A Thai brothel manager prayed to a Buddhist shrine as the venue's female employees looked on - hoping for customers amid the Covid-19 shut down.

The bizarre, contrasting scene, showed the male employee make offerings of orange flowers to the religious statue which is housed inside the seedy establishment.

In the background the prostitutes wait for customers, which are in short supply due to the country's tourism ban Ince March 22 to stop cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus.

Staff at the soapy massage parlour are praying that the borders re-open and tourists will return to the club.

'The girls also pray to the Buddhist shrine when they arrive for their shift,' said the filmer.

'I like to use the club's in-house restaurant as they make great food.

'It's very strange to see the religious monument inside the bawdy house. I'm not sure how the two activities can be reconciled. They seem like worlds apart.'

Thailand's national religion is Buddhism and symbols of it can be found throughout everyday life.

The country has not recorded any local transmissions of Covid-19 for more than two months but a ban on non-residents entering the country remains in force - with some medics pushing for tourists to be kept out until 2021 at the earliest.