Thailand to ease some dining, travel curbs

Thailand will be easing some Covid-19 restrictions in Bangkok and high-risk provinces, allowing limited dine-in and inter-provincial travel.

The restrictions, which have been in effect for over a month in some provinces, will be eased from next Wednesday, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said yesterday.

"These new measures will prepare the country for the gradual return to the new normal where we will co-exist with Covid-19," said a CCSA spokesman.

Businesses and eateries can open if they are able to comply with public health protocols, said the task force.

These include having social distancing measures, proper ventilation and hygiene standards, and fully vaccinated employees who will take weekly Covid-19 tests.

Customers are encouraged to be fully vaccinated or should have tested negative for Covid-19 within the last seven days. A fully vaccinated status or a negative test result will be mandatory from October.

Restaurants located outdoors, as well as indoor ones with no air-conditioning but which have a proper ventilation system, can seat up to 75 per cent of their maximum capacity.

Indoor eateries with air-conditioning can take up to 50 per cent of their maximum seating.

Most businesses within malls will be allowed to open, but some such as beauty salons, massage parlours and aesthetic clinics can provide only limited services. For example, salons can give only haircuts and massage parlours can offer only foot massages.

Other businesses within malls, such as tuition centres, cinemas, spas, sporting facilities and conference halls, are not allowed to open.

Fitness facilities outside malls can open for exercise, but they cannot hold events with spectators. Schools will also remain closed but their buildings can be used with permission from the authorities.

Number of new daily Covid-19 cases in Thailand has dipped below this mark for the sixth day. The country logged over 20,000 daily cases in previous weeks and this figure was projected earlier to top 60,000 a day.

The CCSA said restrictions on inter-provincial travel will also be reduced, and public transport can operate at 75 per cent capacity.

The easing of curbs follows the authorities' declaration that Thailand may have crossed the peak of a Covid-19 wave that began in April.

Yesterday, the country reported 18,702 new infections and 273 deaths, bringing its total to over 1.1 million infections and 10,587 deaths.

This is the sixth day that the country's new daily cases have dipped below the 20,000 mark.

The nation logged over 20,000 daily cases in previous weeks and this figure was projected earlier to top 60,000 a day.

Since early last month, Bangkok and nine provinces have been under lockdown, which includes a 9pm to 4am curfew and the closure of most businesses in shopping malls.

These curbs were later extended to 19 more provinces.

Thailand's national inoculation drive which started in June got off to a slow start due to delays in the supply and procurement of vaccines. But the number of daily jabs given has been increasing.

In Bangkok, where most of the Covid-19 infections are concentrated, almost 90 per cent of the residents have received their first dose and about 27 per cent are fully vaccinated, said the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.

But vaccination rates across the country remain low, with less than 10 per cent of the over 70 million population fully vaccinated.

The aim is to fully vaccinate 70 per cent of Thais by the year end.