Will Thailand shut down entertainment venues due to virus? Maybe . . .

Anything and everything about Thailand
Dodger
Posts: 1926
Joined: Sun Aug 01, 2010 2:58 am
Has thanked: 133 times
Been thanked: 479 times

Re: Will Thailand shut down entertainment venues due to virus? Maybe . . .

Post by Dodger »

Gaybutton wrote: Sun Mar 15, 2020 9:28 am
Dodger wrote: Sun Mar 15, 2020 9:10 am Shouldn't they be promoting those kiddy parks with the swing sets and merry-go-rounds???
Are there any?
Not too many from what I can see, but they do have a few bars that advertise "ping pong ball contests" which may be entertaining for the little ones... :roll:
User avatar
Gaybutton
Posts: 21459
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:21 am
Location: Thailand
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 1306 times

Re: Will Thailand shut down entertainment venues due to virus? Maybe . . .

Post by Gaybutton »

Dodger wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:11 am entertaining for the little ones...
Do you mean children or do you mean adult males with a different kind of "little ones" . . . ?
User avatar
Trongpai
Posts: 1438
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2010 10:21 am
Location: Bangkok, Ram Intra
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 310 times

Re: Will Thailand shut down entertainment venues due to virus? Maybe . . .

Post by Trongpai »

The Bangkok gogo scene is slow but not dead. Fresh Boys had 15 customers just before the 10:30 show last night and around 25-30 boys. Lucky Boys had around 25 customers and the usual number of boys on stage. Most of the customers were farang, that's a change.

Dream Boys Bangkok had very few customers but that bar has been faltering before corona. They closed early last night when no one came in after 11pm.

More people in the gogos than on the street. The streets looks surreal with no traffic and no one walking around. Shopping malls are dead.

Foodland at Patpong had lots of empty shelves. No eggs, bananas or bread. Grocery stores in the burbs of Bangkok don't appear affected but they're generally large stores with lots of stock.

No first hand reports on Bangkok gay saunas but I've heard from different sources that it's at record low attendance. Some are considering a temporary closure. Not mandated but voluntary as it is not getting enough customers to cover operating expenses. We might be seeing a lot more of these entertainment closures shutting down due to lack of customers.
User avatar
Gaybutton
Posts: 21459
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:21 am
Location: Thailand
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 1306 times

Re: Will Thailand shut down entertainment venues due to virus? Maybe . . .

Post by Gaybutton »

Trongpai wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 1:47 pm The Bangkok gogo scene is slow but not dead.
Pattaya's Walking Street is just about the same. It doesn't appear that it would make all that much difference whether the government shuts down the entertainment venues or not.

Maybe one reason the virus has not struck Pattaya is - there ain't nobody there . . .
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I usually post the link to the article at the end, but I'm posting it at the beginning this time. Take a look at the Walking Street photos.

Along with the very few people on Walking Street I also notice that in all the photos I don't see anyone wearing a face mask. Of course, right now in Pattaya even if you want to wear a face mask, try to find one . . .

https://thepattayanews.com/2020/03/16/p ... nt-venues/
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Pattaya Entertainment Operators Association of Walking Street says they are willing to cooperate if government shuts down entertainment venues

By Adam Judd

March 16, 2020

The Pattaya Entertainment Operators Association admitted yesterday they are willing to cooperate IF entertainment venues have to be closed to prevent the spread of the COVID – 19 Coronavirus… even if they have to deal with many problems..

Mr. Damrongkiet Pinitkarn, secretary of the association, told The Pattaya News yesterday “If the government ordered us to close entertainment venues, We are willing to cooperate. “

“After the news about people infected from the virus at night clubs and a party in Bangkok, not many people are going out for nightlife as it is already. The past several nights we have seen substantially reduced traffic on Walking Street.” He added.

“We have already become affected from this situation. Staffers are also worried about the virus spread and usage of masks and sanitizers have increased.” He continued.

“Some of the entertainment venues in Bangkok are temporarily closed now, however, nearly everything in Pattaya currently remains open.” He said.

“However, we believe all entertainment venues in Thailand should be closed if we (Pattaya) are forced to close. We also believe a selected close of venues would not work as people who could not go to the largest venues would just go to what is still open, filling it with more people.” He further added.

“We have already taken significant action since the virus spread. Many entertainment venues are being cleaned daily and sanitized top to bottom. Many venues are checking customers for signs of sickness before entering. There have been no cases of the virus in Pattaya and most of the current customers are expats or locals as few tourists remain.” He finished.

Other issues addressed were the tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands that would be out of work if the shutdown took place and the concern that many would return to their home provinces possibly infecting the vulnerable elderly population there. It was also noted that the majority of the workers in Pattaya are transient and from the Northeast and the primary earners for their families. If the industry shuts, hundreds of thousands of families in the Northeast would likely be affected.

Entertainment operators also stated that they hoped the government would step in and ensure they helped the industry in this situation. In Pattaya, the tourism and entertainment industry accounts for about eighty percent of the overall economy as one of the largest nightlife spots in the world.

It was hoped that landlords would be instructed by the government to be lenient during the shutdown period and not let hundreds of businesseses shut down by forcing payments of rent, mortgages, etc.

The Prime Minister of Thailand has said yesterday that for the time being he was not enforcing a shutdown of the countries massive nightlife industry, although that could change at any time.
gera

Re: Will Thailand shut down entertainment venues due to virus? Maybe . . .

