Anger over proposed list of rules for nightlife and entertainment venues opening in Thailand as social media and business owners erupt

[The Pattaya News]

Bangkok- The entertainment industry as well as both foreign and Thai social media have erupted over the past day regarding proposed rules to be presented to the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) this Friday. The proposed rules-which the Government is now stressing is only a proposal and not set in stone in any such […]

Anger over proposed list of rules for nightlife and entertainment venues opening in Thailand as social media and business owners erupt
The Pattaya News

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[Cerberus]

•  
•  
•  #1

Posted 13 hours ago

Pubs, bars may open on July 1 if they follow 22 iron-clad rules

By The Nation

 

 

A meeting between the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA)’s special taskforce committee and entertainment venue operators resolved that pubs, bars and entertainment venues could be allowed to open from July 1 provided they strictly observe following 22 practices:

 

• Controlling the number of patrons to ensure the venue does not get congested;

• Checking every customer and staff member’s temperature;

• Providing alcohol-based hand sanitising gel at all entrances and other areas as necessary;

• Ensuring groups are no bigger than five;

• Ensuring customers queuing to be seated maintain social distancing;

• Ensuring all tables are at least 2 metres apart or are partitioned;

• Ensuring seats are at least one metre apart;

• Ensuring all venues are properly ventilated;

• Only eating and drinking is allowed;

• Beverages can only be served individually, and shared jugs or ice buckets are prohibited;

• Serving staff are required to wear a mask or face shield at all times;

• Stage or performance area must be partitioned, and audience must be at least 2 metres away from the stage;

• Event comperes or speakers are required to wear a face shield at all times;

• Patrons are not allowed to be loud or walk around the venue if not necessary;

• If the sharing of food or beverages cannot be avoided, everyone at the table must be provided with an individual serving spoon or glass;

• Toilets must be cleaned every 30 to 60 minutes;

• All tables, chairs and frequently touched surfaces must be cleaned regularly;

• No sports matches or competitions that will attract large groups of people are allowed;

• No video gaming or pub games like pool and darts will be allowed;

• Social distancing measures must be observed in smoking areas;

• No service personnel or public relations representatives are allowed to sit with customers.

[Edge]

 

It's very simple and always was.

Social Distancing and most farang type bars are completely incompatible.

There's no point massaging(55) these r*les, if they won't abandon SD then either they become farcicle/unenforceable or the bars are fcuked and should remain closed.

Considering how few farang there are on the ground for the foreseeable, this is actually a much bigger issue for the Thai entertainment industry and domestic tourism in general........ let 'em get on with it....... my guess is the PM will say OK we wait.

[dave01]

37 minutes ago, Edge said:

my guess is the PM will say OK we wait.

Wait.... for what, exactly?  If you mean tourists, my understanding is that nationwide, farang night venues make up about 20% of those businesses.. Prayut is taking a national view, not a Pattaya centric view, as naturally, this board does...

[Edge]

26 minutes ago, dave01 said:

Wait.... for what, exactly?  If you mean tourists, my understanding is that nationwide, farang night venues make up about 20% of those businesses.. Prayut is taking a national view, not a Pattaya centric view, as naturally, this board does...

No not tourists.....I said......... actually not wishing to be rude but.......

Are you sure you read it all.......esp the last para' where I said this is mainly a Thai not farang issue?

The PM is reported y'day as saying it's too soon so I'm guessing he'll stick to that.

Wait for what.......well perhaps more reason to abandon SD, but they have also said they want to wait until schools are back and settled which is after July 1......…. hence my guess he'll say wait.

[paulalbert1980]

This will never work as social distancing is a fucking joke and farce. At best this lasts 2 weeks and at worst this is the end of Thailand as a tourist destination.

[Michel69]

That all doesnt matter for us. There are no tourists....

Edited June 23, 2020 by Michel69

[Greg_B]

2 hours ago, Edge said:

 

It's very simple and always was.

Social Distancing and most farang type bars are completely incompatible.

There's no point massaging(55) these r*les, if they won't abandon SD then either they become farcicle/unenforceable or the bars are fcuked and should remain closed.

Considering how few farang there are on the ground for the foreseeable, this is actually a much bigger issue for the Thai entertainment industry and domestic tourism in general........ let 'em get on with it....... my guess is the PM will say OK we wait.

Another option is capacity percentage. You start at 25%, 50%, 75%, and then 100%. It's much easier to control capacity without tourists at this point in time.

Edited June 23, 2020 by Greg_B

[Edge]

21 minutes ago, Greg_B said:

Another option is capacity percentage. You start at 25%, 50%, 75%, and then 100%. It's much easier to control capacity without tourists at this point in time.

