The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has threatened to close restaurants that fail to comply with Covid-19 restrictions for 14 days. People who have been to six outlets affected by the virus are urged to contact the BMA immediately.
Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang said he had instructed chiefs of all 50 districts in Bangkok to conduct rigorous active screening to search for infected individuals among Thai and foreign workers working in industrial plants and medium-sized factories.
Covid-19 checkpoints in Bangkok will be cut to eight -- most are located on the Thon Buri side of Bangkok that is adjacent to Samut Sakhon province.
All districts must make sure that restaurants strictly comply with the BMA's Covid-19 measures, such as socially distanced seating plans and the use of the Thai Chana application, said the governor. Alcoholic beverages are prohibited from being served at all food shops in Bangkok.
Failure to comply will result in a 14-day closure, Pol Gen Aswin said.
A restaurant near Wat Tri Thotsathep in Bangkok has reportedly limited the number of dine-in customers from 30 to 15. A check-in counter and hand sanitisers are provided.
A manager of another restaurant in Bangkok said sales had dropped by over 50% since Covid-19 hit. The restaurant was still willing to cooperate with the government's new measures, knowing that it might be closed for 14 days otherwise, which would only hurt its sales further.
There were still customers getting takeaway, but not many, he said.
The restaurant closed at 7pm as there were no customers by that time, even though the government allowed all food shops to close at 9pm.
The Centre for the Covid-19 Situation Administration yesterday reported 15 new cases in Bangkok -- 13 Thais, one from Laos and one fron Myanmar.
All of them were local infections. Eleven of those 15 people were asymptomatic.
From Dec 15, 2020 to Tuesday, Bangkok had 245 Covid-15 confirmed cases, the fourth highest after Samut Sakhon, Rayong and Chon Buri.