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Thailand ends restrictions on bars, scraps mask mandate

Thailand ends restrictions on bars, scraps mask mandate
Customers at the outside seating areas of bars and restaurants in the Patpong entertainment district of Bangkok, Thailand, on June 1, 2022. The gradual reopening of nightlife entertainment venues marks an end of some of the toughest pandemic-era restrictions and is seen as key to luring more foreign tourists in the June-September period, considered a low season for Thai tourism.

The government has rolled back the last Covid-19 restrictions, amid a decline in new cases and a rebound in tourism. 

Thailand scrapped a mask mandate and allowed bars and pubs to remain open for longer hours as the Southeast Asian nation rolls back its remaining Covid-19 curbs amid a decline in new cases and a rebound in tourist arrivals.

The wearing of masks is now voluntary nationwide, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha said in a statement published on Royal Gazette late on Thursday, ending a mandate first imposed in June 2021. People with chronic diseases should continue to wear masks during group activities to prevent infections, he said.

Pubs, bars, karaoke outlets and other entertainment venues can return to their normal operating hours, according to the statement. The nightlife venues in the country’s main tourist destinations were allowed to reopen earlier this month but ordered to shut at midnight. 

The gradual reopening of nightlife entertainment venues marks an end of some of the toughest pandemic-era restrictions and is seen as key to luring more foreign tourists in the June-September period, considered a low season for Thai tourism.

Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy has accelerated the easing of curbs on travel and businesses in recent months after new Covid cases fell to around 2,000 a day from more than 20,000 in April. The relaxation comes as tourism-dependent economies are increasingly competing to woo back travellers.

“Through our strict health measures, the infections and deaths from Covid-19 have declined significantly, allowing the government to ease a number of measures and restrictions,” Prayuth said. “We hope that further relaxations will help people and businesses” to live their lives and carry out economic activities as close to normal as possible, he said.

Before the pandemic, the overall tourism-related sector accounted for about a fifth of Thailand’s economy and jobs, with nearly 40 million overseas visitors arriving in 2019, according to the central bank. BM

 

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