CHIANG MAI: Bussakham field hospital in the northern province was declared closed on Wednesday after sending the last batch of patients home.
Provincial governor Prachon Pratsakul announced the closure of the last field hospital at the Chiang Mai International and Convention Centre in Muang district and returned the premises to the Treasury Department.
The closure came after doctors and nurses allowed the last nine Covid-19 patients to go home as cases dwindle in the province, giving health authorities confidence the pandemic is under control.
Mr Prachon said provincial hospitals would be able to handle any new patients.
The field hospital in Chiang Mai was reopened in July and has treated 7,740 patients.
Chiang Mai registered 68 new infections and four fatalities on Wednesday. These numbers will be included in the daily report of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Thursday.
The number of new cases in the province dropped from 142 on Dec 9 to 68 on Wednesday.
Chiang Mai will allow restaurants observing Covid prevention measures set by the government to sell alcoholic drinks during the countdown in Muang, Mae Rim, Mae Tang, Doi Tao and Chomthong districts.
Restaurants must be open-air and have good ventilation, while customers must be fully vaccinated and able to produce a negative RT-PCR test result.
Thanit Chumsaeng, the Chiang Mai Restaurant and Entertainment Venue Association president, said 500 restaurants in the five districts had been approved by authorities to sell alcohol until 1am on Jan 1 and 500 more are waiting to receive endorsement.