Thailand Ministry of Health reports 25,139 new COVID-19 cases and an additional 108 deaths since yesterday. The ministry also announced an additional 25,509 patients recovered from the COVID-19 virus.
The full moon night party returns to Koh Phangan this month in the hopes of boosting tourism. The full moon party is held once a month in Koh Phangan, Surat Thani. It has been a major draw for party seekers. This all-night party can draw up to 30,000 attendees.
The last party was held on February 8, 2022, before the COVID pandemic struck the nation. There were many attempts to relaunch the party but were unsuccessful. As travel restrictions are being eased, the local tourism team tried to slowly revive the event.
This year, the country plans to declare COVDI-19 as an endemic by July. Part of the restrictions lifted was the Songkran travel ban that was active for two years. Also, the government is slowly removing restrictions from the Thailand pass to encourage more tourists.
Thawit Somwang, president of the Haad Rin Tourism Association, said the April 16 party will stick to the “Back to the Roots” concept. Organizers have sought permission from local authorities to go ahead with the party and they were confident the request will be granted.
“But to be honest, we don’t have high hopes [for the April 16 party] since it is now the low tourist season and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has caused a significant drop in visitors from Israel, France, and the US,” he said.
The party must comply with the regulations issued by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), meaning it must wind down by 11 pm. However, Mr. Thawit said that in his view, the authorities should allow the party to continue until 1 am or 2 am the next morning.