Exercise punishment, as witnessed in Phuket yesterday for mask violators, may or may not be welcomed by individuals who have more pounds on their bodies than baht in their pockets. Officials have rolled back the 6,000 baht fine for the first warning for not wearing a mask, and have been seen ordering those who have gone out without one to exercise on the street.
People were compelled to exercise at a Covid-19 checkpoint in the Rawai subdistrict yesterday, where Chalong Police officers and local medical personnel were checking people. The checkpoint was set up in an attempt to achieve 100% mask compliance in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19 on Phuket.
They were not only inspecting everyone passing by to ensure they had their masks, but also correcting those who were wearing them incorrectly. We've all seen folks who seemed to believe that wearing a mask on their chin or behind their nose is just as effective as wearing a mask correctly, or at the very least that they can get away with "wearing a mask" while minimising their personal annoyance.
Officials were eager to point out that the vast majority of people passing through the checkpoint, both foreigners and Thais, had their masks on and were correctly wearing them. They did, however, catch more than ten persons who were not wearing or using their face masks correctly.
Authorities chose to give them a soft warning by shifting bodies rather than moving baht. Violators were forced to exercise on the street in order to shame them into making better decisions in the future. All violators had their names and contact information recorded, with the guarantee that if they were caught again, they would face standard fines.
There's no news yet on whether this penalty will be turned into a Tik-Tok channel.
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