Prachuap Khiri Khan province is pushing back the reopening of the resort town of Hua Hin to tourists to at least Nov 1 due to recent spikes in Covid-19.

Dr Suriya Kuharat, head of the provincial health office, said the schedule will be moved back from Oct 1 to ensure the safety of visitors.

The Covid-19 situation in the province is still serious and it is still considered a dark-red zone. Yesterday, 151 people tested positive for the coronavirus, including four locals in Hua Hin district.

Infections were also still being found at a canned-fruit factory in the province’s Kui Buri district. So far, almost 400 workers have tested positive for Covid-19.

A reopening date of Nov 1 is more preferable as the coronavirus situation should improve by then, Dr Suriya said.

Fifty-five percent of residents in the province have received their first shot while 38% have received their second. Specifically, in Hua Hin, 82% of residents have received their first shot while 56% have received their second.

Dr Suriya said he wants to see sealed routes similar to the Phuket Sandbox model put in place once Hua Hin reopens.

Residents would be able to travel to the resort town of Hua Hin and visit the Cha-Am beaches in the nearby Phetchaburi province, he said.

Kitipong Siriphetkasem, vice president of the Hua Hin-Cha-Am Tourism Association, agreed with Dr Suriya. He said a premature reopening would raise concern among tourism operators.

Despite the economic suffering of the past two years, the reopening should not cause concern among tourism operators, he said.

To prepare for the return of tourism, the Hua Hin municipality has installed 486 CCTV cameras in 118 sites, said Nopporn Wutthikul, mayor of Hua Hin.

The CCTV cameras will bring another layer of safety to locals and tourists, he said.

Mr Nopporn said Hua Hin will reopen once it reaches its vaccination target — about 70% of the population.

Krod Rojanasathira, president of the Hua Hin Recharge Project, said the postponement of reopening for another month will be helpful.

The new reopening schedule would be in line with the reopening targets of other major tourist areas such as Chiang Mai, Chon Buri, Phetchaburi and Bangkok, he said, adding they are scheduled to reopen on Nov 1 at the earliest.