Thai transgender prostitute reveals impact of coronavirus tourist ban on her income

A despondent Thai transgender prostitute has revealed the devastating impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on her income.

Sam said that before the country shut down to stop the spreads of the disease, she would see four or five men a week, mainly from Europe.

However, since tourists were banned she's now relying on donations from abroad and her ''loyal local customers'' to survive through the pandemic.

The transgender prostitute said: ''In the past it was OK, I had sufficient income to support my family and for saving.

Previously there were many tourists, never as many as previous years, but I was Ok with that.

''The pandemic has had a direct impact on me because there are no foreign tourists, therefore I have no income.

''Most people think that this is an easy job, but it's not that easy.

We face many risks, we have to struggle by ourselves and we are not covered for social security like other professions.'' Restaurants were this month allowed to re-open after coronavirus infections in Thailand plunged - with no new locally transmitted cases for more than 30 days.

Ministers announced today (June 29) that bars, brothels and strip clubs will be allowed to open from July 1.

However, tourists are still banned from entering the country so the number of people using the venues will be low and many have chosen to remain closed.

Thailand has recorded 3,169 cases of Covid-19 and 58 deaths this year.