Bangkok and surrounding areas to shut down for at least 3 weeks

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Bangkok and surrounding areas to shut down for at least 3 weeks

Post by Gaybutton »

With so many Thais out of work and so many farang who live in Thailand forced to sit on 800,000 baht, I'm hoping immigration will have sense enough to relent and do away with that requirement or at least substantially reduce it - with a guarantee they won't reimpose it once the crisis ends. Letting us spend our money would be much more helpful to struggling Thais than continuing to force us to virtually hoard it.

To me, that would make sense - which is exactly why I believe it won't happen.
____________________________________________________________________

Complete list of non essential business closures in Bangkok effective tomorrow for roughly three weeks

By Adam Judd

March 21, 2020

BANGKOK (NNT) – Bangkok Governor Pol Gen Assawin Kwanmuang announced a partial shutdown of more places in Bangkok, from March 22nd to April 12th, to curb the spread of COVID-19. It is important to note this is not a lockdown or shutdown and people are free to move around but are encouraged to socially distance and wear masks.

The order is only for Bangkok. Other provinces it is up to the provincial Governor.

Supermarkets and food venues as well as food stalls etc may stay open. The government is heavily stressing there is no and will be no closure of food venues and no need to panic buy as supply and manufacturing capabilities and lines in Thailand are plentiful. Restaurants and delivery services are open with takeout only.

On the list:

1. Restaurants (allowed to offer take-out and delivery only)

2. Shopping malls (allowed to open only their supermarkets, drugstores and stores selling essential items, restaurants for take-out and delivery)

3. Dining zones in convenience stores

4. Markets (allowed to open only stalls selling fresh ingredients, dried food, take-away food, animal feed, medicines and other essential items)

5. Salons and barbers

6. Body piercing and tattoo shops

7. Venues for skating, rollerblading and similar activities

8. Amusement parks, bowling alleys, arcades

9. Gaming and internet cafes

10. Golf courses and driving ranges

11. Swimming pools

12. Cockfighting rings

13. Amulet markets

14. Exhibition and conference centers

15. Schools, colleges, universities, childcare and tutoring centers

16. Beauty clinics

17. Spas

18. Pet grooming shops and pet hotels

19. Massage parlors

20. Saunas

21. Cinemas and theaters

22. Gyms

23. Entertainment spots (pubs, bars, nightclubs, etc.)

24. Boxing arenas and schools

25. Sport arenas and stadia

26. Racecourses

Those failing to comply could face a fine of up to 100,000 baht or 1-year in prison, or both.

https://thepattayanews.com/2020/03/21/c ... ree-weeks/
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Re: Bangkok and surrounding areas to shut down for at least 3 weeks

Post by Undaunted »

As much as it makes sense to free up the 800,000 held in banks by expats it will never get on the agenda not even for discussion in the government unless it is proposed and it won’t be. The present government has shown nothing but distain for the expat community. I hope when those that are able seek more friendly countries to go to along with their 800,000 baht.
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Re: Bangkok and surrounding areas to shut down for at least 3 weeks

Post by Gaybutton »

5. Salons and barbers

6. Body piercing and tattoo shops
With number 5, we're going to see a lot of long hair.

With number 6, that's fine with me. I, for one, can do without the body piercing and tattoos.

Now, if only they would also ban those scraggly mustaches and the beards, I would jump for joy . . .
Jun

Re: Bangkok and surrounding areas to shut down for at least 3 weeks

Post by Jun »

Now is the wrong time to encourage spending by freeing up 800,000 baht, or other means. The government should be encouraging people to stay at home.
If the infections are really concentrated in Bangkok, they need to act quickly and decisively. Shut Bangkok down properly. Have the army close the roads to non-essential traffic. Test any people with symptoms in the provinces and shut down hot spots.

However, how far they can practically shut Bangkok down is an interesting question. e.g. I'm not sure what percentage of the population in Bangkok have negligible cooking facilities and rely on cheap street food.
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Re: Bangkok and surrounding areas to shut down for at least 3 weeks

Post by Gaybutton »

Jun wrote: Sun Mar 22, 2020 5:29 pm Now is the wrong time to encourage spending by freeing up 800,000 baht, or other means. The government should be encouraging people to stay at home.
Maybe you have a point. If they don't free it up now, maybe the right time would be when things start to return to normal since so many people will have been out of work. I think that is academic, though. The chances of them freeing it up at all range, in my opinion, somewhere between zero and zilch.

They are not shutting down the cheap street food. However, people buying it will have to buy it as take-away rather than eating it there.
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Re: Bangkok and surrounding areas to shut down for at least 3 weeks

Post by Undaunted »

Shut down sends thousands back to Thai towns and villages which will potentially carry the virus throughout the country.

Pics of Mochit bus terminal:


Image

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Re: Bangkok and surrounding areas to shut down for at least 3 weeks

Post by Up2u »

The lock down should have read shelter in place, no travel. Suspend rent, utility payments, government money for food.
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Re: Bangkok and surrounding areas to shut down for at least 3 weeks

Post by Gaybutton »

Up2u wrote: Sun Mar 22, 2020 9:52 pm Suspend rent
Suspend rent? I don't think so. That would be totally unfair to landlords who depend on rental income. What are the landlords supposed to do, have their means of income destroyed because their renters won't have to pay? Don't you think it would be wrong to relieve financial problems by visiting their financial problems on others?

I'm sorry for people who now find themselves in a position unable to pay their rent, but what would be reasonable to say to the landlords? "Sorry, I lost my job and now I have no money to pay my rent, so you'll just have to eat it." ?

And if a blanket suspension of rent were to be imposed, what about people who are still financially able to pay their rent? A windfall for people who can pay their rent, but now don't have to?

The only workable solution I can see would be for people who can no longer pay their rent to try to negotiate with their landlord on an individual basis - as long as the landlord is still healthy or even in Thailand at all.

I can agree about shelter in place, no travel, utility payments, government money for food, but not about suspending rent. I might agree with some sort of imposed reduction in rent, but not to the point that it would force serious financial difficulty on the landlords. The landlords did not cause the virus crisis.
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Re: Bangkok and surrounding areas to shut down for at least 3 weeks

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Up2u wrote: Sun Mar 22, 2020 9:52 pm The lock down should have read shelter in place, no travel. Suspend rent, utility payments, government money for food.

Absolutely correct!....Many places in USA have suspended mortgage and rent payments both for people and small companies and some have suspended evictions. These are not normal times :!:
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Re: Bangkok and surrounding areas to shut down for at least 3 weeks

Post by Gaybutton »

Undaunted wrote: Sun Mar 22, 2020 10:43 pm Absolutely correct!....Many places in USA have suspended mortgage and rent payments both for people and small companies.
Absolutely wrong. The fact that many places in the USA suspended mortgage and rent doesn't make it right. Are you seriously suggesting that if you were a landlord and someone was renting from you, and that was your source of income, now they don't have to pay and as a result you don't have any income, that would be ok with you?

To me, a solution for people who can't pay their rent should not cause the people they're renting from to now lose their income. I don't know what the solution is, but that ain't it.
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