A clip and photos of a Thai man, believed to be in his fifties, refusing to wear a mask at a popular Naklua market went viral on social media this morning.
The incident, which took place earlier this week according to Mr. Rattanasak Dasri, a Special Affairs Officer in Pattaya who was one of two officers involved, took place at the entrance to a popular Naklua market.
The man has reportedly rejected entry from entering the market for not wearing a mask. The market requires mask-wearing, a temperature check and usage of hand sanitizer for all patrons. These measures are part of the current market standards set by the Thai Government to help prevent the Covid-19 Coronavirus.
The man allegedly caused a scene and two special affairs officers responded, which was caught on video by other patrons. One was Mr. Dasri.
Mr. Dasri and the video shows the man furiously arguing that wearing a mask is against his personal rights and freedoms and that he is perfectly fine and not sick. The man also brought up the fact that no confirmed cases of the virus have been found in the area for over a month, why would he need to wear a mask?
After several minutes of arguing the man left, however the event was shared online which led to a debate among some individuals on social media. The majority seemed to side with the law enforcement and stated that the rule was the rule and people should follow it. However, a minority of comments sided with the man refusing to wear a mask, agreeing that there was no sign of the virus in the area and if someone chose not to wear a mask that should be their decision.
The man was not identified and left peacefully after the incident, however was still denied entry to the market.
Source: The Pattaya News
