BURI RAM: Authorities have ordered the closure of all service venues and restaurants with musical entertainment after more than 300 Covid-19 cases were linked to these venues.
The Buri Ram provincial communicable disease committee announced the decision on Tuesday.
The announcement said the closure was indefinite and province-wide, and effective from Monday.
It followed a surge in Covid-19 cases in Bangkok and other provinces, mostly the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
Since last month, more than 8,600 Covid-19 cases, with 10 deaths, had been reported in Buri Ram. More than 300 infections had been linked to service venues and eateries with musical shows, the panel said.
The infection rate rose during the New Year holiday and Valentine’s Day.
If those venues were allowed to continue operating, the outbreak of the virus might spread into communities and would be hard to control, the panel said.
Failure to abide by the closure order carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and/or fine of 100,000 baht under Section 52 of the Communicable Disease Act.
On Tuesday, a total of 414 new Covid-19 cases and one more coronavirus-related death were reported in Buri Ram province. A total of 3,687 patients remained under treatment, according to the provincial public health office Facebook page.
