VIENTIANE, Dec 19 (Vientiane Times/ANN): Authorities have ordered the postponement of many popular festivals and their related activities scheduled to take place in the provinces in a recent move to prevent a potential Covid-19 outbreak in Laos.
The Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism issued a notice on Friday night, postponing the Vangvieng Music Festival – the popular annual event held annually in the resort district of Vangvieng in Vientiane province.
The event had been scheduled for Dec 19 and preparation had already took place. The organisers have set up stages and several performance zones. Tickets went on sale on Dec 7 and many people had bought tickets and booked hotel rooms.
Bun on Friday night (Dec 18), the festival event organisers said they would comply with the ministry’s instructions and would announce the date of the next festival as soon as possible.
They will refund ticket purchases and inform people of the dates and places where refunds will be available
For those vendors who had booked stalls to sell food and drinks are unable to attend the rescheduled festival, the organisers will return the money they paid for booking fee.
Elsewhere, authorities in northwestern Xayaboury province has announced that they would downsize the famous annual Elephant Festival scheduled to take place in February. The number of activities will be limited.
The festival, which has been gaining in popularity every year since it first took place in 2007, normally features a baci – a ritual ceremony for the elephants, a beautiful elephant contest, and a demonstration of how elephants are trained to perform circus routines.
In Luang Prabang, Laos’ world heritage town, authorities have called for local residents to celebrate the New Year simply and quietly, and that ethnic festivals to celebrate the event must be restricted to small family gatherings.
Laos keeps vigilant as the country still risks internal outbreak as the pandemic is still raging in many countries in the region and around the world, authorities said.
Laos has recorded 41 confirmed cases including five being treated in a Vientiane hospital. Most cases occurring among people who had recently travelled to Laos from other countries. There are no deaths.
In another development, Laos is expected to receive and distribute a Covid-19 vaccine in 2021, according to a health ministry officials.
Director General of the Department of Communicable Disease Control under Lao Ministry of Health, Rattanaxay Phetsouvanh, told a press conference held in the Lao capital Vientiane that within the year 2021 Laos will be able to receive and distribute a vaccine against Covid-19.
Rattanaxay added the vaccine to be used in the Southeast Asian country will be a vaccine created in Britain.
As of Thursday, Laos has tested 86,481 suspected cases with 41 of them testing positive for COVID-19.
A total of 36 patients have recovered from the coronavirus epidemic, and the remaining five cases are being treated in the designated Mittaphab Hospital (Hospital 150) in Vientiane.
Laos reported its first two confirmed Covid-19 cases on March 24. - The Vientiane Times/Asian News Network
The Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism issued a notice on Friday night, postponing the Vangvieng Music Festival – the popular annual event held annually in the resort district of Vangvieng in Vientiane province.
The event had been scheduled for Dec 19 and preparation had already took place. The organisers have set up stages and several performance zones. Tickets went on sale on Dec 7 and many people had bought tickets and booked hotel rooms.
Bun on Friday night (Dec 18), the festival event organisers said they would comply with the ministry’s instructions and would announce the date of the next festival as soon as possible.
They will refund ticket purchases and inform people of the dates and places where refunds will be available
For those vendors who had booked stalls to sell food and drinks are unable to attend the rescheduled festival, the organisers will return the money they paid for booking fee.
Elsewhere, authorities in northwestern Xayaboury province has announced that they would downsize the famous annual Elephant Festival scheduled to take place in February. The number of activities will be limited.
The festival, which has been gaining in popularity every year since it first took place in 2007, normally features a baci – a ritual ceremony for the elephants, a beautiful elephant contest, and a demonstration of how elephants are trained to perform circus routines.
In Luang Prabang, Laos’ world heritage town, authorities have called for local residents to celebrate the New Year simply and quietly, and that ethnic festivals to celebrate the event must be restricted to small family gatherings.
Laos keeps vigilant as the country still risks internal outbreak as the pandemic is still raging in many countries in the region and around the world, authorities said.
Laos has recorded 41 confirmed cases including five being treated in a Vientiane hospital. Most cases occurring among people who had recently travelled to Laos from other countries. There are no deaths.
In another development, Laos is expected to receive and distribute a Covid-19 vaccine in 2021, according to a health ministry officials.
Director General of the Department of Communicable Disease Control under Lao Ministry of Health, Rattanaxay Phetsouvanh, told a press conference held in the Lao capital Vientiane that within the year 2021 Laos will be able to receive and distribute a vaccine against Covid-19.
Rattanaxay added the vaccine to be used in the Southeast Asian country will be a vaccine created in Britain.
As of Thursday, Laos has tested 86,481 suspected cases with 41 of them testing positive for COVID-19.
A total of 36 patients have recovered from the coronavirus epidemic, and the remaining five cases are being treated in the designated Mittaphab Hospital (Hospital 150) in Vientiane.
Laos reported its first two confirmed Covid-19 cases on March 24. - The Vientiane Times/Asian News Network
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
