Pattaya Nightlife News and Reviews

From July 1, Thai shopping malls, schools and educational institutes will be able to operate as normal, while bars and entertainment venues will be allowed to reopen only if they possess a valid licence, Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman of the government's Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said after the committee approved the fifth phase of lockdown relaxation.

Bars, pubs and entertainment venues will be allowed to sell alcoholic beverages, but will have to shut shop at midnight. These night venues are required to ensure customers are seated at least a metre apart, with tables separated by a two-metre space and 1.5-metre-high partitions. Patrons are not allowed to share tables with strangers while servers must wear masks at all times. Furthermore, frequently touched areas, including toilets, must be cleaned regularly, smoking areas clearly marked and the venues properly ventilated.

Entertainment venues are not allowed to launch any promotions just yet as these will trigger crowds. These places must screen each customer, provide hand-sanitising gel, limit customers to five per table, not serve alcoholic beverages in shared containers, and install CCTVs, recordings of which should not be deleted for a month so officers can check the situation periodically. Also, singing and dancing are strictly prohibited.

Each business must register with the ThaiChana platform before reopening.

Meanwhile, massage parlours and spas holding valid licences will be allowed to reopen, though all customers have to check in using the ThaiChana platform and are required to wear a mask at all times, except during a bath. Spas and massage parlours are required to limit the number of customers and have their masseurs/masseuses and other employees checked frequently.

Thailand's Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has decided 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.

Thai nightlife will soon be back in full swing as a key member of the virus-fighting state agency on Sunday promised to allow pubs, bars, karaoke parlours and other entertainment venues to reopen their doors.

The decision was reached in talks between Nattapol Nakpanit, from the Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), and representatives of nightlife and musicians. It still needs endorsement, however, by the full-fledged CCSA meeting on Friday.

  There has been an improvement in nightlife as the Thai Government has ended the overnight curfew and allowed restaurants to start selling alcohol.

So of course many bars have now re-opened with a focus on the availability of food, when in fact operations may be more about drink and ladies. GoGos are still firmly closed though, as the licensing system simply does not allow for the illusion of food sales. Unfortunately for the GoGo trade, large nightlife venues in other Asian counties have proved to be the centres of local breakouts of coronavirus.

And of course the moral boundaries between bars with food vs restauranats with beer are being enforced by police raids. But the police are easily persuaded on which side of the line a particular venue lies.

The Thai government has now released the lock down on nearly all businesses except bars and soapy massages. Presumably the basis for this is more moralism than publich health considerations.

The news follows a meeting of a committee under the government's Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA). Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha chaired the meeting at Government House on Thursday. The CCSA will decide on the business lockdown easing on Friday.

A source said that Gen Prayut agreed to lift the 11pm-3am curfew so that people could return to their normal life. Almost all businesses would be allowed to resume except pubs, bars, karaoke shops and bath-sauna-massage parlours.

Bars haven't been given a date to re-open after lock down has been ended, but it can't be long now. However it is likelt that several gogos will remain closed.

Connections of the long running Happy A-GoGo have suggested that Happy A-GoGo will not be re-opening after the end of lock down. The owners will be concentratiing on sister bar Baccara.

Meanwhile Rich A-GoGo has posted a for sale sign so the proespectes of a re-opening look unlikely.

More to follow...