Alcohol-deprived Pattaya drinkers gave the government good reason to worry about lifting the month-long booze ban by overrunning retailers and flouting social distance rules.
Mobs attacked stacked cases of beer at supermarkets and wholesale sellers like packs of hungry animals, elbowing competitors for beer and whisky out of the way. While most wore masks, the intensely packed crowds and frequent contact was the picture of everything the government was trying to avoid with the April ban.
The government has warned that if people do not maintain proper social distancing, violate the national curfew for drinking parties and if Covid-19 cases spike, the ban will be re-imposed.
