This is the bizarre moment a beauty pageant was held without any audience due to Covid-19 restrictions in Thailand.

Only the judges and some reporters were allowed to attend the 2021 Miss Chiang Mai pageant in on January 5.

Chairs were placed for hundreds of guests, but were left empty as authorities fear the spreading of coronavirus.

The glamorous contestants answered questions and gave speeches to an almost deserted hall devoid of the usual cheering.

Even though there were no crowds, the event went live on Facebook so that people could still vote for their favourites.

At the end of the event, 22-year-old Pharmacy graduate Chonnikarn Pityaporn was crowned Miss Chiang Mai.

She said: ‘It’s still a special day for me even though there were no friends or family here to enjoy the moment with me.’

Several events due to be held in the province were cancelled after a 24-year-old woman went on a pub crawl and tested positive for the virus the next morning on January 4.

The woman is the 50th person traced to have been infected in Chiang Mai.

Provincial governor Charoenrit Sguansat said: ‘All the winter events will be cancelled to prevent the spread of Covid-19.’

The strict measures came following an outbreak of hundreds of new cases in Thailand, which started on December 18 and has lead to sweeping closures of non-essential businesses across the country.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha said the latest restrictions were ‘not a lockdown’ but warned that curfews and travel bans could be reintroduced if cases continue to increase.

Thailand has recorded 9,841 cases of Covid-19 and 67 deaths. The second wave of infections began in mid-December following an outbreak among Burmese migrant workers at a seafood market in Samut Sakhon province close to the capital Bangkok.