BANGKOK: Thailand is set to further ease restrictions on businesses and venues including reopening shopping malls and department stores from Sunday as the Covid-19 situation in the kingdom continues to improve.
Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) spokesman Thaweesilp Wissanuyothin said the government has also shortened the nationwide curfew by an hour to 11 pm to 4 am from 10 pm to 4 am previously.
He said that although easing more restrictions was necessary for the economy, the government remained concerned about a second wave of the outbreak.
“The relaxation needs everyone’s cooperation. The situation will be evaluated regularly,” he said at his daily Covid-19 briefing here today.
Earlier, Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan o-cha had chaired the CCSA meeting and discussed various issues including the second phase of relaxation of restrictions and measures.
From Sunday, department stores, shopping malls and community malls in Thailand will resume operations between 10 am and 8 pm but businesses at premises such as cinemas, bowling alleys, amusement parks, spas and massage parlours will remain closed.
Under the second phase of easing of restrictions, restaurants and cafes in office buildings and food courts will be allowed to resume operations although alcohol sales will be banned at the venues.
Other businesses allowed to resume business include big retail and wholesale stores, nail salons, cosmetics and clothing stores, furniture, electrical appliances, computer, books, sports equipment, and office supplies stores.
Venues that will be reopened include indoor sports centres with a maximum of three players such as for badminton, table tennis, rock climbing, gyms, fitness centres where only the free-weight zone and group exercises including cycling machines, treadmills will be banned.
Swimming pools will be reopening from Sunday but operators must limit the number of users and duration.
Spas, massage parlours, boxing stadiums, martial arts schools, water parks and water sports will remain closed.
Convention centres including hotel meeting rooms, public library galleries and museums are set to reopen while filming teams with up to 50 people will be allowed to operate starting Sunday.
Meanwhile, a ban on incoming international passenger flights remains.
On May 3, six types of businesses and venues reopened including outdoor markets, parks and outdoor sports facilities, barbershops and hair salons (only limited to cut, shampoo and blow), and pet grooming and pet hotels.
Since the first phase of relaxation, Thailand has recorded single-digit daily Covid-19 new cases except on May 4 when 18 new cases reported, all migrants at an immigration detention centre in the southern province of Songkhla.
On Wednesday, Thailand reported zero new daily cases for the first time in two months.
Today, Thailand reported seven new Covid-19 cases – six men and a woman detected in quarantine facilities after returning from Pakistan on May 7, and zero fatality, bringing the total positive cases to 3,025 and 56 deaths.
Thailand has extended an emergency decree until the end of May to curb the pandemic. – May 15, 2020, Bernama
