The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s sticker machine is working overtime to keep up with all the applications from Pattaya businesses.
TAT Pattaya Director Kachondej Apicharttrakul said Dec. 16 that more than 1,500 businesses have applied for certification under either the regular or “Plus” version through the Safety and Health Administration program.
Only 500 so far have been approved, however.
SHA was started last year as a certificate given by the TAT to hotels and services that meet pandemic-level safety and health standards. These include cleaning regularity, strategically placed sanitizers, adequate table arrangements, prominent signage and several staff procedures.
SHA+ is a stricter version requiring more than 70 percent of the staff to be fully vaccinated and that no unvaccinated staffers are allowed to have close contact with guests. It also requires each staff member to be prepped with Covid-19 emergency solutions.
Despite what it says on paper, Kachondej said SHA+ is now only being granted to businesses where 100 percent of employees are vaccinated. It’s also notable that restaurants in Bangkok only require an SHA sticker to serve alcohol while Chonburi officials require SHA+.