Health workers in protective gear prepare to remove a feverish woman from a passenger train for transport to hospital on Friday in Nakhon Ratchasima.

NAKHON RATCHASIMA: A 53-year-old woman with a high fever spat on health officials who tried to offer her a face mask on a local train, sparking coronavirus fears and panic among passengers and local residents.

The woman, whose name was withheld, boarded local train No 431 on the Kaeng Khoi-Khon Kaen route at Nong Sun railway station on Friday morning without buying a ticket.

She appeared sick and was not wearing a face mask, which led some passengers to believe she might have the coronavirus, said Thaworn Khamchunphon, chief of the Non Sung railway station, who was alerted at 8.50am on Friday.

He summoned three staff from Non Sung Hospital, in full personal protective suits, who entered the carriage where the woman was sitting. One handed her a face mask and told her to go to a Covid screening checkpoint at the railway station, but she refused and shouted at them. She then spat on the health workers.

This prompted the hospital staff to handcuff her and carry her out of the carriage for a body temperature checks. Her temperature was measured at 37.9C and she was taken to Non Sung Hospital for further checkups in case she had Covid-19.

The railway station chief subsequently called a rescue team to spray disinfectant at the station and in all train carriages. It took about one hour before the train was able to resume its journey.

The hospital later informed railway officials that the woman had a history of mental illness and had sought treatment in the past at Nakhon Ratchasima Rajanagarindra Psychiatric Hospital.

She was placed in quarantine for 14 days as part of measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19. If she is found to be not infected, she will be handed over to relatives.