Tens of thousands of Hongkongers have seen their holiday plans scrapped as the Covid-19 pandemic sweeps across Asia, Europe, and America, with two major Hong Kong travel agencies pulling the plug on international tours.

The Travel Industry Council said on Tuesday that more than 4,400 tour groups had been called off as of Monday afternoon, affecting nearly 140,000 travelers.

It warned that the government’s plan to extend a red travel alert to all foreign countries would result in outbound travel agencies’ business grinding to a halt, sparking calls from the industry for fresh relief measures to avoid a wave of company closures.

Under new travel curbs, arrivals to Hong Kong from any overseas nation from Thursday will be put under 14-day home quarantine or medical surveillance.