Pattaya “restaurants” ignoring health tests on entry

[reader]

From Pattaya Mail

By Barry Kenyon

Thai law is explicit. When you enter an eatery, whether one serving hearty meals or a booze bar offering stale nuts, you should prove you have had an antigen test within the last 72 hours or submit to one at the entrance administered by staff. In the optimistic words of the government-friendly Pattaya radio ad, “If they don’t ask, you walk.”
There is very little sign of walking. Soi Buakhao, the current center of Pattaya nightlife, is packed nightly with Thais, expats and tourists but no evidence of any health checks whatsoever in the venues visited. A motorbike cop parked near Tree Tops said, “That’s up to health inspectors not us, we are here to check the bars close at 11 pm.” However, the Ministry of Health doesn’t usually work after dark.

On Walking Street, a mixture of bright lights, music and derelict buildings these days, there were two voluntary “testing stations”, one charging 100 baht for a genuine ATK result, but most venues seemed unconcerned about the law. The doorman at a well-known seafood restaurant said, “We want to welcome customers, not examine their credentials.”

At the Jomtien Complex, the hub of what remains of the resort’s gay scene, several bars and eateries sporting Safety and Health Authority stickers, were indeed administering customer health tests. But not all. A nearby cafe asked us to self-administer a test for 50 baht. “But don’t push the stick too far up your nose,” advised the waiter. “We don’t want to start a panic.”

Meanwhile, at a high class buffet in north Pattaya, security staff were checking that customers had brought evidence of a recent antigen test. If not, one was offered for 100 baht. A customer showed a picture of an antigen kit on his cell phone, but without any actual proof of the date it was taken. “It always works,” he said, “I use the same photo with a different date written on a card.”

“Pattaya is a city of illusion,” said long term expat Phil Ashton who works as a chef in a five star hotel, “all about appearances rather than reality,” adding that the last two years have bankrupted many Pattaya businesses and left others gasping for breath. He concludes, “A drowning man doesn’t reach for his indigestion tablets.”

https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/news/pattaya-restaurants-ignoring-health-tests-on-entry-388546

 

[Guest]

I've yet to be asked for a test at any bar or restaurant.   

I also have no intention of doing any test unless I clearly have the option of leaving with no traceability if testing positive. 

The law is idiotic and is ignored, exactly as it deserves to be.

[macaroni21]

12 hours ago, z909 said:

The law is idiotic and is ignored, exactly as it deserves to be.

Agreed!   The rule is far too onerous.   Although the article was about the situation in Pattaya, I assume the same rule applies throughout the country. I simply cannot imagine the hundreds of thousands of restaurants and eateries all over Thailand implementing this.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, macaroni21 said:

Agreed!   The rule is far too onerous.   Although the article was about the situation in Pattaya, I assume the same rule applies throughout the country.

I don't think the same rules apply all over the country.

Firstly, the COVID test rule was imposed by the Chonburi Governor.  Apparently he initially said it applied to all restaurants, then clarified that it only applies to those selling alcohol.

Secondly, "restaurant" alcohol sales have only been allowed in blue tourist zones.  In most provinces, alcohol sales were not allowed at all in restaurants.  I've not checked rules as of today, but that was certainly the case for much of January.  I've personally been to provinces with zero alcohol sales during January.  The bars were closed and the restaurants were selling only soft drinks. 

Thirdly, I've been to other blue tourist zones in January.  Chonburi is the only one with any pretence of COVID testing at bars and restaurants.  By which I mean signs, boxes of test kits which don't get used and so on.  Bangkok and Kanchanaburi have no evidence of this regulation at all.

The Chonburi rule is so daft, I've no even seen evidence of the mafia police using it as an excuse to collect tea money.   They prefer to shake down bars for late closing.

[macaroni21]

Thanks, z909, for the clarification. 

Doesn't Thailand have a nationwide health pass? In many other countries, one has to have a health pass (proving that one has either been vaccinated or recently recovered) to enter restaurants, etc. There's no need to do ART at the door unless one doesn't present a health pass.