Pattaya, Thailand-
Health officials from the Banglamung Ministry of Public Health were active around Pattaya last night, February 21st, 2022, enforcing Covid19 measures around the city.
They were specifically interested in “restaurants”, aka converted bars that sell alcohol, although technically legally still closed, they have been allowed to be temporary restaurants with adjusted Covid-19 rules and measures. By restaurants, what officials are actually looking for is a restaurant style environment vs. a club environment. This doesn’t mean food notes TPN media but rather the overall atmosphere.
The Covid measures the Ministry were looking for, who were accompanied by Pattaya Police, were temperature checks, mask wearing, social distancing, QR code check-ins, and a Chonburi specific rule, rapid Covid19 antigen testing being conducted on customers and employees. They also reviewed temporary certificates and licenses that allow venues to open, such as Thai STOP Covid Plus 2.
According to Mr. Pornchai Sang-iad, Permanent Secretary of Bang Lamung District, the checks follow the Ministry of the Interior ordering every province in the country to increase Covid19 precautions as cases rise around the country, including in Chonburi, earlier this week.
TPN media notes, however, that as of yesterday, zero patients out of 7,853 active cases in the province were considered seriously ill, as seen in the chart below, and there was one death, which remains low. According to the Chonburi Department of Disease Control, nearly all cases are mild or asymptomatic.
Thailand has reiterated they are currently at a Covid level four alert, out of five levels, which suggests (but doesn’t mandate) that people don’t gather, work from home, limit travel, and not drink alcohol at restaurants in groups, or go to parties. Again, however, these are health suggestions for the public and at this time the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration, or CCSA, who meets Wednesday February 23rd of this week, says they will not be “mandated” or businesses closed- at this time.
However, precautions and Covid19 preventative measures have been ordered to increase, according to the Ministry of the Interior. If these are not followed, closures and mandates could happen, officials have warned.
According to Mr. Pornchai, the checks were mostly successful and were educational versus punitive, however he highlighted a few points that health officials felt needed to improve to keep venues open safely. They were:
1. People positive for Covid19 at bar rapid test checkpoints must be reported to the Ministry of Public Health through their hotline. There are five hotlines: 099-5062590, 066-0537923 ,099-2719305, 066-0495383, and 066-0536710. If the hotline is busy or not manned they will respond within twelve hours to the infected person.
2. Better work should be done in restroom cleanliness and covid rules in these environments.
3. Customers should wear masks when not actively drinking a drink.
4. Venues must follow the rules around testing employees daily for Covid-19 and customer testing.
5. If customers feel a venue is not following Covid19 reports there is a dedicated hotline as well they can call to report the venue at 038119777.
Mr. Pornchai concluded the inspection by saying daily checks will continue throughout the city, with most of the focus on “restaurants”. TPN media adds, however, that the vast majority of reported cases from daily reports are NOT at so-called “restaurants”, at least based on the information released from Chonburi Public Health officials, but at companies, factories, and in families.
