Cloth face masks are useless against the Omicron variant and the Thai COVID-19 Information Centre is recommending that people wear three-layer medical masks instead, citing information from a guest professor at the Milken Institute of George Washington University, Dr. Leana Wen.

People can use cloth face masks to cover their medical masks if they want to, according to the COVID-19 Information Centre.

In Thailand’s north-eastern province of Ubon Ratchathani, an Australian tourist, who arrived in the country last week to visit his wife, is now being treated in hospital after he tested positive for the Omicron variant. Ten people in close contact with him have been placed under medical observation.

An entertainment venue in the province has been ordered to close for seven days after 19 people were found to be infected with COVID-19 and 20 more have been isolated for observation.

Health officials said this is the second time the venue has been closed. In November more than 100 customers and staff were found to be infected.

According to the centre, 2,306 new COVID-19 cases have been reported nationally in the past 24 hours, including 96 foreign arrivals. The death toll today was 32.

33,639 people are still being treated in hospital, including 717 serious cases and 176 on ventilators.