House Speaker Chuan Leekpai on Monday insisted none of the senators and MPs who recently met the Covid-infected Japanese ambassador to Thailand have contracted the virus.

Mr Chuan said he had advised lawmakers who were concerned that they might have been exposed to Covid-19 to take a test.

He confirmed that a House meeting on April 7-8 to review the Referendum Act draft would take place as scheduled, saying parliament had stringent anti-Covid-19 measures in place and no MPs or senators had been infected so far.

A banquet attended by Ambassador Kazuya Nashida and the parliamentarians was held on March 22. The ambassador tested positive after March 25, Mr Chuan said.

Sukit Atthopakorn, an adviser to Mr Chuan, said fear of Covid-19 transmission was not a good enough reason to cancel the April 7-8 House meetings.

Parliament had asked the MPs and senators who attended to take a rapid Covid-19 test. The tests were negative, Mr Sukit said.

The adviser came out to clarify the matter after Palang Pracharath MP and government chief whip, Wirat Ratanaset, called on the House speaker to postpone or skip the house meeting.

One of the senators who attended the banquet, Somchai Sawangkan posted on social media that his 14-day self-isolation period ended on April 5 and no one at the event has tested positive.

The ministry said on Saturday that the ambassador was being treated at a hospital in the kingdom and his condition was improving.

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Sunday said three Japanese nationals were among 87 local infections. It was unclear whether one of them was the ambassador.