Health Ministry has urged those who have close contact with risk groups to quarantine themselves and rush to get tested for Covid-19.
The number of locally transmitted cases of Covid-19 in the Lao PDR is increasing with most of them linked to in a garment factory in Nongtha Nuea, Chanthabouly district, Vientiane.
The rocket surge in community cases in recent days has prompted Vientiane to issue an order to rein in Covid-19 outbreak in the capital city.
“If you think that you have a close contact with infected people or you are in a high-risk group, you need to quarantine yourself immediately and rush to get tested for the virus, and even your test results are negative you still need to continue quarantining yourself for 14 days,” said today Dr. Rattanaxay Phetsouvanh, Director General of the Department of Communicable Disease Control, Ministry of Health. “If you have any unusual symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, chest pain, runny nose, loss of smell or taste, call 165 or 166 for advice.”
He called on entrepreneurs and factories to cooperate with relevant authorities in conducting risk assessments, testing and interviewing infected people and tracing contacts.
Vientiane Mayor Atsaphangthong Siphandone issued a notice on Sep 19 putting the capital city under a strict two-week lockdown through Sep 30, 2021.
The notice, effective from Sep 19, orders residents in the capital city to stay in their homes except in necessary cases such as to buy food, medicines, or go to the hospital.
Travels to and from the following districts of the capital are prohibited: Chanthaboury, Sikhottabong, Xaysettha, Sisattanak, Xaythany, Hadxayfong and Naxaythong.
Passenger and goods transport from Vientiane to provinces and areas hit by Covid-19 or risky areas are banned except with permission from the central and Vientiane Taskforce Committees for Covid-19 Prevention and Control.
People in provinces with locally transmitted cases of Covid-19 are not allowed to enter Vientiane. In case the entry is necessary, they must be quarantined for 14 days.
Vientiane residents returning from provinces with community cases must be quarantined 14 days.
Some 214 new Covid-19 cases, including 162 local transmissions and 52 imported cases, have been recorded nationwide over the past 24 hours. These included 77 local transmissions in Vientiane.

Source: Lao News Agency