Pubs and bars to remain closed in 17 pilot areas after November 1

[webfact]

 

By Namo Vananupong

   

BANGKOK (NNT) - The Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has announced the details of Thailand’s November 1 reopening to international tourists, and noted that Thais returning from abroad do not need to have health insurance with 50,000 USD coverage.

 

CCSA Assistant Spokesperson Apisamai Srirungson said Thais who arrive from countries and territories whose peoples are exempted from quarantine upon entering Thailand do not need to have health insurance coverage of 50,000 USD, unlike foreign tourists.

 

Dr. Apisamai said Thais and foreigners who are not fully inoculated against COVID-19 will have to enter quarantine for 7, 10, or 14 days depending on the conditions met by each individual.

 

The CCSA has also announced the designation of 17 provinces as pilot areas for tourism. These include Bangkok, Krabi, Phang Nga, and Phuket, in addition to specific localities in Chonburi, Chiang Mai, Trat, Buriram, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phetchaburi, Ranong, Rayong, Loei, Samut Prakan, Surat Thani, Nong Khai, and Udon Thani.

 

Entries into areas that are piloting tourism programs would need to fall in line with the conditions set in the respective area, such as full vaccination of the entrant and a local capacity to control outbreaks.

 

Curfews in any of the aforementioned areas will be lifted at 11 pm on October 31. However, the CCSA is banning the holding of activities involving more than 500 people that could present Covid infection risks in these tourism pilot areas. Entertainment venues, pubs, bars and karaoke shops in these areas will have to remain closed for the time being.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2021-10-23

 

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[Gandtee]

That's going to go up like a lead balloon. Places of entertainment closed??? So what is the point of this announcement? It's certainly not going to entice any tourists. The next announcement will be all tourists will have to join the monkhood for fourteen days on entry.????

[Thaiwrath]

15 minutes ago, webfact said:

Entertainment venues, pubs, bars and karaoke shops in these areas will have to remain closed for the time being.

The number of tourists coming to Thailand will be miniscule, for the time being !

[Kadilo]

“Entertainment venues, pubs, bars and karaoke shops in these areas will have to remain closed for the time being.”

 

 My guess would be that this will be the case for the duration of November then, depending on the data remaining positive, the next phase will be reopening bars etc in time for the main tourism to arrive for Xmas/new year period.

 

Its a sensible, measured approach.  

[kelboy]

Well done. 

[Bkk Brian]

Open a country with many schools still closed and add insult to injury by continuing to deny the livelihoods of those running small businesses, bars/pubs to earn a living.

[mokwit]

What could go right?

[overherebc]

23 hours ago, Kadilo said:

“Entertainment venues, pubs, bars and karaoke shops in these areas will have to remain closed for the time being.”

 

 My guess would be that this will be the case for the duration of November then, depending on the data remaining positive, the next phase will be reopening bars etc in time for the main tourism to arrive for Xmas/new year period.

 

Its a sensible, measured approach.  

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for the bars to open. Restaurants selling alcohol again, yes, most likely.

[spidermike007]

Social media is too great a force now, and opening without any nightlife, is a misplaced, misguided, and overly puritanical sentiment. ALL tourists want some nightlife. Expect 20,000 tourists in November, 30,000 in December, and 50,000 during what used to be known as "peak season".

 

It feels like willful sabotage. You cannot kill tourism more effectively, if you were doing it deliberately. Therefore, the verdict is in. They are trying to reduce the industry to ashes, and rebuild it in their own image. That of saints, sages and holy Buddhists. Put all the bars, nightclubs, go-go's, and related businesses out of business entirely. Then rebuild the industry as a Disneyworld, family type attraction. Pure as winter snow. 

 

Of course we all know this will be a dismal failure. I expect no more than 4-5 million tourists a year, 5-10 years from now, and for that trend of diminishing arrivals to continue, for the next 50 years. News bulletin! They killed the golden goose. 

 

It is time to admit that the tourism industry has been sabotaged to the point where it will never recover, to any meaningful extent. Ever. Decades from now it will be limping along, and thousands of large hotels will either be closed, or they will attempt to convert them into low priced condos. Eventually many will be razed to the ground. Trillions of dollars in tourism infrastructure down the toilet. Prayuth, Phiphat will go down in history as the men who destroyed the Thai economy, and set the nation on a scorched earth path toward a position of 80th in the world, in GDP, and a dramatic decline of the standard of living, for all but him, his cronies, and the very rich. 

