A zoo in Chiang Mai province, northern Thailand reopened its panda exhibit area on Saturday (August 7) after shutting down for seven months for renovation during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The area has been closed since January this year due amid government restrictions for the coronavirus so staff took the chance to repair the roof, adjust the landscape within the exhibition area and to install a glass partition between visitors and the panda.

Staff said the reopening will be following the strict covid-19 prevention measures where a limited number of visitors would be allowed into the hall. The glass partition was also placed to reduce disturbance to the panda and to reduce the risk of spreading the covid-19 virus between the panda and visitors.

In the video, the female panda Linhui is seen eating bamboo while tourists take pictures. The 110kg-heavy panda was lent to Thailand from China in the year 2003.

Linhui was born on September 28, 2001, at the Giant Panda Research and Conservation Center in Wulong Conservation Area, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China.

Daicha Sirichat, one of the first visitors to return to the Chiang Mai Zoo, said: ‘We thought of visiting the zoo to relax on a holiday. We didn’t know there would be a panda exhibit, we’re lucky since the children love pandas too.’