March 16, 20206 yr Cabinet to vote to postpone Songkran to a date TBD. Certainly a wise decision. Conflicting reports of closing entertainment venues so personally I'm going to wait until the reports are consistent. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1880010/songkran-to-be-postponed-venues-and-schools-closed https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30384184?utm_source=homepage&utm_medium=internal_referral Khao Sod says that the cabinet will consider the proposal to close pubs, cinemas, etc., tomorrow (17 March) Edited March 16, 20206 yr by DivineMadman add Khaosod; clarify it’s all supposed to be going to the Cabinet
March 16, 20206 yr and here it starts with the lockdowns: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1880080/buri-ram-province-locked-down Songkran postponement is now definite. Thai friend told me (who had to cancel his Songkran trip as a result) and here: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1880010/33-new-infections-as-songkran-postponed
March 16, 20206 yr Author 41 minutes ago, anddy said: Songkran postponement is now definite. Thai friend told me (who had to cancel his Songkran trip as a result) and here: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1880010/33-new-infections-as-songkran-postponed Again, Khao Sod is saying technically that the decisions still have to go to the cabinet on Tuesday. (Sorry - Thai language.). https://www.khaosod.co.th/breaking-news/news_3761670 Richard Barrow says the confusion is that government spokesperson described it as if it were a done deal. Which presumably it is - effectively. Until it changes. 555
March 17, 20206 yr Author Updated message from the gov't spokesperson about what's going to the Cabinet today. Via Richard Barrow
March 17, 20206 yr Author Cabinet has met and now it's official. Pubs, entertainment venues & massage parlors shut 18-31 March. (Also rules about stadiums, arenas closed until further notice.) I haven't seen anything that includes restaurants. But I'm sure more details and contradictory details will emerge. Not a lock-down (yet).
March 17, 20206 yr 10 minutes ago, DivineMadman said: Cabinet has met and now it's official. Pubs, entertainment venues & massage parlors shut 18-31 March. (Also rules about stadiums, arenas closed until further notice.) I haven't seen anything that includes restaurants. But I'm sure more details and contradictory details will emerge. Not a lock-down (yet). Sad for all the boys. Hope they have their regular customers LINE ids to contact for help if things turn terrible for them the next 2 weeks.
March 17, 20206 yr Their closure dates (18-31 march) also coincide with malaysia movement restriction order (partial.lockdown)
March 17, 20206 yr Author 49 minutes ago, DivineMadman said: Cabinet has met and now it's official. Pubs, entertainment venues & massage parlors shut 18-31 March. (Also rules about stadiums, arenas closed until further notice.) I haven't seen anything that includes restaurants. But I'm sure more details and contradictory details will emerge. Not a lock-down (yet). BTW the note about the bar closings is only confirmed for Bangkok. I don’t even try to follow what might be the rules out yonder
March 17, 20206 yr Author 6 minutes ago, hank75 said: This is compulsory correct, not voluntary? All bars will shutter for two weeks? Correct. Again - no word on how it will apply to restaurants or places like Telephone Bar Restaurant. Probably will shut? No word on whether it applies to hotel bars. Some bars/venues are shutting early (tonight the 17th). Fake Club. Stranger Bar.
March 17, 20206 yr What is significant about 18th to the 31st of March? Will it all be cleared up by the 31st?
March 17, 20206 yr 29 minutes ago, Patanawet said: What is significant about 18th to the 31st of March? Will it all be cleared up by the 31st? 14 days is the quarantine period. Thats the logic there. Though infection can still happened elsewhere.
March 17, 20206 yr The question isn't whether the bars will close-that was inevitable- but how many will ever re-open. Think of Sunee and the remnants of Boyztown....not many customers to lose there even before the virus arrived. Does anyone currently in Thailand have any idea of the levels of hotel occupancy? or of tourist arrivals?
March 17, 20206 yr Author 3 hours ago, Patanawet said: What is significant about 18th to the 31st of March? Will it all be cleared up by the 31st? Nothing that I know of other than it's a good chunk of time that they can revisit and extend if they think they need to.
March 17, 20206 yr Author 1 hour ago, Londoner said: The question isn't whether the bars will close-that was inevitable- but how many will ever re-open. Think of Sunee and the remnants of Boyztown....not many customers to lose there even before the virus arrived. I continue to think that the success of the move to Patpong from Soi Twilight shows that there's money to be made with the bars -- in Bangkok at least -- and so when things return to normal the bar scene will as well.
March 17, 20206 yr Author FYI - some of us were just at Telephone pub bar Restaurant . If and to the extent Telephone ____________ is a pub/bar, all signs are being removed/covered. It is a bar no longer. But Telephone: The Restaurant - and I assume Balcony: The Restaurant - will continue operating (until they can't). At least that's the plan now. So it's ok to go to Telephone. Soi 4 is not closing. Also - Telephone and Balcony have removed a bunch of tables so it you can practice social distancing. And the staff are as cute as ever.
March 17, 20206 yr 8 hours ago, DivineMadman said: BTW the note about the bar closings is only confirmed for Bangkok. I don’t even try to follow what might be the rules out yonder Pattaya bars are closing too.
March 17, 20206 yr some more surprising news tonight from Patpong: While the gogo bars will of course be closed as expected from tomorrow (Dreamboys was already closed), Hot Male beer bar will stay open. Presumably that's because it is outside and not an enclosed space.
March 17, 20206 yr That should make them the only gay venue left open in Patpong. At least there would be some vestige of the soi's recent history remaining until this scourge goes away.
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