Health workers are screening all passengers at the Chiang Mai Airport in northern Thailand for signs of the Covid-19 coronavirus.

Footage from this morning (18/02) shows travellers undergoing temperature checks and thermal scans to detect fevers - a symptom of the disease.

Airport boss Thananrat Prasertsri said any arriving or departing passengers with a temperature above 37.5 degrees would be isolated for medical checks.

He said: "Those who have a body temperature over 37.5 degrees celsius will be ordered to rest for half an hour before the second check.

"If the passenger's temperature still exceeds the airline will not issue their boarding pass and they will be diagnose by the doctor.

"Relatives who come to pick up their family but have high body temperatures will be sent to the hospital.

"The arriving passengers who have recently been to the risk countries including South Korean, Iran, China and Italy must have medical certificates issued not more than 48 hours earlier.

"They additionally need health insurance with a Thai hospital before passing the screening checkpoint."

Thananrat, Deputy Director of the airport, said passenger numbers have plunged since the coronavirus outbreak.

He added: "Normally, there are 250 flights in and out a day but now we only have 150 flights a day.

"We expect the number of the passenger will keep declining until the situation with the pandemic improves.

Thailand's Public Health Ministry today (March 18) declared 35 new cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus bringing the total to 212. They warned that lack of personal discipline could make the outbreak uncontrollable.

Officials have closed the country's bars, schools, universities and massage parlours until March 31.