BANGKOK (Xinhua) — Many curfew breakers in Thailand have turned out to be gamblers, drinkers and drug addicts who apparently maintained their habit despite the COVID-19 pandemic, said a government official on Tuesday.
Thaveesilp Wisanuyothin, spokesman of the government-run Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration, called on those kinds of people to never leave home during the nationwide curfew enforced between 10:00 p.m. and 04:00 a.m.
Hundreds of curfew breakers, arrested at places and on the roads since the last several days, turned out to be gamblers, drinkers and drug addicts, Thaveesilp said.
They usually preferred tending to such unbecoming habits in groups, thus breaching the social-distancing measure, he said.
Besides the curfew, all provinces of Thailand are temporarily banning the sales of alcoholic beverages to discourage the people from getting together for drinking sessions at the risk of virus infection.
For similar reasons, the annual Songkran festival has been postponed nationwide.
