AN order issued by Nakhon Ratchasima province Governor closing the golf course where the Big Mountain music festival is being held this weekend seems to have fallen on deaf ears as the event organizers issued a message on their Facebook page late afternoon urging participants to not bring food and drinks to this evening’s event, Thai Rath newspaper reported today (Dec. 13).
Mr. Wichian Chantaranothai, Nakhon Ratchasima’s governor who is also chairman of the provincial communicable diseases committee, had ordered the closure of the Ocean Khao Yai golf course from 2 p.m. today to 2 p.m. tomorrow under Section 52 of the Communicable Diseases Act with violators facing one year imprisonment and/or fine of 100,000 baht.
The music festival organizers’ message posted at 3.45 p.m. said for the safety of participants it is forbidden to bring any food and drinks to this evening’s event.
The Governor took this step after fears arose over Covid-19 spreading to go by the previous evening’s event which was highly-congested with those attending it not wearing face masks.
Officials sent in to monitor yesterday’s concert, held at this golf course in Pak Chong district from 8 p.m. to 5 minutes past midnight, reported that the situation was extremely worrisome.
The officials said that there was no limit on the number of participants leading to heavy congestion, they were also not wearing face masks and were shouting and singing along with the band throughout.
They added that the concert organizers had also not followed the steps they had committed to implement with the provincial authorities.
Fake news had also spread online that some participants had tested positive for Covid-19 but Dr. Opaskarn Kawinpong, the director-general of the Department of Disease Control, later said that none had contracted this deadly disease at the fun event, Siam Rath newspaper reported.
A 43-year-old woman together with seven friends had travelled from Chiang Mai to this province but fell sick over an ongoing muscle weakness condition which can lead to respiratory failure.
However she is currently being treated at Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital and has tested negative for coronavirus as has her friends and the van driver.
A review showed that 30,150 people attending this festival had scanned the Thai Chana QR code yesterday
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Top: Big Mountain Music Festival underway yesterday. Photo: Big Mountain Facebook page and published by Thai Rath
