From midnight tonight (Friday) all the entertainment outlets, including pubs, bars, karaoke bars and massage parlours, in Bangkok and 40 other provinces will close for a minimum of 14 days, as the government tightens measures to contain the current surge of COVID-19 infections, which shows no sign of abating.

CCSA spokesman Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin said that the governor of each province, with the approval of the provincial communicable disease committee, is empowered, under the Disease Control Act, to close any entertainment venue in theirprovince temporarily, if it is deemed to be at risk of transmitting the disease.

Authorities have the right to enter any entertainment outlet for inspection, to make sure that the operator has taken steps to improve the conditions inside the venue to meet safety standards, to give advice or to warn the operator.

Regarding easing of restrictions, the governors of Bangkok and the other 40 provinces, with the approval of the provincial disease control committee, can propose that the CCSA ease the closure measure and the CCSA will consider the proposal, investigate and assess the situation before seeking approval from the prime minister.

In Chiang Mai province today, the provincial health office decided to open a field hospital, at the international trade exhibition centre, after 148 new COVID-19 cases were reported, raising the total infections to 195.

The field hospital has the capacity to treat 280 patients.