The Public Health Ministry has ruled out a lockdown in the province of Chiang Mai as a result of a coronavirus scare involving a Thai returnee from Myanmar.
"The ministry has been testing all those who came into contact with the patient and there has yet to be a positive result," Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control said.
"Widespread Covid-19 transmission is unlikely because people in Chiang Mai are still mostly wearing masks on a daily basis. The ministry will continue monitoring the situation for a further 14 days," he said.
Of the 328 people believed to have come into close contact with the 29-year-old Thai woman who worked in Myanmar who tested positive, 107 were at high risk of contagion. Of those, 65 have already seen negative test results returned.
Dr Opas asked people to remain calm and cautioned against "overreacting" after some schools announced their immediate temporary closure, and said all necessary precautions were being taken.
In Chiang Rai the public health chief gave details about how two young women aged 26 and 23, were able to illegally enter Mai Sai district from Tachileik in Myanmar after dark on Thursday night.
Both worked at the same entertainment venue as the 29-year-old woman who tested positive in Chiang Mai.
All three had gone to work in the Myanmar border town last month, but decided to return to Thailand after authorities imposed a midnight to 4am curfew to contain the local outbreak.
