After more than two months’ of closure, all beaches on the island of Phuket will be reopened to the public on Tuesday.
Phuket Provincial Governor Pakkapong Thaweepat said the provincial communicable diseases committee met today, to assess the COVID-19 pandemic situation in the province, and agreed to reopen the beaches after having not had a single new infection on the island for the past 15 days.
He added, however, that beachgoers will be required to observe basic guidelines, such as social distancing. Local administrative organizations and the provincial administration will meet on Monday to work on additional guidelines for visitors to follow.
The provincial transport office is also due to reopen on Monday, to provide services to driving licence applicants, those paying annual road taxes or extending their driving licenses, among others.
Meanwhile, at the popular Bang Saen beach in the eastern province of Chon Buri, the Saensook municipal administration, which oversees the beach, set up 14 screening points on the beach road today and campaigned for visitors to wear face masks, observe social distancing and avoid congestion.
The mayor, Mr. Narongchai Khunpluem, said that all visitors and traders were told not to use Styrofoam containers on the beaches and that drinks containing alcohol are forbidden.
The beach reopened on Monday, but was closed by the municipal administration on Thursday after thousands of people filled it on the public holiday on Wednesday, disregarding the need for social distancing.