Tourism operators want two-week Thai lockdown

Tourists wearing face masks walk past a warning signboard at Wat Pho. Tourism operators are urging a two-week lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus. (Photo by Apichart Jinakul)
Tourists wearing face masks walk past a warning signboard at Wat Pho. Tourism operators are urging a two-week lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus. (Photo by Apichart Jinakul)

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 limit the damage. But without any control, the disease could spread throughout the country and more deeply impact the overall economy, Mr Chamnan said.

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Vocabulary

  • cluster (verb): to come together in a small group or groups - ทำให้อยู่รวมเป็นกลุ่ม
  • connection: something that connects two things, etc. - การเชื่อมต่อ การเชื่อมโยง
  • damage (noun): physical harm caused to something which makes it less attractive, useful or valuable - ความเสียหาย
  • federation: a large organisation made up of several smaller organisations or groups that share similar aims - สหพันธ์, สมาคม
  • impact (verb): to have an effect or influence on someone/something - มีผลกระทบ
  • lockdown (noun): an official order to control the movement of people or vehicles because of a dangerous situation -
  • outbreak: the sudden start of a disease - การระบาดของโรค
  • particularly: especially, or more than usual - โดยเฉพาะ
  • tackle: to make an organised and determined attempt to deal with something - จัดการ, รับมือ
  • urgent: needing to be dealt with immediately - ที่เร่งด่วน

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