Thai pageant under fire after 13 beauty queens contract COVID-19

13 beauty queens and nine others have tested positive for COVID-19 after the Miss Grand Samut Sakhon beauty pageant was held in Bangkok, Thailand.

The pageant was held last June 27 and attended by beauty queens and spectators from the area. Two weeks later, a cluster of 22 individuals was found to have COVID-19.

"There are likely to be many people involved in the pageant including contestants who violated rules and regulations," Thai deputy commissioner Pol Maj Gen Piya Tawichai told the Bangkok Post. "People who attended the pageant and did not wear masks also (breached) the emergency decree and diseases control laws."

The organizers of the pageant are now being summoned by authorities to face charges, as Thai events require strict health protocols such as wearing masks, physical distancing, and an allotted number of participants. Meanwhile, photos from the Miss Grand Samut Sakhon Facebook page show the finalists huddled close for their winning shot.

Thailand is currently experiencing a rise in COVID-19 cases, as they're now going through their deadliest surge from the Alpha and Delta variants. As of writing, the country has had a total of 345,000 COVID-19 cases and 2,791 deaths.