Pattaya’s continued insistence on limiting crowd sizes and proof of Covid-19 vaccinations and testing left many music fans out in the cold at the Pattaya Countdown.
Even as the World Health Organization prepares to declare an end to the coronavirus emergency and the rest of Thailand has removed all Covid-19 restrictions, Pattaya’s 2020 approach to public events infuriated people wanting to attend the Dec. 29-31 concerts.
K-Pop fanatics hoping to see South Korean pop star Bam Bam were especially irked, with many having to watch from outside the Bali Hai venue gates as Pattaya limited stage-view attendance to only 2,500 people.
Pattaya also required proof of vaccination and recent negative test results, as if it were December 2020 or 2021 all over again.
Signs also stated that vaccination proof was required to take a ferry to Koh Larn over the New Year’s holiday, but no one was checking. Masks, however, were still required.