Massage parlours hiring again as they reopen after 2-year shutdown
Entertainment venues including pubs, bars, karaoke joints and massage parlours are starting to reopen after more than two years of closure with the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) lifting its shutdown order from today, June 1.
The venues were the first businesses ordered closed and now the last to reopen as they had a high risk of causing Covid-19 clusters due to close contact among customers and staff as well as poor ventilation.
Nation TV reporters surveyed massage parlours in Bangkok’s Arun Amarin and Uruphong areas on Tuesday and found some of them have put up announcements calling for massage therapists and masseuses as they prepare to reopen.
For instance, a cleaning worker at an establishment on Rama VIII Road said the business had been ordered shut since the first wave of Covid-19 in Thailand more than two years ago, leading to a loss of her job. She said she was recently called back to work for a “big clean-up” to prepare for the reopening on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, a worker at a massage parlour on Uruphong Road said the parlour was preparing to reopen on June 3.
“We wanted to reopen on Wednesday, but Pathumwan district officials visited the place yesterday [May 30] and said we are still lacking Covid-19 preventive measures, including testing all employees and improving ventilation in guest reception areas,” he said.
The CCSA stipulated that customers to these entertainment venues must show a vaccine certificate of at least two doses, pass thermal scanners at the entrance, and check in via the ThaiChana platform. Face masks must be worn at all times in the establishments, except when drinking or eating.