Thailand's reopening is 'same-same but different'

As Thailand's daily tally of new COVID-19 cases has fallen to single digits most days over the past two weeks, authorities continue to ease restrictions put in place to combat the pandemic.

Buddhist monks, wearing protective face masks stand outside the temple of the Emerald Buddha receiving alms from devotees at dawn in Bangkok, Thailand.

Previous routines are both familiar and new as Thais return to daily life.

Authorities lifted coronavirus restrictions for all the beaches in Thailand's Pattaya for the first time in more than two months.

People walk on the beach in Pattaya. People flocked back to some of Thailand's famed sandy beaches June 1, keeping well apart but enjoying the outdoors.

People take a dip in the water at the main beach in Pattaya.

A host wearing a protective face mask and a protective face shield poses for a picture at a VIP section inside a movie theater during its reopening.

Businesses such as shopping malls have reopened, checking customers for fevers and dispensing sanitizing gel for their convenient use. Food courts and restaurants serve up their usual spicy delights, but diners must keep their distance from one another.

A vendor sells brooms and dusters from his motorbike in Pattaya.

Women wearing protective face masks and dressed in traditional costumes visit Wat Chaiwatthanaram after the Thai government eased isolation measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the city of Ayutthaya Historical Park, Thailand.