Bangkok shuts parks, gyms after record daily coronavirus infections

[Jonathan Fairfield]

A closed bar is seen on Friday afternoon as the country struggles with a third wave of infections of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19, in Sukhumvit road, in Bangkok, Thailand April 23, 2021. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's capital Bangkok has ordered the closure of public venues and sports premises, city official said on Saturday after the country reported a record daily rise in coronavirus cases and deaths amid a third wave of infections.

 

The closures, effective from Monday until May 9, apply to venues including public parks, gyms, swimming pools, meeting halls, internet shops, daycares centres, sports fields, museums and libraries, said Pongsakorn Kwanmuang, a Bangkok Metropolitan Administration spokesman.

 

Bangkok and 40 provinces have also ordered the wearing of face masks in public mandatory.

 

The new measures come after the Thai Retailers Association restricted opening hours for shopping malls to between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. for a week from Sunday.

 

Restaurants in the malls will be allowed to stay open an hour later, while convenience stores will be permitted to operate from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

 

Schools, bars and massage parlours were shut a week ago and will remain closed until next month, while alcohol sales have been banned in restaurants in an effort to increase social distancing.

 

Officials reported 2,839 new coronavirus cases and eight new deaths on Saturday, bringing Thailand's total to 53,022 cases and 129 deaths.

 

The country has managed to keep its caseload far lower than many countries, but the new outbreak, spurred in part by the highly-transmissible B.1.1.7 variant, has resulted in 24,000 infections and 35 infections in just 24 days.

 

"Government agencies and the private sector should allow staff to work from home as much as possible because we don't want to introduce more strict measures," said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for the government coronavirus taskforce.

'

The taskforce said there are currently enough hospital beds in the country to deal with the outbreak.

 

The country's beleaguered vaccine rollout got a boost on Saturday with the arrival of 500,000 doses of China's Sinovac Biotech's vaccine.

 

Just under 1 million people have been vaccinated in the country of around 66 million.

 

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has promised to source more vaccines to inoculate 50 million Thais by the end of the year.

 

(Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um; Editing by Jacqueline Wong, Jane Wardell and Mike Harrison)

 

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-04-25

 

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[brewsterbudgen]

Completely ridiculous to shut public parks where social-distancing is easy, but keep the BTS/MRT/buses running, and shopping malls!  

[bobbin]

So you can't go to a public park?  An outdoor venue that's usually lightly populated as Thai people, for the most part don't use them.. too hot and they don't like walking in the heat.

 

And darn, there goes my gym. Probably. Since I live in Pattaya, they are allowed to open until 9pm.. but will probably adopt this Bangkok strategy

[ThailandRyan]

So it is a semi closure of Bangkok, and not a lockdown in other words.  Travel between provinces from the redzone, that Bangkok is, will be tenuous at best, as some areas are requiring quarantine upon entry.  I wonder if checkpoints will be going up again, or if they will just trust everyone.  Sounds like general daily activity for work and shopping is still a go as is eating in a restaurant.  Just closure hours a little early.  Looks like those of us that run in the parks will be loading up the sidewalks again just like they did last year.  With many working from home looks like fewer have been on the roads.  Lets hope this assists in slowing down the spread of the virus.  I guess only time will tell.  Vaccinations for Bangkok is definitely being ramped up as the BMA wants 70% of the city vaccinated by the end of the year.  Hopefully the hospitals will be able to source out the different vaccines so we can have a choice.  I have no problem paying what the cost will be and I am sure many other expats who want a vaccination will do the same.  Stay safe folks and take care of you and yours.

[robblok]

Luckily just moved my home gym from my old house to the new one. But havent trained for a while as they required people to train with a mask. 

 

Yes i noticed yesterday that the roads were not busy at all (taking into account it was a saturday). We moved quickly from Bangkok to nothaburi and back. 

[bobbin]

My gym is a condo facility and surprising well-equipped.. never had a mask policy. It's either open with no restriction, except closing time, or closed (covid)

 

I've never worked out wearing a mask,, but if necessary, I would just limit myself to 20 minutes instead of my usual 1 hr+

Edited April 25, 2021 by bobbin

[pookiki]

2 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Completely ridiculous to shut public parks where social-distancing is easy, but keep the BTS/MRT/buses running, and shopping malls!  

I agree wholeheartedly!  Let people exercise for their mental health. The parks are always sparsely populated for the most part anyway.  But logic won't prevail.

