The curfew will remain in place until further notice, with the exception for medical and banking personnel, transportation of medical supplies and goods, people who work night shifts, transportation of people to the designated quarantine areas, and people who travel to and from the airport – all of whom must provide proof of their journey.
The Prime Minister noted that in areas where nighttime restrictions are already in place and be stricter than this announcement, the existing restrictions remain valid, such as, Phuket.
The six-hour nationwide nighttime curfew is imposed under the state of emergency, which came into effect on Mar 26, along with a raft of directives including restrictions for access to risk areas; closure of risk areas; closure of entry/access points (land, sea and air) to the country; restrictions on hoarding of consumer items, and ensuring of price controls on items; restrictions on large gatherings; restrictions on the deliberate dispensing of distorted information; and avoid commuting between provinces, and those who travel to another province will be required to undergo health checks and provide their personal details for tracking or quarantine.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has provided a summary of Phuket’s measures and restrictions to combat the spread of the COVID-19.
The TAT in its summary thanked all international and domestic tourists for their understanding of the situation and urged all to cooperate with the authorities to be a part of the nationwide effort to prevent and mitigate the spread of the virus.
Full summary of restrictions in Phuket:
- Local residents and tourists are kindly asked and sought collaboration to remain in their residence from 20.00 – 03.00 Hrs., with the exception of urgent errands, until further notice.
- People and all kinds of vehicles and vessels are prohibited from entering and leaving the province via the Tha Chat Chai Checkpoint and all marine transportation channels, except for vehicles and vessels transporting consumer goods, medical supplies and essential items, rescue and emergency vehicles and vessels, and state vehicles and vessels, until 30 April, 2020. Phuket International Airport will be closed from 10-30 April, 2020.
- All beaches, zoos, animal shows, boxing stadiums, all types of sports stadiums, fighting cock and fish facilities, and water parks are to be closed until further notice.
- Bang La Street in Area 2 of Kathu district is closed to people and vehicles, except for those who live in the area, until 10 April, 2020.
- The following venues and services are closed until 30 April, 2020, with some exceptions for certain essential services:
- Traditional Thai massage parlours.
- Entertainment venues, theatres and playhouses.
- Entertainment venues and other similar venues not stated in Section 3 of the Entertainment Act 1966.
- All types of body massage establishments stated in Section 3 of the Health Establishment Act 2016, which includes spas, health and beauty massage establishments, excluding physiotherapy provided in hospitals or public health centres as stated in the law.
- Sports facilities; such as, fitness, yoga and aerobics centres or outdoor fitness classes.
- Boxing and martial arts schools (Wushu, Taekwondo, Thai boxing, boxing, judo, aikido, etc.)
- Children’s recreation facilities, including in any department stores, public parks or other places.
- Games and Internet shops.
- Some areas in department stores, shopping centres, large retail shops, hyper marts or stores which are of the same category, with the exception of supermarkets, pharmacies, and stores which sell miscellaneous goods necessary for daily use, banks, financial institutes, money exchange points, service centres for payment and mobile phone repair, or communication network systems of all concessionaires, and food outlets, which are permitted only to provide takeaway services.
- Restaurants, bars and food and beverage shops with the exception of food outlets or restaurants, which provide only takeaway services and restaurants in hotels for which service is permitted only for hotel guests.
- Fresh markets, flea markets and walking streets are only permitted to sell fresh, dried or cooked food for takeaway only or sell animal feed, pharmaceuticals, and other consumer goods, which are necessary for daily life.
- Seating areas in convenience stores, food shops, and supermarkets, which provide services to seated or standing clients.
- Tattoo and body piercing services, fortune telling, exorcising, horoscopes, worshipping establishments, or similar such activities.
- Amulet and small Buddha image centres or similar establishments.
- Snooker or billiard establishments.
- Golf courses and driving ranges.
- Pet services; such as, bathing, grooming, shelters, spas, or similar services.
- Beauty clinics, beauty institutes or shops or establishments, slimming establishments, barbershops and hair salons.
- Shrimp fishing and fishing ponds.
- Public and private swimming pools, government operated swimming pools, and swimming pools in hotels including swimming pools in private hotel rooms.
- Dental clinics that are outpatient clinics.
- Public spaces that can be accessed for conducting group activities, including playgrounds, public parks, avenues alongside dams or reservoirs, the Saphan Hin Sports Centre, etc.
- Bike rental shops or similar services.
- All 24/7 convenience stores are to be closed nightly from 20.00 – 03.00** Hrs.
Penalties for any persons who violate or fail to comply with the measures range from less than one year in prison or a fine of up to B100,000 or both.
** The Phuket Provincial Office later confirmed that all 24-hour convenience stores in Phuket must remain closed until 5am. (See story here.)
The TAT urged people to follow updates on tourism-related issues regarding the COVID-19 situation in Thailand at the TAT Newsroom: https://www.tatnews.org/
For additional information and assistance relating to Thailand’s tourism, contact the TAT Contact Centre 1672 or Tourist Police 1155.
For constant updates of Thailand’s COVID-19 control measures for travellers, please visit https://ddc.moph.go.th/viralpneumonia/eng/index.php