The Thai authorities allowed restaurants and bars to serve alcoholic drinks to tourists on New Year’s Eve. The corresponding decree was adopted by the COVID-19 Situation Management Center (CSSA).
According to the text of the document, drinking, entertainment and catering establishments will be able to offer alcohol to tourists from December 31 to 01:00 on January 1, but only if certified according to the Covid Free Settings standard. In addition, alcohol can be drunk exclusively in the open areas of restaurants and bars.
As for the New Year’s events, in which more than a thousand people participate, they are allowed to attend if they have a certificate of vaccination against coronavirus and upon presentation of a negative result of an antigen test made no later than 72 hours.
Note that now the sale of alcohol in catering establishments is allowed only in provinces with a moderate spread of coronavirus infection or in regions open to tourists. At the same time, officials at the local level have the right to determine what restrictions to leave for the sale of alcoholic beverages. However, on New Year’s Eve, according to the decision of the CSSA, in honor of the holidays, an exception was made for the whole country.
Earlier, the governor of Pattaya canceled the dry law for restaurants. But the benefits apply to establishments where only vaccinated personnel work, and customer service is carried out in accordance with strict sanitary requirements. Finally, alcohol is only allowed to be sold between 11:00 and 14:00 and 17:00 and 23:00.