The governor said that food zone and pharmacy in malls are excluded from the closure. Restaurants and food courts can only offer take-away with no diners allowed to be seated.
He called on people not to stockpile food and consumer products in panic as restaurants and zones selling necessary consumer goods are still open.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) requested people to stay at home to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Preventive measures include social distancing, working from home and separation of work shifts.
The government ordered a temporary closure of entertainment venues in Bangkok Metropolitan recently. Affected venues include movie theaters, bars, traditional massage parlors, gyms, golf courses, boxing stadiums and cockfighting arenas. All schools are closed.
Thailand reported 188 new coronavirus infections on March 22, its largest daily increase, raising the total number to 599 cases, Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a Public Health Ministry spokesman, told a news conference.
The majority of the new infections are connected to a previous cluster of cases from a boxing stadium, he said, adding that one patient had recovered.
