Restaurants closed as COVID-19 lockdown is tightened across Thailand

Restaurants closed as COVID-19 lockdown is tightened across Thailand

Footage shows restaurants closed and bordered up today (May 3) following an order to shut all food outlets due to a COVID-19 resurgence in Thailand.

Footage shows restaurants closed and bordered up today (May 3) following an order to shut all food outlets due to a COVID-19 resurgence in Thailand.

The restaurants and bars on the Sukhumvit Road area of the capital Bangkok were all packed with tourists just 18 months ago before the coronavirus pandemic strangled international travel.

Hopes that the industry would recover were dashed again last month following an outbreak of infections of the British strain of the virus and the introduction of a third nationwide lockdown, set to last several more weeks.

Restaurants closed on May 1 as measures were tightened to try and control the spread of new infections.

Ministers have also introduced 20,000 baht (456 GBP) fines for not wearing a mask outdoors.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was recently fined 6,000 baht (138 GBP)after taking his mask off during a cabinet meeting on April 26.

Officials hope that a vaccination roll-out will allow tourists to return to the country – once the most popular in the world for tourists – by the start of 2022.

The country recorded 2,041 new COVID-19 cases on Monday (May 3) and 31 deaths, taking the total number of infections recording since the pandemic began to 71,025 with 276 dead.