Thailand to ease some dining restrictions in capital, offer vaccine to restaurant staff

[Jonathan Fairfield]

FILE PHOTO: A woman wearing a face mask walks past a restaurant, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Bangkok, Thailand, January 4, 2021. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand plans to allow restaurants to resume dine-in services in capital Bangkok, a senior official said on Saturday, but opening hours and the number of diners will be limited as the country grapples a third wave of coronavirus infections.

 

Restaurants in dark red zones like Bangkok will be allowed to reopen for dine-in services but at a limited capacity of 25% and will have to close at 9 p.m. (1400 GMT), said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a coronavirus taskforce spokesman. Restaurants in dark red zones, which have the highest risk of infection and the strictest restrictions, could previously only open for delivery.

 

The new regulations, subject to the prime minister's approval, should take effect before Monday, he said at a briefing, adding that some 100,000 restaurant operators and staff will be offered vaccines to ensure their safety.

 

Since April, Thailand has been battling its deadliest coronavirus outbreak. Thailand reported 3,095 new coronavirus cases and 17 deaths on Saturday, bringing total cases to 99,145 and 565 deaths. Of the new cases, 1,163 were in Bangkok.

 

Bangkok, the epicentre of the outbreak, and four other provinces are categorised as dark red zones.

 

Another 17 provinces are in red zones, risk areas where restaurants can serve customers until 11 p.m. and 56 provinces are in orange areas, where there are no dining restrictions.

 

Malls nationwide will still close at 9 p.m. and entertainment venues remain closed.

 

Thailand has administered 2.2 million vaccine doses to frontline workers and high-risk groups so far and a broader vaccination drive is expected to start in June. An app for foreigners is also being developed to allow them to register for inoculation, said Natapanu Nopakun, a foreign ministry spokesman.

 

"Walk-in vaccinations will be available soon. Provinces that are ready can commence immediately. Foreigners can walk into these locations when they are announced," he said.

 

(Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-05-15

 

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[connda]

Bankok elites and government workers must be getting squirrelly for some good old dine-in service.

[ExpatOilWorker]

Plan to....

Will be...

Subject to approval....

To start...

Being developed....

Available soon....

When announced...

 

That is a lot of future tense. 

Just let is know when you make up ur mind and take some action.

 

Edited May 15, 2021 by ExpatOilWorker

[sammieuk1]

The scatter gun approach has been really well thought out then! but alas will backfire as normal  ????

[poohy]

Restaurant staff mostly young will be vaccinated before others  madness

Edited May 15, 2021 by poohy

[Caldera]

How about reopening the parks for some sunshine, fresh air and exercise?

 

Isn't the main issue with dining in that people will mingle with friends not from their household? Mostly indoors, which is much more dangerous with regards to virus transmission than outdoors.

[brewsterbudgen]

4 minutes ago, Caldera said:

How about reopening the parks for some sunshine, fresh air and exercise?

 

Isn't the main issue with dining in that people will mingle with friends not from their household? Mostly indoors, which is much more dangerous with regards to virus transmission than outdoors.

Yes, unbelievable that parks, pools and schools aren't being allowed to have a "limited" re-opening too.

[Justgrazing]

2 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Restaurants in dark red zones like Bangkok will be allowed to reopen for dine-in services but at a limited capacity of 25% and will have to close at 9 p.m.

 

As the virus don't come out 'till after 9 .. 

[fangless]

10 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

a limited capacity of 25%

Does that mean that a table for four can only seat one person or do you just cordon off 75% of the dining are and all cram into the rest?

I can just imagine a family of four, who live together, sitting at four separate tables!

 

 

Edited May 15, 2021 by fangless

[NE1]

Does that mean I can use the same cutlery that previous customers used and has been dipped in cold water and wiped and considered clean ?

[Marvin Hagler]

Such a token measure completely without meaning. Let’s open restaraunts and we will throw 100,000 vaccines at it...vaccines that we don’t have. Do the local population really believe all this stuff? Surely they can do the sums and realise that the government have committed about 10,000,000 vaccines to various different groups when they only have 500,000 in stock. This is farcical. It’s like they come up with a rrdiculous idea and then try to justify it by saying they will send some vaccines. It truly is like kindergarten stuff (stupid idea x will cost 100,000 vaccines). 

[Misterwhisper]

11 hours ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Plan to....

Will be...

Subject to approval....

To start...

Being developed....

Available soon....

When announced...

 

That is a lot of future tense. 

Just let is know when you make up ur mind and take some action.

 

You forgot the ubiquitous "to urge".

[sungod]

11 hours ago, poohy said:

Restaurant staff mostly young will be vaccinated before others  madness

Good way to jump a few places up the queue if you are a foreigner like most the staff are, I'm off to see who's hiring ????

[sungod]

2 hours ago, NE1 said:

Does that mean I can use the same cutlery that previous customers used and has been dipped in cold water and wiped and considered clean ?

 

Play safe and use your own shirt for the wiping.

[The Cipher]

Good first step. Can't wait to be back in cafes and restaurants come Monday! ????

[Suua]

Very dangerous.......smacks of getting very desperate.

[MasterBaker]

doubt that most restaurants can fill more than 25%, unless it's a mall locations. i would worry it they classify market food stalls as a restaurants, because that's a covid clusters waiting to happened

[hotchilli]

16 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Thailand plans to allow restaurants to resume dine-in services in capital Bangkok, a senior official said on Saturday, but opening hours and the number of diners will be limited as the country grapples a third wave of coronavirus infections.

If Thailand had an up and running national vaccination programme everything could be open full-time now... but you know who screwed that all up.

[trainman34014]

I don't get it; Bangkok is the worst affected area and they should be locking it down.   Indeed; should have been locked down weeks ago but here they are opening Restaurants while other less affected area's can't open theirs ?   Still treating Bangkok as the Centre of the Universe just because majority of rich people live there; what a sad country this is !

Edited May 16, 2021 by trainman34014

[brewsterbudgen]

14 minutes ago, trainman34014 said:

I don't get it; Bangkok is the worst affected area and they should be locking it down.   Indeed; should have been locked down weeks ago but here they are opening Restaurants while other less affected area's can't open theirs ?   Still treating Bangkok as the Centre of the Universe just because majority of rich people live there; what a sad country this is !

I thought that Bangkok was still in the "deep-red" zone?   

[Guderian]

17 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Restaurants in dark red zones like Bangkok will be allowed to reopen for dine-in services but at a limited capacity of 25% and will have to close at 9 p.m.

 

The Thai government is certain that the virus sleeps all day long and doesn't wake up until 9:00 PM, it's such a shame that the likes of Anthony Fauci and Chris Whitty seem to be unaware of  this fact, lol.

[kingstonkid]

7 hours ago, fangless said:

Does that mean that a table for four can only seat one person or do you just cordon off 75% of the dining are and all cram into the rest?

I can just imagine a family of four, who live together, sitting at four separate tables!

 

 

At sizzler a table for 4 seats 2 with designated parking places LOL

[Marco100]

Doesn't mean that by being vaccinated with Sinovac you will not catch the virus .

For what was reported in Seychelles , Sinovac helps reducing mild or severe Covid cases but you can still be infected and be asymptomatic and transmit it to non vaccinated people .