Venues and Businesses to reopen UPDATE

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has announced the latest Order of the Temporary Closure of Premises (No. 33), allowing more types of venues and businesses in Bangkok to resume operations from today, following the Royal Thai Government’s latest announcement to further relax COVID-19 measures nationwide.

1. Public swimming pools or other similar businesses;
2. All types of pools or ponds for sports or marine activities; such as, jet skiing, kitesurfing, and banana boat sailing, are allowed to reopen for a limited number of customers until 21.00 Hrs. and are permitted to hold sporting events without any audiences;
3. Learning centres, science centres for education, science parks, science and cultural centres, and galleries;
4. Public libraries, community libraries, private libraries, and book houses;
5. Shops selling food or beverage; consuming food and beverage at the said venues is allowed until 23.00 Hrs. These venues shall limit the number of persons consuming food and beverage to 50% for the number of regular seats. Consumption of liquor and alcoholic drinks at the said venues is prohibited.
6. All types of outdoor and well-ventilated indoor sports venues are allowed to reopen until 21.00 Hrs., and are permitted to hold sporting events without any audiences;
7. Convenience stores can resume operation with their regular time;
8. Any activities prone to disease spread; such as, meetings, seminars, banquets, distribution of food or related items, parties, camping, film or television programme production, religious activities, Dharma practice, and meetings with senior relatives can be organised but the number of attendees must not exceed 50 people.

The BMA’s most recent Order No. 32 allowed the following five types of venues to reopen.

1. Museums, national museums, local museums and similar museums, historical sites, and ancient monuments are allowed to reopen under strict public health measures;
2. Public parks and botanic gardens are allowed to reopen for walking and running for exercise only;
3. Aesthetic clinics, medical clinics for beauty service, and cosmetic clinics are allowed to reopen under supervision of certified medical doctors, and must be operated under strict public health measures;
4. Health-related establishments (specifically health massage shops and health spa shops) are allowed to reopen only for foot massage services;
5. Premises for tattooing or piercing of skin or any parts of the body (except on the face), and manicure and pedicure shops are allowed to reopen. Staff must wear masks at all times. However, if any new cases are detected, the premises must be closed for 14 days.

Meanwhile, shopping malls, shopping centres, community malls, or similar establishments can open for operation by their regular time until 21.00 Hrs.

Other remaining venues and businesses as specified in the Order of the Temporary Closure of Premises (No. 31) are to remain closed from 14-30 June, 2021:

1. Buildings and places of schools, tutorial schools, and all types of educational institutes;
2. Entertainment venues, any establishments providing similar services to those of entertainment venues, amusement places, pubs, bars, karaoke shops, or other similar venues;
3. Massage parlours;
4. Establishments for bath services and establishments for steam bath and herbal steam;
5. Cockfighting rings and cockfighting training rings;
6. Bullrings, fish fighting rings, or other similar sport arenas;
7. Cinemas, theatres, and playhouses;
8. Water parks and amusement parks;
9. Playgrounds and playground equipment for children;
10. Zoos and animal display venues;
11. Skating rings and rollerblading arenas, or other similar activities;
12. Snooker and billiards halls;
13. Bowling alleys and game machine arcades;
14. Gaming centres and Internet cafes;
15. Fitness centres;
16. Exhibition halls, trade fair centres, and convention centres;
17. Nurseries (except those operated in hospitals with admission for overnight stay as a regularity), early childhood development centres, and preschool child development centres;
18. Elderly care centres (except admission for overnight stay as a regularity);
19. Boxing stadiums and boxing training gyms;
20. Martial arts schools (gyms);
21. Social/ballroom dance schools and academies;
22. Horse racing courses;
23. Amulet and Buddha statue trading markets and centres;
24. Weight-loss centres, aesthetic clinics, and cosmetic clinics (that are not certified as medical clinics);
25. Health-related establishments (specifically for beauty massage shops);
26. All types of competition venues;
27. Places of entertainment or places for public performances or recreation;
28. Places providing services on meeting rooms, catering rooms, catering venues, and other those similar places;
29. Beauty salons and barber shops (allowed to open only for shampooing, cutting, layering, dressing, and service users waiting for service in shops are not allowed);

The mask mandate requiring everyone in Bangkok to ‘always correctly and properly wear sanitary or fabric face masks outside their residence or accommodation remains in place until further notice. Violators are liable to a fine not exceeding 20,000 Baht.

Any persons who violate or fail to comply with this order shall be guilty of an offence under Section 52 of the Communicable Diseases Act B.E. 2558 (2015), which shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one (1) year or to a fine not exceeding one hundred thousand (100,000) Baht, or both and shall be guilty of an offence under Section 18 of the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situation B.E. 2548 (2005), which shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two (2) years or to a fine not exceeding forty thousand (40,000) Baht, or both.

TAT