Provincial health officials have said they intend to carry out inspections of pubs in Hua Hin after a number venues were linked to a spike in COVID-19 cases.
Dr. Watcharapong Luengpairat, Deputy Doctor of Public Health, said that officials had received reports of venues serving alcohol beyond the 9pm cut off.
“The current provincial order allows alcoholic beverages to be consumed in restaurants with SHA safety standards in Hua Hin and Nong Khae district, the pilot areas for tourism until 21.00”, Dr. Watcharapong said.
However, according to the timelines of people found to be infected with COVID-19, some cases could be traced back to people attending New Year’s Eve gatherings at beer bars in the Soi Bintabaht area.
Dr. Watcharapong said the relevant authorities are co-ordinating with one another to determine if there had been any violations of the provincial order with regards to selling alcohol beyond the 9pm time limit.
Meanwhile, Dr. Watcharapong said that there have been 103 cases of omicron found in Prachuap Khiri Khan province so far, the majority of which were found in Hua Hin district.
While the omicron variant of COVID-19 is less severe than other variants, it is imperative that people continue to exercise caution and follow the necessary public health measures aimed at limiting the spread of the virus, Dr. Watcharapong said.
The news comes after Thailand’s COVID-19 task-force on Thursday (Jan 20) gave the green light for restaurants in Hua Hin to serve alcohol until 11pm from January 24.
Alcohol is only permitted to be served in venues with SHA approval and which are located in Hua Hin and Nong Khae subdistricts.
