The past few months have been a turbulent ride for owners and employees of food, drinks and entertainment businesses. As the coronavirus infections escalated, bars, museums and theaters were ordered shut, while restaurants were asked to limit their services to only takeout and delivery. These businesses wouldn’t have minded the restrictions had they been granted sufficient support from the government. But none came. Many expressed their anger through social media, while some industry leaders visited the Parliament to file complaints.
Now, after months of angry dissent, the public outcry has—eventually—been heard. Yesterday (June 28), Taweesilp Visanuyothin, the spokesperson for the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), confirmed the implementation of a COVID-19 relief program for owners and staff of the many restaurants, bars, and entertainment- and culture-related businesses that had to shut down during the restrictions. These include:
- Construction
- Service providers
- Restaurants and bars
- Art, culture, and entertainment venues
The government has approved (finally!) a B7.5 billion fund, to be allocated to over 690,000 individuals in six high-risk provinces who are registered on the national social security system. Non-Thais will be paid half of their monthly salary (but not more than B7,500) while Thai nationals will get half of their monthly salary (also not more than B7,500) plus an additional B2,000.
Employers and owners, whose businesses are registered on the social security system, will receive B3,000 per employee (this means if you have 10 employees, you will get B30,000) for a maximum of B600,000 (for 200 employees).
These subsidies will only cover the month of July. Employers and employees not on the social security system will have one month to complete their registration.