There was no stay-at-home order in place Tuesday night, but the streets were deserted. Perhaps if people knew it would be the last night bars and restaurants would be open for a while, people might have gone out.
Pattaya has been eerily quiet since Thailand’s second wave of coronavirus cases crashed into Chonburi, sweeping Covid-19 cases from an underground Rayong casino into the province. On Monday, Chonburi’s governor ordered cockfighting venues and massage parlors closed and banned dancing, but Walking Street was still open until after midnight. Nonetheless, it was slow, even by slow-Pattaya standards.
At that point, Chonburi only had about three dozen confirmed cases. Infected patients had visited the Banglamung District Office, Thepprasit Boxing Stadium, the Pattaya Courthouse and the Bone Pattaya nightclub. That speared to be enough to scare most people into staying home.
On Wednesday, the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 108 new cases in Chonburi, most of them in Banglamung and Pattaya. That prompted the provincial government to shut down the district, closing all essential businesses.
The quiet city just got quieter.