[n00dle]

3 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Completely ridiculous to shut public parks where social-distancing is easy, but keep the BTS/MRT/buses running, and shopping malls!  

More to the point,even if parks closures were justifiable, why close them may 9, rather than immediately

[kotsak]

Wondering what people will do during the coming long weekend holiday ????

[thmebe]

hello, all gyms are closed now ? even condo gyms ?

thank you.

[upu2]

9 hours ago, bobbin said:

So you can't go to a public park?  An outdoor venue that's usually lightly populated as Thai people, for the most part don't use them.. too hot and they don't like walking in the heat.

 

And darn, there goes my gym. Probably. Since I live in Pattaya, they are allowed to open until 9pm.. but will probably adopt this Bangkok strategy

Gyms increase the health of the users and should remain open I agree

[Excel]

4 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Completely ridiculous to shut public parks where social-distancing is easy, but keep the BTS/MRT/buses running, and shopping malls!  

agreed, the MRT/BTS should have been shut down

Edited April 25, 2021 by Excel

[tomazbodner]

30 minutes ago, Excel said:

agreed, the MRT/BTS should have been shut down

And all buses, boats, taxis... so either people walk to work, or all the companies close down as well, including supermarkets, drugstores, hospitals, fire stations, etc. You're only allowed out of your house if you have your own car. Maybe limit to 1 person in a car. Maybe limit to 1 person in one house.

 

How far do you want to go?

[bobbin]

34 minutes ago, tomazbodner said:

And all buses, boats, taxis... so either people walk to work, or all the companies close down as well, including supermarkets, drugstores, hospitals, fire stations, etc. You're only allowed out of your house if you have your own car. Maybe limit to 1 person in a car. Maybe limit to 1 person in one house.

 

How far do you want to go?

That's the problem

 

Cambodia now.. stay at home order. Allowed out for food 2 times/week..  or medical attention.

 

That's what works.. Anything less is only a partial solution,

 

You want the somewhat reduced for longer term(sometime repeated) or shorter and sharper but better results.

Edited April 25, 2021 by bobbin

[georgey]

2 hours ago, thmebe said:

hello, all gyms are closed now ? even condo gyms ?

thank you.

My condo gym (BKK) is closed. Just been down, not amused.....

[Caldera]

Closing public parks while leaving shopping malls and restaurants open. Insanity.

[ChipButty]

We own a condo at the moment we have a guest in there, I messaged him to see if the pool was still open, he said yes with restrictions I dont know exactly what that means the gym is still open but they have took the remote away for the A/C 

I will have to go there in the morning see whats going on, Normally the project managers are ok the last time they never wanted to close the pool, Right now this place is busy I dont know where everybody has come from.

I should have added this is Phuket

Edited April 25, 2021 by ChipButty

[ChipButty]

18 minutes ago, Caldera said:

Closing public parks while leaving shopping malls and restaurants open. Insanity.

I was thinking similar today we had to go to Central ok people have got mask on but at the lift's everybody is pressing the buttons touching the handrails I didn't see anybody wiping different places

[from the home of CC]

3 hours ago, upu2 said:

Gyms increase the health of the users and should remain open I agree

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/outbreak-at-quebec-city-gym-linked-to-440-infections-and-counting-one-gym-client-dead-1.5377871

[Elkski]

Some of you guys are so short sighted.  I hope I'm wrong but I don't think you have begun to see how covid will ravish Thailand.  No way can the goal of 70% vaccination happen in 2021.  

[Metapod]

2 hours ago, Elkski said:

Some of you guys are so short sighted.  I hope I'm wrong but I don't think you have begun to see how covid will ravish Thailand.  No way can the goal of 70% vaccination happen in 2021.  

 

The irony of a covid sheep calling others short sighted. Stay home sheep.

[Stargeezr]

So is Thailand becoming the great petri dish of Asia?  Seems that Cambodia is trying a bit harder to stop

the CIVID virus.  The pandemic continues, stay tuned for the latest gruesome news.  Bring out your dead...

may be the next segment for the on going pandemic, as the deadly variants come marching in.

   Enjoy your Spring weather,  looks like you will just have to stay in your homes and condos.

      Sarcasm.

Geezer

[Tropposurfer]

vaccinate vaccinate vaccinate with as many brands of vaccine as can be got. If mass infection rates as we see in India happens god help us all.