Phuket Closes Risky Places to Control COVID-19

[snoop1130]

 

PHUKET, July 19 (TNA) – Local authorities closed risky places and suspended the activities that may transmit COVID-19, affecting pubs, bars and other entertainment venues, while allowing shopping centers to open until 9pm.

 

Phuket governor Narong Woonsew signed his order to close the places and halt the activities that could spread COVID-19. The order applies to pubs, bars, karaoke shops, fields for cockfights and bird competitions and boxing stadiums.

 

Full Story: https://tna.mcot.net/english-news-741620

 

-- © Copyright TNA 2021-07-19

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[madmitch]

So those few tourists that have returned are now subject to restaurants closing at 9pm. Not to forget many struggling owners reliant upon increasing business from sandbox tourists. An extra couple of hours would help but no, 9 o'clock closing. How long until another restaurant booze ban.

 

Not exactly attractive to potential sandbox tourists either.

[DaveE13]

It's the no "bird competition" that does it for me. 

[Pattaya Spotter]

36 minutes ago, DaveE13 said:

It's the no "bird competition" that does it for me. 

Yeah those bird song competitions are epic ????

[Pattaya Spotter]

International tourists... welcome to the "fully open" Phuket bait & switch sandbox.

 

PS: And I thought bars and nightclub entertainment venues were already closed?

[bkk6060]

Sounds reasonable who eats after 9 pm anyway?

Fat people?

[ChipButty]

My mother always said if your not in bed bye 10pm then come home

[beechbum]

And in other news....

'Phuket Sandbox is not closing and has actually been a success, set to generate billions of baht"

[EricTh]

It's too early to open to tourism...... Phuket or even Tokyo Olympics

[smedly]

4 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Local authorities closed risky places and suspended the activities that may transmit COVID-19, affecting pubs, bars and other entertainment venues, while allowing shopping centers to open until 9pm.

like I keep saying - actions speak louder than words 

 

They are hiding something in Phuket - I suspect that covid in Phuket is rampant and they are trying to hide it - trying to save face.

[Rhacsyn]

28 minutes ago, smedly said:

like I keep saying - actions speak louder than words 

 

They are hiding something in Phuket - I suspect that covid in Phuket is rampant and they are trying to hide it - trying to save face.

Hi. I came back into Phuket through the sandbox scheme and live here. I cannot agree or disagree with you regarding the prevalance of Covid (little or no active testing other than sandbox) but I can confirm that hospitals are not overly busy on the Covid front and neither are the crematoriums. Nevertheless, it is a strange announcement as outlets with entertainment licences (bars, pubs, clubs) have supposedly officially been "closed" since 19th March so yes, i guess something is "brewing".

[digibum]

3 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

 

PS: And I thought bars and nightclub entertainment venues were already closed?

Every other version of this story I’ve read has said “continue to be closed”.  It could be poor journalism or something lost in translation.  
 

That said, just a few days ago local officials were “suggesting” bars in Rawai could open as restaurants.  
 

Then last night or the night before my wife was showing me a live stream of cops going around and hassling Rawai bar owners.  
 

Spoke with a few restaurant/bar owners tonight and they’re pretty annoyed at all of the mixed messages.  
 

Nobody seemed angry, Rawai isn’t a big tourism draw anyway.  But many seemed annoyed that the cops will surely be making checks and be doing their rounds for at least the next few nights.  
 

It’s not funny but somewhat typical that a local Thai run bar has obeyed the bar closure rule for weeks.  She finally opened her bar for alcohol sales less than a week ago after little actual enforcement and now she’s gotta close down again.  

[Taboo2]

Ok, I have just closed my plans to visit Phuket.....if I want to visit  a place where there is not much to do, I will stay home in my apartment and choke the chicken.  Save me a <deleted> load of money!

[Rhacsyn]

47 minutes ago, digibum said:

Every other version of this story I’ve read has said “continue to be closed”.  It could be poor journalism or something lost in translation.  
 

That said, just a few days ago local officials were “suggesting” bars in Rawai could open as restaurants.  
 

