BANGKOK– The third phase of business and activity lockdown relaxation began with strict disease control measures Monday.
In the northern province of Chiang Mai, local shops and inter-provincial transport services were active again.
At the Arcade Bus Station, more travelers showed up for inter-provincial trips. All ticket booths and shops at the bus terminal reopened. Soldiers were among the travelers because their units allowed them to visit their home province from June 1 after a ban on inter-provincial travel over the past few months.
Travelers were required to wear face masks and have their body temperatures checked. Passengers were seated well apart from each other to prevent the transmission of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Vendors were happy to resume their living after lacking income over the past two months.
Buddha amulet markets also reopened. Traders said that although most of their customers were Chinese, Malaysian and Singaporean tourists, they were happy to see their markets resumed operation because they still had income opportunities with local customers.
Natural tourist destinations also reopened their gates after their closure in the past months. Mon Chaem mountain in Mae Rim district of Chiang Mai was welcoming visitors who were attracted to its temperate flower zone. Local vendors also reopened their souvenir shops there after closure to control COVID-19.
In the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, tourists stopped over to see a blossoming grass field covering hundreds of rai on a hill by Highway 3060 in Ban Wang Khon village of Raroeng sub-district in Wang Nam Khieo district.
The farmland now blanketed with blossoming grass will be turned into a vast cornfield when farmers start their seasonal crop in less than a month. (TNA)