Phuket pubs, bars ordered to close at midnight

The order was marked to come into effect today (Jan 12) and will remain in effect until Jan 20 or further notice, the order explained.

The order marked that preventative measures were needed in order to prevent any further spread of COVID-19 considering the current outbreak of COVID-19 elsewhere in the country.

Although Phuket currently has zero cases of people confirmed infected with COVID-19, the island has been classified as a yellow “high surveillance” area.

The late-night alcohol ban follows a meeting of the Communicable Disease Committee, chaired by Governor Narong, yesterday (Jan 11). The committee unanimously agreed to order entertainment venues and restaurants to do as follows:

1. All entertainment venues, pubs, bars, karaoke venues and other places that open to provide similar services must close at midnight.
2. Restaurants and food courts are not allowed to sell alcohol beverages inside the venues after midnight.

Failure to comply with the order may be punished under Section 51 of Disease Control Act 2015, which incurs a fine of up to B20,000, or under Section 52 of the act, which invokes a penalty of up to one year imprisonment or a fine of up to B100,000 or both, the order noted.

Those found breaching the order will also be charged under Section 18 of the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations B.E. 2548 (2005), which invokes a penalty of up to two years imprisonment or up to B40,000 or both, the order warned.