Tourism operators are urging the state to impose a two-week lockdown to keep the coronavirus from spreading to provincial areas.
It's not too late to put the country into a complete lockdown, closing both land and air connections for two weeks or up to one month, as an urgent measure to tackle the outbreak, said Chamnan Srisawat, president of the Thai Federation of Provincial Tourist Associations (TFOPTA).
The federation plans to propose the lockdown at a meeting of all tourism-related associations today, seeking approval from other tourism businesses.
Mr Chamnan said the government should start a lockdown as soon as possible before the coronavirus spreads to every part of the country, particularly during Songkran.
Even with the government postponing the April holiday, locals will still be travelling to their hometowns, he said.
While infections have mostly clustered in the capital, authorities can to limit the damage. But without any control, the disease could spread throughout the country and more deeply impact the overall economy, Mr Chamnan said.