Not sure how practicable that would be to make and control the door count....and remember these are catch all rules where there are waaaay more Thai bars than farang, even just in Chonburi.

[localguy]

Yup, the grim reality of the hole we are in is looming larger and larger every day. Remember the initial bar closures in March? I think it was 14 days? We all knew it would me much longer than that, right?

We need to treat "bar openings" in July the same way. It simply can't be flip the lights back on and party like it's 2019 again. It will be a long and slow road back. We will get there, but it will take time and it will be painful. Simple as that.

[fforest]

21 minutes ago, localguy said:

Yup, the grim reality of the hole we are in is looming larger and larger every day. Remember the initial bar closures in March? I think it was 14 days? We all knew it would me much longer than that, right?

We need to treat "bar openings" in July the same way. It simply can't be flip the lights back on and party like it's 2019 again. It will be a long and slow road back. We will get there, but it will take time and it will be painful. Simple as that.

Well I sure have not hear of any financial aid going to bars or many small business.......Each day-week-month this drags on there will be more who throw in the towel...

I mean come on man how much worse can it get?

First farang tourist numbers have been creeping down for years

Rents and salaries have been creeping up for years...

You have just been closed for 3 months.....

Even if you do open there will be very few customers for the foreseeable future.... 

Then they lay the list of rules from hell on you to even open...Its just not possible for ANY bar to follow ALL these rules..

 

I am kind of speechless......

Edited June 23, 2020 by fforest

[dan2016]

Looks like the brown envelopes with tea money will be thicker then normal for many bars once they open.

[localguy]

12 minutes ago, fforest said:

Well I sure have not hear of any financial aid going to bars or many small business.......Each day-week-month this drags on there will be more who throw in the towel...

I mean come on man how much worse can it get?

First frang tourist numbers have been creeping down for years

Rents and salaries have been creeping up for years...

You have just been closed for 3 months.....

Even if you do open there will be very few customers for the foreseeable future.... 

Then they lay the list of RULES from hell on you to even open...

 

I am kind of speechless......

Agreed, it's not a happy situation. But it's reality. And you are right, many businesses in the entertainment industry simply won't survive. 

[localguy]

I tend to agree with the brown envelope statement. Money and appearances are big drivers in LOS. Closed venues such as Gentlemen's Clubs will get back to business sooner than others. Open and packed venues such as iBar will have a looooong wait.

[Ipsa est veritas]

3 hours ago, Cerberus said:

•  
•  
•  #1

Posted 13 hours ago

Pubs, bars may open on July 1 if they follow 22 iron-clad RULES

By The Nation

 

 

A meeting between the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA)’s special taskforce committee and entertainment venue operators resolved that pubs, bars and entertainment venues could be allowed to open from July 1 provided they strictly observe following 22 practices:

 

• Controlling the number of patrons to ensure the venue does not get congested;

• Checking every customer and staff member’s temperature;

• Providing alcohol-based hand sanitising gel at all entrances and other areas as necessary;

• Ensuring groups are no bigger than five;

• Ensuring customers queuing to be seated maintain social distancing;

• Ensuring all tables are at least 2 metres apart or are partitioned;

• Ensuring seats are at least one metre apart;

• Ensuring all venues are properly ventilated;

• Only eating and drinking is allowed;

• Beverages can only be served individually, and shared jugs or ice buckets are prohibited;

• Serving staff are required to wear a mask or face shield at all times;

• Stage or performance area must be partitioned, and audience must be at least 2 metres away from the stage;

• Event comperes or speakers are required to wear a face shield at all times;

• Patrons are not allowed to be loud or walk around the venue if not necessary;

• If the sharing of food or beverages cannot be avoided, everyone at the table must be provided with an individual serving spoon or glass;

• Toilets must be cleaned every 30 to 60 minutes;

• All tables, chairs and frequently touched surfaces must be cleaned regularly;

• No sports matches or competitions that will attract large groups of people are allowed;

• No video gaming or pub games like pool and darts will be allowed;

• Social distancing measures must be observed in smoking areas;

• No service personnel or public relations representatives are allowed to sit with customers.

I have tunnel vision in regards to this and am only looking at how will I be able to take a seat in a Thai Au Go Go like Fahrenheit......

It doesn't look good for me.

 

[Spellforce]

1 hour ago, Michel69 said:

That all doesnt matter for us. There are no tourists....

First tourists may come back in jully, BUT only asian tourists "under the travel bubble": China, Japan and South Korea.

