Thai beach resort kicks off holiday season amid pandemic

PATTAYA, THAILAND (NOVEMBER 27, 2020) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS) CROWD GATHERING ON PATTAYA BEACH LOCAL TOURISTS WEARING MASKS WALKING ON BEACH MORE OF CROWD ON BEACH FOREIGN RESIDENT SITTING ON BEACH FIREWORKS FLARE UP FROM WATER CROWD AT WATERFRONT FIREWORKS MORE OF CROWD A CHILD RIDING ON ADULT BACK WATCHING FIREWORKS MORE OF FIREWORKS OFF THE BEACH (SOUNDBITE) (Thai) MAYOR OF PATTAYA CITY, SONTAYA KHUNPLUEM, SAYING: “After Pattaya was in darkness for a long time, now we have begun to have lights from hotels and other tourist spots around the city. Our lives are being brought back, Pattaya is returning to life. This shows that tourism in Pattaya city and in Thailand is beginning to recover.” LOCAL VISITORS, THATSANAI SAELIM AND HIS FAMILY, ON BEACH (SOUNDBITE) (Thai) THAI VISITOR, THATSANAI SAELIM SAYING: “If we open (for foreign tourists), we need to quarantine them in specific places. I think if we allow tourists (to come here and walk around) freely, it (coronavirus) will be out of control.” FOREIGN RESIDENTS IN BAR VARIOUS OF EXPATS AND BAR WORKERS (SOUNDBITE) (Thai) BAR WORKER, KNOWN AS “SHARKY”, SAYING: “Now we’ve heard about the vaccine, so we are a bit delighted that a vaccine is coming. We also afraid of COVID-19 too, but we want everything to go back to what it used to be. Because if the situation (business) remains like this, we cannot survive.” VARIOUS OF DRUMMERS PERFORMING ON STAGE STREET FOOD STALL CROWD WALKING ON BEACH ROAD VARIOUS OF CROWD WALKING ON PATTAYA BEACH ROAD