Then last night or the night before my wife was showing me a live stream of cops going around and hassling Rawai bar owners.  
 

Spoke with a few restaurant/bar owners tonight and they’re pretty annoyed at all of the mixed messages.  
 

Nobody seemed angry, Rawai isn’t a big tourism draw anyway.  But many seemed annoyed that the cops will surely be making checks and be doing their rounds for at least the next few nights.  
 

It’s not funny but somewhat typical that a local Thai run bar has obeyed the bar closure rule for weeks.  She finally opened her bar for alcohol sales less than a week ago after little actual enforcement and now she’s gotta close down again.  

It was two nights ago and covered Rawai, Chalong and Nanai road in Patong. The people that I spoke too suggested that it served as a warning not to over crowd and to follow Covid distancing rules etc. 

 

Entertainment venues (bars, pubs, clubs) as i posted earlier, have been closed since 19th March.

 

I am guessing that your wife's bar has an entertainment licence (sincere apologies if i am wrong) and the bar is therefore lumped in with pubs and clubs. If my guess is correct, has she thought of applying for a restaurant licence? Just a thought but I am sure folk on the ground are way ahead of me....

Edited July 19, 2021 by Rhacsyn
Remove text

[pagallim]

A video I saw of a couple of nights ago, was of a bar/restaurant which was a part of a resort in Rawai.    It was nearly empty anyway, only maybe 3 or 4 patrons in there.   About 12 to 15 local officials shouting quite loudly at the lady manager, looking through the check bins on the spike for bills that did not include food.   Really quite pathetic.    There may have been an issue with time, as I believe that restaurants had a 11 p.m. closing time (until tomorrow when it becomes 9 p.m.), but the video didn't have a time.

 

A few weeks ago, Rawai was in the news stopping people on motor bikes not wearing masks, and making them do physical exercises by the side of the road.    These are not police doing this, but supposedly defence volunteers.

[Espanol]

4 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

Sounds reasonable who eats after 9 pm anyway?

Fat people?

In Spain we don't have dinner before 9 - 10 PM.

Actually, shops close at 20:30 ant supermarkets at 21:30. And them we go home to have dinner. 

 

Restaurants open for dinner at 21:00 until midnight. 

[Espanol]

2 hours ago, smedly said:

like I keep saying - actions speak louder than words 

 

They are hiding something in Phuket - I suspect that covid in Phuket is rampant and they are trying to hide it - trying to save face.

But they will blame Covid-19 infected tourists. 

[gim12]

is it possible they are looking for an excuse to close the sandpit now that the expats and family members have returned (and have paid for the privilege) and their wildly  delusional estimates of tourist numbers  have not materialized? just wondering 

[NanLaew]

TAT hastily renames their rapidly shrinking 2021 Phuket island tourism initiative.

 

"Welcome to the Phuket Sand(wich)box!"

Edited July 19, 2021 by NanLaew

[NanLaew]

6 hours ago, Espanol said:

In Spain we don't have dinner before 9 - 10 PM.

Actually, shops close at 20:30 ant supermarkets at 21:30. And them we go home to have dinner. 

 

Restaurants open for dinner at 21:00 until midnight. 

...and then you go bar hopping and clubbing until dawn then home for a quick shower before dragging yourself into work.

 

That's why they have siestas, no?

[Espanol]

Just now, NanLaew said:

...and then you go bar hopping and clubbing until dawn then home for a quick shower before dragging yourself into work.

 

That's why they have siestas, no?

Then we go to bed at midnight and get up at 8 AM to go to work at 9.

 

About siesta, only retired foreigners do. ????

[gk10012001]

There are many other activities that could spread the virus.  Thousands of Thai open air markets, thousands of grocery stores where people do not practice any social distancing, how about football or field hockey game stadiums, etc.  Thais are not known for not crowding in lines.   

[Mickeymaus]

Phuket never talked about an entertainment box. They talked about a sandbox. And there is plenty of sand on the beach that you can enjoy - at least until they are closed too...

