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BANGKOK – People resume their exercise routines in the parks, cut their hair in salons, and go out to dinner for the first time in more than a month, as Thailand gradually begins to lift restrictions on Sunday (May 3). The country has reported new single-digit Covid-19 infections every day in the past week.
Restaurants, hair salons, parks, markets, outdoor sports venues like tennis courts, golf courses, archery and shooting ranges, and pet salons and kindergartens are reopening across the country as Thailand is facilitating its closing. Details vary in each province.
With the lifting of the alcohol sales ban lifted from early April, many people rushed to local supermarkets on Sunday morning to buy their supplies before 11 am, when the regular tax sale period opens by the government. However, they can only drink at home, since consumption in restaurants is still prohibited.
For Mr. Suang Kosolsuk, 93, walking in the Lumphini Park in Bangkok for an hour each morning followed by a tea session with his friends has been his routine for over 30 years. It was only recently interrupted with the widespread closure of public places to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Since early April, he has had to replace walking in the park with walking in his neighborhood. You can resume your walk in Lumphini Park now, but you can’t socialize, since meetings are still prohibited.
“It’s an alternative to working out in the gym. Before the park reopened, I was already walking on the street,” said Sasipat Dechkaew, another runner at the park. Before closing, I exercised primarily in a gym that is still closed.
“I just had to go out. I’ve already gained a lot of weight,” added the 44-year-old.
Life has resumed somewhat, but has not returned to what was considered normal before the virus outbreak. The rules of social distancing are still in force and are strictly followed. Restaurants must seat their customers 1.5 meters away. Hot pots cannot be shared, while buffet food must be served to customers at their tables.
Sitting at separate tables in compliance with the spacing rules, Joe Wong and his wife enjoyed their first meal at their usual Mexican restaurant on Sunday. During the closing, the couple opted for delivery.
“Certain dishes, if you don’t eat them directly from the kitchen, they don’t taste the same,” he said.
In a Singaporean family-owned Chinese restaurant in Bangkok city center, sitting at separate tables is impractical. Therefore, decals have been placed on alternative seats to indicate that they are not available.
“I am happy (for the reopening), but we have to wait and see. We are not celebrating yet,” Jacqueline Sim said, referring to the government’s unclear guidelines on reopening and the possibility of another closure.
In salons and hairdressers, waiting indoors is not allowed. Each client must make an appointment, while the stores must be cleaned for 20 minutes after each of the two-hour spaces.
Waiting outside a barbershop, Mr. Teerapol Suntalunai, 35, said, “I am happy. I haven’t had my hair cut in two months. I didn’t trust my family to cut it for me.” Inside, barbers wore masks, and only three of the store’s six seats were occupied by customers.
The reopening will occur in four phases, spaced at 14-day intervals, depending on the need of the businesses or locations involved. The government has warned it will stop easing restrictions if there is a second wave of infections.
Thailand reported a total of 2,969 confirmed Covid-19 deaths and 54 deaths as of Sunday, with only three new cases reported on this day.
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