Phuket has been ravaged by the impact of the pandemic on tourism, as foreign visitors accounted for 90% of tourism revenue in the resort province.
Bhummikitti Ruktaengam, president of Phuket Tourist Association, said earlier this month Phuket is forecast to lose about 200-320 billion baht worth of tourism revenue this year because of the pandemic.
Phuket generated 470 billion baht in tourism revenue last year from 14.5 million visitors.
In the first 10 months this year, Phuket reported 150 billion baht in tourism revenue -- 100 billion from foreign visitors and 50 billion from domestic tourism.
Tourism revenue has fallen by 80% compared with the same period last year.
Mr Bhummikitti warned the outbreak could cause most tour operators in Phuket to collapse without any additional aid measures from the government.
Seb Kerdsab, 57, chief of the savings group of Ban Bang Rong in tambon Pa Khlok, Thalang district in Phuket, is not concerned, saying villagers there still live well thanks to their abundant natural resources and their adherence to the sufficiency economy philosophy initiated by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great.
Located in the northeastern part of the island, Ban Bang Rong is an old community dating back more than two centuries. Most of the people living in the community are Muslim fishermen and farmers.
Ban Bang Rong has abundant aquatic life after successful rehabilitation of the mangrove forests, led by locals.
Ban Bang Rong's scenic mangrove forest.
The community faced a critical situation 25-45 years ago when the mangrove forest was devastated by a government policy that offered concessions for people to cut mangrove trees to produce charcoal in 1976, and by a state promotion that allowed shrimp farming between 1994 and 1995.
However, the government closed both concessions in 1996.
Mr Seb himself has worked on mangrove conservation and rehabilitation efforts for 22 years. He grew mangroves in his community, bought aquatic animals and released them in the mangrove area in the community using money from his own pocket.
He got a chance to study sufficiency economy practices at Chitralada Palace in 1999 and ever since has persuaded his neighbours to grow mangroves in the community.
"The mangrove forest in Phuket now spans only 10,000 rai compared with 40,000 rai in the past, resulting in a dramatic drop in aquatic animal populations," said Mr Seb.
"It is fortunate the National Council for Peace and Order announced six years ago it was seizing 700 rai of vacant land earlier used for shrimp farming, and allowed locals to replant the mangroves in the seized areas."
He said Ban Bang Rong has become a sanctuary for people born there who were left jobless en masse after the outbreak.
Young jobless people have moved back to their hometown there to try and make a living by fishing.
They can generate an average income of 1,000 to 3,000 baht a day from fishing.
Mr Seb also initiated a savings group in Ban Bang Rong in 1997 with 35 initial members.
The savings group now has 1,500 members with 100 million baht worth of savings. The group offers interest-free loans of 50,000 to 1 million baht.
Members are entitled to additional perks such as free hospital visits of 700 baht per night, free transport worth 2,200 baht per trip and 35,000 baht for a funeral ceremony.
Ban Bang Rong is acclaimed as a learning centre for the sufficiency economy philosophy and an eco-tourism spot drawing 10,000 visitors a year.
Apart from the savings group, the village also established a crab bank.
According to Somchai Cheau-sanga, 60, chief of Ban Bang Rong's Crab Bank, the bank started with 15 initial families, established after he learned about the activities of a Phetchaburi crab bank in 2015.
Members deposit blue swimmer crab mothers they caught in the crab bank's rearing cages during the spawning season.
The female crabs can produce 700,000 to 1 million juvenile crabs. Once juvenile crabs are old enough, they will be released into the sea, with a survival rate of about 15%.
After release, blue swimmer crabs aged 4-5 months are ready to catch.
Although the price of blue swimmer crabs has fallen to 100 baht per kilogramme, down from 200-300 baht before the pandemic, villagers can survive because they also grow vegetables and catch other seafood, said Mr Somchai.