Bangkok
AP
—
Thailand on Wednesday lifted a 53-year-old ban on the afternoon retail sale of alcoholic drinks, a transfer anticipated to assist increase year-end holiday tourism, in addition to enterprise at venues corresponding to bars and comfort shops.
The ban from 2 p.m. to five p.m. shall be lifted on a trial foundation for 180 days, after which its results shall be evaluated.
An afternoon ban on promoting beer, spirits and wine was enacted in 1972, when Thailand was below army rule, although the unique causes for the measure are actually obscure. Thailand is predominantly Buddhist and the faith discourages imbibing intoxicating substances, although ingesting is widespread.
Consumers are actually allowed to purchase such drinks from 11 a.m. till midnight, in keeping with an modification of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act made official on Tuesday by its publication in the Royal Gazette. While sales finish at midnight, clients at nightlife venues are allowed to maintain ingesting till 1 a.m.
While the change was being thought of there have been considerations that extending ingesting to later hours might exacerbate the issue of drunk driving.
Afternoon sales of alcoholic drinks usually have been in a grey space, with exemptions made for airports, some leisure venues and inns. Enforcement was inconsistent by neighborhood and under-the-counter sales had been usually obtainable at small outlets and eateries.
There was a complete ban on alcohol sales imposed briefly in many areas throughout the coronavirus pandemic in an effort to gradual the unfold of the virus.