[KhunBENQ]

29 minutes ago, Thaiwrath said:

The number of tourists coming to Thailand will be miniscule, for the time being !

Sure. But "for the time being". It's another 7 weeks until a real season would start.

Patience required.

[overherebc]

13 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Social media is too great a force now, and opening without any nightlife, is a misplaced, misguided, and overly puritanical sentiment. ALL tourists want some nightlife. Expect 20,000 tourists in November, 30,000 in December, and 50,000 during what used to be known as "peak season".

 

It feels like willful sabotage. You cannot kill tourism more effectively, if you were doing it deliberately. Therefore, the verdict is in. They are trying to reduce the industry to ashes, and rebuild it in their own image. That of saints, sages and holy Buddhists. Put all the bars, nightclubs, go-go's, and related businesses out of business entirely. Then rebuild the industry as a Disneyworld, family type attraction. Pure as winter snow. 

 

Of course we all know this will be a dismal failure. I expect no more than 4-5 million tourists a year, 5-10 years from now, and for that trend of diminishing arrivals to continue, for the next 50 years. News bulletin! They killed the golden goose. 

Could be that way. It begs the question what will happen to all the real estate in say pattaya that 'was' reliant on dare I say 'the sex industry'?

Will it all end up as family restaurants, Indian tailors and Chinese take aways?

It's all going to be very interesting to say the least.

A lot of other countries have busy tourist businesses that don't rely on an in  your face sex industry.

[4MyEgo]

37 minutes ago, Kadilo said:

depending on the data remaining positive, the next phase will be reopening bars etc in time for the main tourism to arrive for Xmas/new year period.

I believe when they see that the numbers are far less than they anticipated, or dreamed up for a better word will see bars open 1 December, otherwise the numbers will continue to be abysmal.

[James105]

24 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Open a country with many schools still closed and add insult to injury by continuing to deny the livelihoods of those running small businesses, bars/pubs to earn a living.

Even when they are eventually allowed to open they will be operating under the puritanical sword of Damocles waiting for it to fall.   I cannot imagine how stressful life is and will continue to be for those who own businesses in that sector with no income for the last 7 months and the future threat of imminent closure with the click of a government finger that openly states it does not want those types of businesses to continue.   

[Bkk Brian]

2 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Could be that way. It begs the question what will happen to all the real estate in say pattaya that 'was' reliant on dare I say 'the sex industry'?

Will it all end up as family restaurants, Indian tailors and Chinese take aways?

It's all going to be very interesting to say the least.

Groups of foreign investors, mostly Chinese have their eyes on and have been buying up closed hotels and businesses for months in Pattaya, according to the hotel association president

[Kadilo]

3 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

I believe when they see that the numbers are far less than they anticipated, or dreamed up for a better word will see bars open 1 December, otherwise the numbers will continue to be abysmal.

I don’t think they believe that the numbers will be great at the start. It’s just part of the process for kick starting tourism off again. It’s a stepping stone to see what impact an increase in numbers will have over what they have now will have so they can gauge the timing of the next phase., whilst reaching their vac targets. 
 

Not indifferent to what other countries did once they planned their reopening. 

[Bkk Brian]

2 minutes ago, Kadilo said:

I don’t think they believe that the numbers will be great at the start. It’s just part of the process for kick starting tourism off again. It’s a stepping stone to see what impact an increase in numbers will have over what they have now will have so they can gauge the timing of the next phase., whilst reaching their vac targets. 
 

Not indifferent to what other countries did once they planned their reopening. 

What other countries announced to the world they are opening up to tourists with schools and businesses still closed?

[4MyEgo]

8 minutes ago, Kadilo said:

I don’t think they believe that the numbers will be great at the start. It’s just part of the process for kick starting tourism off again. It’s a stepping stone to see what impact an increase in numbers will have over what they have now will have so they can gauge the timing of the next phase., whilst reaching their vac targets. 
 

Not indifferent to what other countries did once they planned their reopening. 

Other countries that I know of have allowed their pubs/bars/entertainment venues to open up before any tourists entered their countries, that's how you kick start things, normality.

