The Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) will this Friday deliberate entertainment venues’ request to reopen, with public safety being a core concern. Meanwhile, the Workers’ Union and a musician network today (23 Nov), called on the government to allow entertainment venues to reopen on December 1 as workers in the sector have been deprived of income for a long time.
Members of the Workers’ Union have joined with a group representing musicians and night workers as they marched on Ratchadamnoen Nok Road to submit a letter stating their demands to the prime minister. The group is calling for entertainment venues to be allowed to resume operations on December 1, in response to an earlier CCSA announcement on the extension of entertainment venues’ closure to January 16. During the day, the group staged musical performances with a focus on lyrics that reflected the workers’ struggle to earn income in the midst of the pandemic.
Other demands by the workers include extending the alcohol selling time at various establishments to midnight, arranging 6-month debt holidays for workers in the sector, and promoting low-interest loans between the amounts of 50,000-100,000 baht for the workers. The group also requested that the government compensate entertainment venues that are unable to open on December 1.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul said the CCSA will carefully deliberate the request for the reopening date of entertainment venues to be brought forward. He noted, however, that the safety of the public must be accounted for and Covid restriction measures have already been relaxed significantly. The health minister added that he remains concerned about the outbreak situation, saying that crowding will increase Covid risks and caution still needs to be exercised even if vaccines have already been administered. (NNT)
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