BANGKOK, April 9 (TNA) – The Bangkok Metropolitan
Administration (BMA) has announced ban on alcohol sales from April 10-20 in a
bid to prevent gatherings for the traditional New Year or Songkran Festival
that could further spread of the coronavirus.
Although the Songkran Festival holidays and celebrations
that normally run from April 13-15 have been postponed, the BMA wanted to
prevent social gatherings, said BMA spokesman Pongsakorn Kwanmuang on Thursday.
Bangkok city has, since March 22, ordered closure of all
department stores, restaurants and retail outlets and later ordered all 24-hour
convenience stores to close from midnight to 5 am.
Pongsakorn said the closure order for convenience store
operation time would be changed to 10 pm to 4 am in line with the government’s
curfew.
The whole country is under a state of emergency declared on
March 26 and partial lockdown.
The BMA called for public cooperation as the spread of the
virus was nearly under control, he said.
Bangkok has been the country’s coronavirus epicenter with
about half of the total 2,423 cases. (TNA)
