Still no buzz in Bangkok’s Nana area
Bangkok’s Nana Tai (Sukhumvit Soi 4), which is usually buzzing with Middle Eastern and African tourists, was rather quiet on Friday evening.
After the latest Covid-19 variant, Omicron, was detected in South Africa on November 24, Thailand cancelled all flights from eight southern African countries as of December 1.
Restaurants in the alley were mostly empty, though the ones near the top of the lane were doing better. The diners were generally European and American.
Though restaurants are allowed to serve alcoholic drinks until 11pm, they are also required to strictly adhere to Covid-19 prevention measures. All diners must be screened before entering, a bottle of alcohol gel must be provided at each table and social distancing must be maintained.
Every restaurant must have a Safety and Health Administration (SHA) certificate, which must be clearly displayed.
