholic than if they were drinking the same beer but the alcohol version. 

It seems as though the government has a personal dislike in alcohol consumption and is using the pandemic as an excuse to limit it.  I find it far more likely that I would catch Covid while riding on a BTS train, standing in the meat section crowded with people, or standing in the checkout line 20 deep than I would sitting next to someone drinking a beer or glass of wine.  This is particularly true if like many restaurants here in Thailand they were open air. 

Selling alcohol in restaurants is not the problem here. If you live in Thailand you probably noticed that suddenly all the bars became restaurants, buy selling chips and peanuts from their "kitchen" menu. The Samui black-bamboo club was also a "restaurant" with Dj's playing till' dawn causing at least 150 infections as of today. It's easier to ban as a whole, than going after each of these so-called "restaurants"

Edited August 3, 2021 by BookShe

[TV7]

Wife: "Let's go to Phuket, have an awesome dinner at the beach of our hotel, watching the sunset..." Husband: "It's the rainy season, the waves are too high to swim, there will be clouds and probably enough wind to blow the table into the sea..." Wife: Well, let's have a romantic dinner with some excellent wine in the hotel restaurant; I mean, come on, it's Phuket..." Husband: "They have an alcohol ban in restaurants..." Wife: Well, let's buy some cheap liquor at the 7-11 and drink it in our hotel room..." Husband: "Yeahhh, pack your suitcases, let's go. I will go to the Thai Embassy, arrange some COE's for us, pay 6 PCR tests upfront, and arrange 100.000 USD insurance for both of us. Don't forget to pack some convenience clothes as well, just in case we have Covid and we need to stay in a hospital for 14 days even if we are not feeling sick..." Wife: "Wow, ok, let's go to Europe then? I mean, it's cheaper, definitely sunny, and there are no restrictions whatsoever" Husband: "You know what, let's just stay home and put on the barbeque..." 

[AdvocatusDiaboli]

 

As quoted in this article 

Public swimming pools must close, but private pools at hotels and resorts can remain open.

it is contradicted by the official poster …. To close  in the red box….. 6) Swimming pool that is open to the general public, both government and private.

Can this be clarified, as the report in this morning’s GMT YouTube video mirrored the poster.

 

 

[AdvocatusDiaboli]

50 minutes ago, HappyExpat said:

Copied directly from the article:

• Convenience stores must be closed from 11pm to 4am.

Copied from the poster from the article and translated ……. 4) Convenience stores are allowed to open as usual from 4:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

[BIGGLES]

1 hour ago, AdvocatusDiaboli said:

Now the real Sandbox Tourists will suffer. Pools are closed, but have they closed the Beaches? I pity those Tourists with young children, they may just have to swim in the puddles left in the pot holes.

I don't pitty tourists who are stupid enough to bring children here. I think they want arresting for being unfit parents  and jepodising their child's health.

[vlad]

Give me one reason to come to your Island Khun Woonciew.

[Stonker]

21 minutes ago, BookShe said:

Selling alcohol in restaurants is not the problem here. If you live in Thailand you probably noticed that suddenly all the bars became restaurants, buy selling chips and peanuts from their "kitchen" menu. The Samui black-bamboo club was also a "restaurant" with Dj's playing till' dawn causing at least 150 infections as of today. It's easier to ban as a whole, than going after each of these so-called "restaurants"

 

 

That seems a pretty valid reason, @BookShe, unless you want to start arguing about whether a Scotch Egg is a snack or a meal.

 

The other reason, that some people tend to get drunk when they drink, doesn't apply here of course.  No sirree, that could never happen  - nobody ever gets drunk in Phuket and does all those things that people do when drunk.  And no-one ever gets drunk outside!  All they ever do is behave just as they do when sober, sipping a glass of wine over a romantic green curry.

 

How could anyone be so stupid as to think otherwise?

 

[Stonker]

1 hour ago, yetanother said:

another very simple exception to the law they could and should make;

outside/open air = ok; inside or enclosed =no

Very simple, of course - nobody would ever argue about what was outside / open air vs inside or enclosed, would they?

 

No, of course they wouldn't .....

[BookShe]

5 minutes ago, Stonker said:

That seems a pretty valid reason, @BookShe, unless you want to start arguing about whether a Scotch Egg is a snack or a meal.

The other reason, that some people tend to get drunk when they drink, doesn't apply here of course.  No sirree, that could never happen  - nobody ever gets drunk in Phuket and does all those things that people do when drunk.  And no-one ever gets drunk outside!  All they ever do is behave just as they do when sober, sipping a glass of wine over a romantic green curry.

How could anyone be so stupid as to think otherwise?

First. Thanks for a reply. It's not very common in this forum????

The original poster had a valid point, but he was missing the Thai factor. Sitting in a restaurant and having a few drinks shouldn't be banned of course. I never see people dancing on tables totally wasted in real restaurants. The problem here is the way Thai people interpret the guidelines written by idiots who aren't capable of critical thinking. Every time the authorities coming up with new restrictions they are doing it without analyzing the consequences. 

Quote from my earlier post: "Only competent and intelligent people can do researches. If you know anyone in this Govt. with such abilities please let me know, so I can follow them on myspace."

 

[ChristyS]

2 hours ago, BookShe said:

Bill Barnet will twist this as a great success.

He is a talented writer, rather miss his essays in The Phuket Gazette What does he actually do, anyway?  I see an office near laguna  but what is that for? I always want to ask if he's little Billy Barnett I use to babysit in Annandale