CHIANG MAI: Restaurants in this northern province have called on the government to reconsider its order to close dine-in services, saying the ban would seriously affect more than 80,000 workers.
Representatives of the Chiang Mai Restaurant and Entertainment Venue Association on Friday visited Chiang Mai City Hall to submit a letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha via Chiang Mai governor Charoenrit Sa-nguansat, calling for the dine-in ban to be scrapped.
Association president Thanit Chumsaen said the ban would severely affect more than 14,000 restaurants and 80,000 employees.
Chiang Mai is among six provinces declared maximum-control and strict control areas by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA). Restaurants in the six provinces are prohibited from offering dine-in service and are only allowed to stay open for takeaway orders until 9pm.
The Covid-19 situation in Chiang Mai had improved with the daily number of new infections down to two digits, Mr Thanit said, and he asked why the province was still in the highest-control list.
He also asked for more information about the government's offer to rehabilitate the affected restaurants and their employees.
Mr Thanit added that there had still been no reports of clusters emerging at restaurants in Chiang Mai but the dine-in ban might force many to close and lay off their workers.
The number of infections in the province has continuously dropped until it reached 59 yesterday.
