Governor orders Phuket to remask

PHUKET: Mandatory wearing of face masks in public areas is back on the island province, just two days after the restriction was removed.

Governor Narong Woonciew on Friday signed an order rescinding a previous one dated May 31 which allowed people to take off face masks while in open public spaces provided they maintain social distancing of at least 2 metres.

No reason was offered in Friday's announcement as to why the face mask order was rescinded with immediate effect.

Governors act as directors of Covid-19 situation administration centres in their respective provinces.

In the colour-coded Covid-19 zoning, green zones indicate the situation is stable whereas businesses in blue zones are freer to promote tourism-related activities.

Phuket, one of the blue zones, became the first province to officially allow people to take off face masks until Friday's order.