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30390085?utm_source=homepage_hilight&utm_medium=internal_referral

Edited June 23, 2020 by Spellforce

[paulalbert1980]

57 minutes ago, Spellforce said:

First tourists may come back in jully, BUT only asian tourists "under the travel bubble": China, Japan and South Korea.

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30390085?utm_source=homepage_hilight&utm_medium=internal_referral

I don't think its out of the realm of possibility that China does not allow mass tourist groups or solo travellers to leave the country and if they do it will be at a much reduced rate. I really don't think China would want the worldwide blowback or the scandal brought to whatever country in SE Asia that they would further spread this Covid thing to. Would Thailand lie for China? Likely, same as Cambodia, North Korea and Myanmar. Singapore wouldn't, neither would Indonesia, Mylasia or Taiwan so the risk to the Chinese losing face around the World is likely more important then allowing their people to fly to Milan to buy Gucci Handbags and in all honesty I think the days of mass Chinese tourism outside of Asia is dead in the water as there is way too much international heat on China.  There will always be guys from all over the World who will come to Thailand for sex, that is unless Thailand totally changes its tourism model and eradicates bars, massage parlors, gentleman's conline pickups, Gogos, street freelancers, but I really can't see that happening. I can see a limit or stop of Chinese tourists out of the country more.

 

[timbota]

3 hours ago, fforest said:

 

Its just not possible for ANY bar to follow ALL these RULES..

 

That might be the underlying point of the rules.

[Crushed]

2 hours ago, fforest said:

Well I sure have not hear of any financial aid going to bars or many small business.......Each day-week-month this drags on there will be more who throw in the towel...

I mean come on man how much worse can it get?

First farang tourist numbers have been creeping down for years

Rents and salaries have been creeping up for years...

You have just been closed for 3 months.....

Even if you do open there will be very few customers for the foreseeable future.... 

Then they lay the list of RULES from hell on you to even open...Its just not possible for ANY bar to follow ALL these RULES..

 

I am kind of speechless......

The massage places are meant to be temperature checking and more.  Some are and some aren't, which, in my experience, is the way it is has,always worked with most establishments and rules in Thailand.  As you pointed out, customers being thin on the ground is the major problem.

Edited June 23, 2020 by Crushed

[Komando]

With rules such as those, including - "No service personnel or public relations representatives are allowed to sit with customers." - I'll be damned if I would buy any lady drinks.  I will certainly refuse to pay an 'admission price' to get into a Go - Go Club or any kind of 'entertainment' establishment in Pattaya/Thailand either.

[chippysam]

   With these rules , and no tourists . There is little encouragement to bother opening up yet . The bigger question is how are the few countries who have beaten Covid 19,  going to trade with the rest of the world who have not controlled or look even close to controlling it . If the vaccine does not appear quickly could be a very long time before international tourism  is back in Thailand

   

   

[bluechef]

Talking of tourists, the Mercure hotel in Soi 15 seems to be open, a few nights ago a coach pulled up, and at night some of the rooms have lights on. Maybe a conference but surely this would break social distancing rules .

[davidge]

30 minutes ago, bluechef said:

Talking of tourists, the Mercure hotel in soi 15 seems to be open, a few nights ago a coach pulled up, and at night some of the rooms have lights on. Maybe a conference but surely this would break social distancing RULES .

I don’t know if the Mercure is one of the hotels used for the quarantine for returning Thais? That would explain the coach.

Obviously, some hotels are open as Thai domestic tourism is being encouraged so that could be the case as well. As for social distancing.....well, it’s already pretty clear that enforcement is patchy at best.

[davidge]

4 hours ago, Spellforce said:

First tourists may come back in jully, BUT only asian tourists "under the travel bubble": China, Japan and South Korea.

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30390085?utm_source=homepage_hilight&utm_medium=internal_referral

I don’t think the ‘travel bubble’ idea is going to start anytime soon. They may change their minds but last I heard it was maybe from September.

The other categories are looking likely from July. I know consulates are giving long stay visas (retirement etc) out to a few people. They’ll then have to apply for a repatriation flight and pay for quarantine. It’s likely to vary by Consulate, but anyone with family in Thailand, with a permanent base there (owning a condo) etc do have a chance of being allowed in. People with work permits are already entering on repatriation flights.

[frantick]

I don’t know if the Mercure is one of the hotels used for the quarantine for returning Thais? That would explain the coach.
Obviously, some hotels are open as Thai domestic tourism is being encouraged so that could be the case as well. As for social distancing.....well, it’s already pretty clear that enforcement is patchy at best.

I think it's a quarantine hotel. Walked by Sunday night and saw 6 coaches of Thais. There was a line of fully protected workers wearing the hazmat-looking attire.

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