Thailand's popular resort island of Phuket will close all its hotel services from Saturday until further notice.
The announcement was made Friday by Phuket Governor Pakkapong Thaweepat in the wake of a rising number of COVID-19 infections.
However, under the new directive, guests already staying in hotels in Phuket can stay until their scheduled departure date, but hotels are not allowed to accept new guests starting from Saturday, said the governor.
The new order also requires hotel managements to report to Phuket districts of the remaining guests so that health officers can screen them and monitor their condition.
Hotels in Phuket which have been converted into field hospitals are not affected by the order.
Foreign arrivals since March 19 have dropped dramatically after the Thai government imposed stringent travel restrictions, including travellers to carry "fit-to-fly" medical certificates, $100,000 health insurance coverage and a 14-day mandatory quarantine at designated hotels at the visitor's own expense.
With the emergency decree and curfew placed, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said that military troops will join police and local administration officials from Friday night to patrol streets and stand guard at road blocks in Bangkok and all provinces across the country, to enforce the 10pm to 4am (local time) curfew.
Thai police spokesman Pol Lt-Gen Piya Uthayo warned on Friday that curfew violators could face two years in prison and/or a 40,000 baht (1,213 US dollar) fine.
Those who work night shifts need to carry their identification cards and letters from their employers explaining the nature of the work that requires them to work late at night.
Phuket on Friday reported 13 new cases of COVID-19, tallying at 100.
