Under the new order, restaurants and other “eateries” ‒ that is, any venue with a permit to serve food ‒ may serve alcohol from 11am to 2pm and from 5pm to 11pm only, starting tomorrow (Nov 16).
The new rules, signed into effect by order of Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew, were announced in Phuket Provincial Order No. 7188/2554, posted online earlier today (Nov 15).
The new order revised the previous standing order on the regulation of establishments and venues regarding the prevention of COVID-19.
The new order is marked to come into effect on Nov 16, and hence comes into effect at midnight tonight.
Of note, when Governor Narong in September requested that venues in Phuket be allowed to serve alcohol in order to serve tourists, he asked for venues to be allowed to serve alcohol from 11am to 2pm and from 5pm to 10pm.
However, once approved, the initial order that allowed alcohol to be served by restaurants in Phuket stipulated only that alcohol may be served until 10pm. The order did not mandate at which time the serving of alcohol may commence.
The Phuket News has been unable to find in any subsequent provincial order a mandated time that restaurants may start serving alcohol, despite the time for serving alcohol later being extended to 11pm.
Phuket officials have yet to explain why the new rules were brought into effect.
Under the new order, service places such as entertainment venues, pubs, bars, karaoke venues, cockfighting stadiums, fish fighting arenas, boxing stadiums and gambling venues are all to remain closed.
However, the maximum number of attendees at major public events has now been lifted. The number of people allowed to attend a public event is now unlimited, but the event must still comply with “COVID Free Setting” requirements, notably ensuring one square metre of space per attendee, the order said.
The same requirement applies to flea markets, bazaars and walking street markets, the order added.