Prajon Prachsakul, Chiang Rai governor
Thailand’s northern province of Chiang Rai has been declared safe and free of COVID-19 infections, as everyone who had been in close contact with an infected person were traced and screened, with no new cases being reported.
The Chiang Rai governor, Prajon Prachsakul, issued the declaration after the provincial communicable diseases committee met yesterday, to assess the latest COVID-19 situation in the province. The committee agreed that there should be an announcement to declare the province free from COVID-19 infections.
According to the CCSA, 64 COVID-19 cases, linked to Myanmar’s Thachilek Township, have been recorded, of which 55 were in Chiang Rai.
The infections emerged after a number of Thais, working at a hotel in Thachilek, illegally snuck across the border into Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai and then travelled to other provinces before they developed COVID-19 symptoms.
Nonetheless, everyone in the province, including visitors, are required to comply strictly with the guidelines issued by Thailand’s Public Health Ministry. They must wear face masks at all times while out-doors and wash their hands regularly, to ensure continuing and effective containment of the contagion.