Booze can be served until midnight from June 1 in blue, green zones
Entertainment venues in tourism pilot provinces or blue zones and those in green zone provinces can operate until midnight from June 1, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said on Friday.
From June 1, venues such as pubs, bars and karaoke outlets will be allowed to serve alcohol until midnight but must refrain from serving drinks that can be shared. Alcohol promotion activities will also be banned. Serving staff will be required to wear facemasks.
Venue operators must request permission from the provincial communicable disease committee before reopening. They must screen staff health and conduct rapid antigen test on them every seven days. Customers must have a vaccination certificate and follow Covid-19 prevention measures.
The CCSA has allowed people who come into contact with Covid-19 patients to return to work as usual instead of spending five days in quarantine.
However, they must observe their symptoms for 10 days and take a rapid antigen test if they experience respiratory symptoms.
The CCSA has also rearranged the zoning of provinces based on the number of Covid-19 infections. From June 1, the yellow zone (highest surveillance) covers 46 provinces, the green zone (low surveillance) 14 provinces, while 17 provinces are under the blue zone (tourism pilot).
Yellow zone provinces, meanwhile, must refrain from gatherings of more than 1,000 people, while educational institutions can organise on-site classes, strictly following Covid-19 prevention measures.
In the case of indoor sports competitions, the number of spectators must not exceed 75 per cent of seating capacity, while social distancing principles must be implemented for outdoor sports competitions.
Meanwhile, theatres and folk performances can resume operation as usual.
The CCSA also extended the state of emergency to July 31 to maintain Covid-19 prevention measures and ensure a smooth transition to endemic status.
Beginning June 1, unvaccinated travellers can show negative rapid antigen or RT-PCR test results taken within 72 hours of departure. The unvaccinated can take a rapid antigen test upon arrival.
Thai travellers will no longer be required to register for Thailand Pass from June 1, while government officials and academics are now allowed to travel abroad.
After the CCSA meeting, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the number of Covid-19 infections is dropping thanks to cooperation from related agencies and citizens.
Prayut added that the CCSA will consider further easing travel restrictions to encourage foreigners to visit Thailand.
He also asked related agencies to administer as many booster shots as possible because Thailand has sufficient Covid-19 vaccines.
He said that Thailand’s revenue has dropped due to trade sanctions, the Covid-19 crisis, and conflicts, adding that he is doing his best to overcome these problems.