June 3, 2022
BANGKOK – Chadchart said he would consult experts at the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s Health Department on whether wearing of masks in public places could be voluntary instead of being mandatory.
He said Phuket has lifted the mandatory mask requirement and Bangkok is in a similar situation as the southern province.
“The measure is interesting and the situation in Bangkok and Phuket are not different,” Chadchart said.
“Bangkok must move on, so I’m planning to ease the restriction as soon as possible.”
He added that the proposal from night entertainment place operators and their patrons to extend the closing hour from midnight to 2am is also interesting.
He said he would urgently consult the concerned government agencies about the proposal.
He said the closing hour should be extended not only for pubs and bars but all other nightlife places and public parks.
He was speaking to reporters at the BMA head office.
Asked whether he had arrived at the BMA head office at 4am, Chadchart smiled and confirmed it.
He said he had arrived so early to exercise by running around the Giant Swing ground and then he took a shower and changed into clothes to work at the BMA without returning home first to save time.
He said he planned to run around Wat Phra Kaew soon to observe the atmosphere in the early hours and he would soon check pubs and bars in line with his “midnight governor” policy.
Chadchart also led reporters to observe the work in the CCTV monitoring room. He said the capital’s CCTV cameras have been connected to a platform to allow city residents from all districts to file complaints about city woes in real time. They could inform the BMA of traffic snarls, floods, blockades of sidewalks, for example, and the officials would use available CCTVs to monitor the issues to try to tackle them as fast as possible.