Phuket pubs, bars to stay closed for July 1 Sandbox reopening
PHUKET: Patong Mayor Chalermsak Maneesri has confirmed that pubs, bars and other entertainment venues across Phuket will be closed for the July 1 reopening of the island to receiving vaccinated international tourists.
“For the entertainment venues in Phuket, from a meeting of [Phuket] officials, they altogether agreed to keep the venues closed in the first period of July, as we had a cluster from that kind of venue.
“Phuket Governor and the TAT Governor have not allowed them to open,” Mayor Chalermsak told The Phuket News earlier today (June 10).
Mayor Chalermsak, who took office only on Apr 28, plainly admitted the current economic situation in what was once Phuket’s busiest tourism town.
“The economic situation in Patong is very bad right now,” he said.
Mayor Chalermlask said that he was to meet representatives from hotels in Patong today “to share their problems and what they want the municipality [to do] to help to welcome tourists”.
“So far to support the Phuket Sandbox, our staff have gone out and knocked on people’s doors and encouraged them to register and get vaccinated in order to complete vaccinations of 70% of the people on the island. I have gone to facilitate the vaccination at Jungceylon shopping mall every day,” he said.
“We will send staff to hotels and other places to check whether staff at those places are vaccinated or not, to ensure that not only that they are kept safe, but also that tourists are kept safe,” he said.
“For entertainment venues, from the meeting with Phuket Governor and TAT Governor, the venues will remain closed for the first period of Phuket Sandbox because recently there has been a cluster from those types of establishments,” he confirmed.
“To develop Patong, I will try to finish the resurfacing of the beachfront road before the new year, as after we had the electricity cables [and communications cables] installed under the ground, the road was damaged a lot,” Mayor Chalermsak said.
“I will also make the view of the beach better, by clearing the signs and cleaning up the beach. Right now, it is monsoon season, we will have a lot of marine trash wash ashore,” he added.
“I will develop environmental tourism and start by creating a footpath from the Seaview Patong Hotel [at the southern end of Patong Beach] to Tri Trang Beach and make the area into a botanic garden. The request to the use the land has been already filed with the national government,” Mayor Chalermsak said.
“Additionally, I will try my best to help vendors and business operators by negotiating for discounts on ground rents, so they can keep their business going,” he added.
Phuket pubs, bars to stay closed for July 1 Sandbox reopening