Thailand’s Bangkok is Banning Alcohol to Stop Spreading of Covid-19

THAILAND’S capital Bangkok has stopped all alcohol sales to put a lid on social gatherings that could spread the coronavirus.

The restriction will run until April 20, and has already been introduced in other parts of the country.

Around 16 million Thais have so far been prevented from buying booze, as the country continues a partial lockdown as part of its state of emergency.

That means that roughly a quarter of Thailand has been ordered to go dry.

The mainly Buddhist country has always had a strict regime over alcohol sales, with items like beer, spirits, and wines only available in a restricted time frame.

Another concern, which led to the Bangkok alcohol ban, is the big New Year festival of Songkran, which normally runs for three days from April 13.

Politicians feared that people would still get together to celebrate, despite the fact that the celebrations have been postponed until later in the year.