Pattaya may limit entry to its beaches to better control crowds and register visitors to better track any coronavirus infections.
Following a meeting with Pattaya administrators, Dr. Jakarat Pittayawonganon, director of strategy and planning for the government’s Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration, toured Pattaya and Jomtien beaches with local officials and generally was complimentary about the city’s efforts to enforce social distancing.
However, Jakarat said the wide-open beaches pose a problem in controlling crowds during holidays and other busy times, making it impossible to know who visits the shoreline.
To allow contact tracing, the beaches should be fenced off and limited entry points established where visitors can register with the government’s Thai Chana contact-tracing app and have their temperatures checked, Jakarat said.
Pattaya Mayor Sonthaya Kunplome did not advise the media if he agreed to comply.
Jakarat was in town to chair a presentation with city officials on measures they took during and after the lockdown to suppress the coronavirus and take Pattaya from a “red zone” from infection to its current “white zone” status where no infections have been reported in more than a month.
Jakarat praised the city’s health restrictions and vigilant enforcement, saying they can serve as a model for other cities. (PCPR)
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