A RAID mounted by Chonburi and Pattaya police last night (Jan. 12) led to the arrest of 12 bar owners for staying open after 9 p.m. in violation of Covid control orders with many Thai and foreign customers found to be having fun drinking at these watering holes without any concern about the pandemic, Thai Rath newspaper said.
While most of the bars at this seaside tourist city had closed at 9 p.m. amid a spike in coronavirus cases in Chonburi, some violated the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s (CCSA’s) regulation by covering the storefront with canvas and serving alcohol in jugs in an attempt to dupe the authorities.
One of them, Hot Shots in Pattaya Soi 6, had closed the bar but continued to let both Thai and foreign guests drink and have fun within.
Another bar, 9 Klom, had covered the front with canvas and staff were serving alchohol from jugs to a large number of guests.
Meanwhile the Public Health Ministry said this morning that there were 8,167 Covid cases and 14 deaths over the past 24 hours taking the cumulative confirmed total since Jan. 1 to 77,022 cases.
Of the new batch of cases 7,784 emerged in surveillance and healthcare systems, 78 were found through proactive testing, 66 fell sick in prisons and detention centres while 239 foreign arrivals tested positive.
Another 3,845 patients were cured taking total recoveries since Jan. 1 to 39,486 while 70,591 patients are still undergoing treatment.
Pattaya bars being raided for violating the closing time regulation. Photos: Thai Rath
