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Thailand Ends Mask Mandate, Lifts Curbs on Nightlife Venues

  • Outdoor, indoor mask-wearing voluntary with immediate effect
  • Pubs, bars, karaoke lounges can operate as before pandemic
Customers at the outside seating areas of bars and restaurants in the Patpong entertainment district of Bangkok.

Customers at the outside seating areas of bars and restaurants in the Patpong entertainment district of Bangkok.

Photographer: Nicolas Axelrod/Bloomberg
Updated on

Thailand scrapped a mask mandate and allowed bars and pubs to remain open for longer hours as the Southeast Asian nation rolls back its remaining Covid-19 curbs amid a decline in new cases and a rebound in tourist arrivals.

The wearing of masks is now voluntary nationwide, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha said in a statement published on Royal Gazette late Thursday, ending a mandate first imposed in June 2021. People with chronic diseases should continue to wear masks during group activities to prevent infections, he said.