 

These clowns in my opinion are destroying business in that sector to make excuses for their bigger plans as they never wanted that industry, they want to show a cleaner image of Thailand, but that will cost people jobs, businesses, all for an image that tourists want.

 

[overherebc]

8 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

Other countries that I know of have allowed their pubs/bars/entertainment venues to open up before any tourists entered their countries, that's how you kick start things, normality.

 

These clowns in my opinion are destroying business in that sector to make excuses for their bigger plans as they never wanted that industry, they want to show a cleaner image of Thailand, but that will cost people jobs, businesses, all for an image that tourists want.

 

Will it make Thailand a bad place to bring your family on holiday if the sex industry is gone or vastly reduced?

Just askin'

[4MyEgo]

4 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Will it make Thailand a bad place to bring your family on holiday if the sex industry is gone or vastly reduced?

Just askin'

Most people who come to the sex industry are singles, although I have also see couples and families walking their kids and pushing prams through the main Walking Streets, that said, the majority of people that frequent those places outweigh families and couples, not to mention a lot of them end up moving here later on and continue to spend money in the Thai economy.

 

Remove the sex industry and those who used to come will move onto other countries where it is available. Just saying.

 

[BE88]

Dr. Apisamai said Thais and foreigners who are not fully inoculated against COVID-19 will have to enter quarantine for 7, 10, or 14 days depending on the conditions met by each individual.

 

 

3 different quarantines ? 7 days for the Thai 10 days for Asia peoples and 14 days for the Farangs.

Is right ?

Or 7 days for Farangs 10 days for Asia peoples and 14 days for Thais ?   Maybe ?

[smedly]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Entertainment venues, pubs, bars and karaoke shops in these areas will have to remain closed

so Thailand is "NOT" open

[trainman34014]

Bars and Entertaiment Venues closed means THAILAND IS CLOSED !!

[Gandtee]

If they delay till the last minute that bars and entertainment places will open, where will the staff be recruited from? I suspect many of those workers went back home up country. 

[Neeranam]

Good news, we don't want the type of tourist that would cancel because of not getting to a go go bar, as let's face it, those complaining are really worrying about that. 

[Cherrytreeview]

9 minutes ago, smedly said:

so Thailand is "NOT" open

And neither is it quarantine free travel.

[Cherrytreeview]

6 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Good news, we don't want the type of tourist that would cancel because of not getting to a go go bar, as let's face it, those complaining are really worrying about that. 

Don't worry, you won't be getting any type of tourists.

You can rest easy that the 20% of the population depending on tourism can just get into more and more debt and default on house mortages, motorbike and car payments, whilst you grandstand daily on TVF.

Some people are more equal than others.

 

[overherebc]

10 minutes ago, trainman34014 said:

Bars and Entertaiment Venues closed means THAILAND IS CLOSED !!

Well, it's closed for those who came for 2/3/4 weeks, whatever, for beer and sex. Most of them couldn't get lucky in deathrow in a womens prison with a handful of pardons.

I wonder how many posters on here have a business interest in the bargirl scene or are really so concerned about the lack of work/income for those who are.

[James105]

18 minutes ago, trainman34014 said:

Bars and Entertaiment Venues closed means THAILAND IS CLOSED !!

THAILAND IS OPEN!  In much the same way as Kuwait, Afghanistan etc is open.   It is clearly a blatant attempt to steal tourists away from these new countries it is now competing with.   Just need to replace a few temples with some mosques and these new and improved tourists will feel like Thailand is a home away from home.   

[Cherrytreeview]

18 minutes ago, Gandtee said:

If they delay till the last minute that bars and entertainment places will open, where will the staff be recruited from? I suspect many of those workers went back home up country. 

Their back in Isaan but can and will be back on the next bus.

All on line and Facebook groups. They know what's going on alright.

[Farangus]

18 minutes ago, Gandtee said:

If they delay till the last minute that bars and entertainment places will open, where will the staff be recruited from? I suspect many of those workers went back home up country. 

And when all of a sudden the bars and clubs are allowed, thousands of Thais will return to Pattaya, Phuket and Bangkok from Isan. Many of them have not yet been vaccinated. But if there are new outbreaks of infection, the dirty farangs will be to blame ...