Post by gera »

Gaybutton wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 1:49 am
Pattaya has been very fortunate so far. No reported cases. All shops and markets operating as usual. If it wasn't for the lack of tourists and tour buses, light traffic, and a couple minor shortages such as face masks and rubbing alcohol, you wouldn't know anything was happening at all. I can only hope it stays that way.
My bf does not go outside our condo at all. This is his own decision and a bit extreme to my taste. He orders groceries and other supplies from Tops
and occasionally food from restaurants. i can confirm that the delivery services in Pattaya are working fine at the moment. it is quite possible that Pattaya proves once again to be an ideal destination for all occasions.
gera

Re: Will Thailand shut down entertainment venues due to virus? Maybe . . .

Post by gera »

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... o-songkran

It looks like all visa on arrival and visa wavers are off (hope i am wrong).
User avatar
Gaybutton
Posts: 21459
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:21 am
Location: Thailand
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 1306 times

Re: Will Thailand shut down entertainment venues due to virus? Maybe . . .

Post by Gaybutton »

gera wrote: Tue Mar 17, 2020 9:38 am It looks like all visa on arrival and visa wavers are off (hope i am wrong).
It's hard to say because things seem to be changing almost daily. I think the prudent thing for people to do would be to contact the Thai embassy or consulate in their home country and ask. Also, ask about regulations about self-quarantine. Not much sense to plan a holiday trip to Thailand only to find yourself under a 14 day quarantine. A person doesn't even have to be sick to end up quarantined. If someone on the flight is discovered to be ill, they might quarantine the entire set of passengers - possibly including pilots and cabin crew. From what I understand, where people are sent under mandatory quarantine - well, let's put it this way: you don't end up staying in the Waldorf-Astoria.

Right now, for gay holiday makers, there are significant pros and cons about traveling to Thailand. Among the cons are the possibility of getting quarantined and the possibility of restrictions and other problems trying to return home. The major pro is there are still plenty of boys in the bars and on the apps - and very few farang other than locals to compete with. Another pro is the exchange rates are the best they've been in more than a year. And you are unlikely to have any difficulty finding rooms in your favorite hotel. You may even be able to negotiate a better rate.

Is it worth traveling to Thailand under the present circumstances? You'll have to decide for yourself. The only advice I can offer is to think with your head, not your crotch . . .
User avatar
Trongpai
Posts: 1438
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2010 10:21 am
Location: Bangkok, Ram Intra
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 310 times

Re: Will Thailand shut down entertainment venues due to virus? Maybe . . .

Post by Trongpai »

Nothing in the English language press yet but Thai TV is reporting that all entertainment venues in Bangkok are now closed. bars, movies, saunas, gyms, discos and massage shops for the next 14 days or until further notice. This is for Bangkok and adjacent provinces NOT Pattaya.

I'm seeing panic grocery buying first hand.

Something should be available in English soon and hopefully unambiguous.
User avatar
Undaunted
Posts: 2567
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2016 8:47 am
Has thanked: 23 times
Been thanked: 368 times

Re: Will Thailand shut down entertainment venues due to virus? Maybe . . .

Post by Undaunted »

"In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king"
User avatar
Gaybutton
Posts: 21459
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:21 am
Location: Thailand
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 1306 times

Re: Will Thailand shut down entertainment venues due to virus? Maybe . . .

Post by Gaybutton »

Trongpai wrote: Tue Mar 17, 2020 4:43 pm Nothing in the English language press yet
It's starting to show up now. I can understand why the Thai government is taking this step, but so far I have seen nothing that says what will happen to all the people who will lose their jobs. Is the government going to do anything to help these people or will they just be left to fend for themselves as best as they can? And if it's fend for themselves, I hope that doesn't mean a significant increase in crime.

Regarding the gay bars, whether Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, or Phuket, I think many of the boys will have no choice but to return home to the rice farm. The questions are how long will the bars remain closed and when they reopen how many of the boys will come back? After all, they were complaining about the lack of customers long before the virus scare began. Now, even when the bars reopen, I'm guessing there will be even fewer customers. For some strange reason, I doubt large numbers of people are lining up to buy tickets to travel to Thailand just now. For boys who return home I don't see much of an incentive, at least regarding money, for all that many of them to return to the bars.
___________________________________________________

Covid-19 closes Bangkok bars, Pattaya next, owners predict

By Warapun Jaikusol & TNA

March 17, 2020

With bars in Bangkok today ordered to close until at least the end of the month, the hammer is expected to fall soon on Pattaya entertainment venues.

The Cabinet on March 17 officially postponed the Songkran holidays in April and ordered schools, stadiums, movie theaters, bars and other entertainment venues in Bangkok closed from March 18-31. No specific mention was made of Pattaya or Chonburi, with a government spokeswoman saying it would be up to provincial governors whether to follow suit.

Pattaya bar owners already have resigned themselves the fact that closures are inevitable.

Damrongkiat Phitnitkarn, secretary for the Pattaya Entertainment Industry and Tourism Association, said March 16 that the city’s discos, go-go and beer bars would cooperate with a government request to close, but said operators want to know how long a closure would last.

Citing Hollywood Pattaya as an example, he said the disco has 240 employees, all of which have already seen their hours cut.

“If we are to close to prevent Covid-19, we need time,” Damrongkiat said. “Our employees require time to manage the situation as well. If the government has a policy to close the country, we want the government to be serious and sincerely solve the problem with transparency.”

Deputy Health Minister Satit Pitutecha said March 16 that closures are necessary because bars, dance clubs and other entertainment venues have “activities where many people gather together, leading to touching and risk of easy infections.”

He cited the case of a Bangkok-area boxing stadium were 30 people who attended a camp there have now been confirmed to have contracted Covid-19.

Closing bars and clubs enforces the social distancing required to flatten the infection curve and prevent mass infections, he said.

https://www.pattayamail.com/featured/co ... ict-291498
Post Reply