COVID-19: Thailand to lift curbs on nightlife from June this year

Thailandwill allow night clubs and karaoke bars to resume regular hours starting in June, a senior official said on Friday, dropping most of its remaining pandemic restrictions as daily infections decline.

Thailand's nightlife is a major attraction for tourists, but most entertainment venues have been shuttered or faced a strict curfew since the pandemic began, with some bars forced to convert to restaurants to stay in business.

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The government hopes the latest easing of restrictions will help revive the Southeast Asian country's battered tourism sector, a key growth engine that accounted for about 12 per centof the economy before the pandemic.Thailandis targeting 5 to 15 million arrivals this year.

"Entertainment venues, pubs, and massage parlours and others may open until midnight after June," said Taweesin Visanuyothin, a spokesman for the government's COVID-19 taskforce, told a news conference.

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"These businesses should take a universal prevention approach ... staff must have received booster doses and take antigen tests every seven days," Taweesin added.

Starting June 1,Thailandwill also drop a requirement for unvaccinated travellers to quarantine. They will either have to take an test on arrival or show a negative COVID-19 test before departure, he said.

From January to mid-May,Thailandreceived 1.01 million arrivals. There were 427,000 tourists for all of last year.

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