INTERNATIONAL: Thailand had just opened its borders to vaccinated visitors for the first time in 18 months on 3 November, as the country struggles to boost an economy.

Three days after, it has has detected its first case of the Omicron coronavirus variant in a US citizen who had travelled to the country from Spain late last month, a health official has confirmed on Monday.

The confirmed case in the man, who had arrived on 29 November, makes Thailand the 47th country to have found the new variant, the Director-General of the Department of Disease Control, Dr. Opas Karnkawingpong has announced in a press conference.

"This first confirmed case of Omicron variant is a 35-year-old man who is a US citizen who lived in Spain for a year," Dr Opas has said adding that the patient had mild symptom.

Dr. Opas says that the health authorities were conducting further tests of people who had come into contact with the man, but said all contacts so far were low risk.

Thailand has banned travellers from eight African countries including Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe at the start of December amid concerns about the Omicron variant. Thailand authorities had also limited travel from other African countries and were monitoring for more potential cases among international travellers.

^{PHOTO: PEOPLE WALKING ON SKYWALK NEAR MALL PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH THERMAL SCREENING MACHINES AT MALL ENTRANCES BANGKOK TRAFFIC SOUNDBITES FROM PUBLIC HEALTH MINISTRY OFFICIAL FILE FOOTAGE OF TOURISTS, SOME WEARING PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT SUITS, ARRIVING AT SUVARNABHUMI AIRPORT AND CLEARING IMMIGRATION}