[irishman25]

11 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

Sounds reasonable who eats after 9 pm anyway?

Fat people?

that's right eating after 9pm fat types also have a snack late nights it  will also cause blood issue with other.    now you.il be slim and trim after this lock-out

[ChipButty]

7 hours ago, pagallim said:

A video I saw of a couple of nights ago, was of a bar/restaurant which was a part of a resort in Rawai.    It was nearly empty anyway, only maybe 3 or 4 patrons in there.   About 12 to 15 local officials shouting quite loudly at the lady manager, looking through the check bins on the spike for bills that did not include food.   Really quite pathetic.    There may have been an issue with time, as I believe that restaurants had a 11 p.m. closing time (until tomorrow when it becomes 9 p.m.), but the video didn't have a time.

 

A few weeks ago, Rawai was in the news stopping people on motor bikes not wearing masks, and making them do physical exercises by the side of the road.    These are not police doing this, but supposedly defence volunteers.

It's confusing to say the least, them bars have been operating for a couple of weeks in full view at the time I was thinking they must have been given permission to open, I go for a drive around in the evening and I see a mom and pop store with at least 6 or 7 farang sitting there drinking bottles on the table they are there every night, nothing to do with me.

Somebody said to me the police and the army where out one night, as you say the defense volunteers around Rawai more like a Paramilitary force I know a couple of them they love getting dressed up in their combat gear going around team handed and being aggressive.

 

[Cake Monster]

11 hours ago, Rhacsyn said:

Hi. I came back into Phuket through the sandbox scheme and live here. I cannot agree or disagree with you regarding the prevalance of Covid (little or no active testing other than sandbox) but I can confirm that hospitals are not overly busy on the Covid front and neither are the crematoriums. Nevertheless, it is a strange announcement as outlets with entertainment licences (bars, pubs, clubs) have supposedly officially been "closed" since 19th March so yes, i guess something is "brewing".

Thank you.

Its good to have an un bias report from inside the Sandbox

The Authorities are making few tests on the population, and still they are finding infected people every Day.

Maybe just relying on the Sinovac shots given ? to keep everybody safe.

What is wrong with these people.

[digibum]

10 hours ago, Rhacsyn said:

I am guessing that your wife's bar has an entertainment licence (sincere apologies if i am wrong) and the bar is therefore lumped in with pubs and clubs. If my guess is correct, has she thought of applying for a restaurant licence? Just a thought but I am sure folk on the ground are way ahead of me....

Not sure how you think my wife works in or owns a bar from what I said.  
 

The only mention of my wife was that I said that someone had posted a link to a Facebook livestream of the cops hassling bar owners.  My wife was the one who brought it to my attention.  
 

The paragraph following that is about some local Thai woman that has a bar.  

[digibum]

6 hours ago, gim12 said:

is it possible they are looking for an excuse to close the sandpit now that the expats and family members have returned (and have paid for the privilege) and their wildly  delusional estimates of tourist numbers  have not materialized? just wondering 

What do you mean “paid for the privilege”?

 

Any returning expat would have had to ASQ in Bangkok or Pattaya at double or triple the cost.  
 

Many of the expats returning under the sandbox scheme are Cheap Charlies.  
 

[digibum]

2 hours ago, ChipButty said:

It's confusing to say the least

Why is it confusing?  
 

Covid numbers have been spiking across Thailand and in Phuket specifically.  
 

What would be confusing is if Phuket did nothing.  
 

Everyone turned a blind eye when the risk was low but then made a big show once the risk was higher.  
 

That’s pretty much standard operating procedure.  

[hotchilli]

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

PHUKET, July 19 (TNA) – Local authorities closed risky places and suspended the activities that may transmit COVID-19, affecting pubs, bars and other entertainment venues, while allowing shopping centers to open until 9pm.

 

Phuket governor Narong Woonsew signed his order to close the places and halt the activities that could spread COVID-19. The order applies to pubs, bars, karaoke shops, fields for cockfights and bird competitions and boxing stadiums.

But this will stimulate the sand-pit scheme,more tourist will come flocking?