Laos eases Covid curbs, visiting business people no longer need to quarantine

Upon arrival in Laos, business-related visitors must take a RT-PCR Covid test, with the result confirmed within 48 hours. - Xinhua

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/Asia News Network): The government has eased Covid-19 restrictions, including lifting the quarantine requirement for visiting businesspeople who have a negative Covid test result after entering Laos.

Upon arrival in Laos, business-related visitors must take a RT-PCR Covid test, with the result confirmed within 48 hours.

During this time, new arrivals must remain in quarantine but if a negative test result is returned they will be allowed to move freely while wearing a health monitoring device.

The same rule applies to foreign tourists entering Laos on a package tour arranged through the green (safe) tourism programme, according to a notice issued by the Prime Minister’s Office on Feb 3.

The notice also shortens the quarantine time for other groups of people.

Lao delegations and citizens entering Laos from a foreign country must also take a Covid test but if a negative result is returned they may go to their place of residence and self-isolate for seven days.

The rule also applies to diplomats, employees of foreign embassies to Laos, United Nations’ agencies and other international organisations.

Foreign experts, technical staff, workers, students, foreign nationals who are of Lao origin and family members of Lao citizens are subject to the same procedure and must wear a health monitoring device.

Foreign expats in Laos and new foreign incomers are required to install and register the ‘LaoKYC’ programme on their mobile phone in order to use the ‘Lao SUSU mobile application’ and create a vaccine ID to certify they have been vaccinated and verify their circumstances.

The government has also given the green light to provincial authorities to work with their counterparts in neighbouring countries towards reopening local and traditional border crossings for the transport of goods.

In addition, all kinds of indoor and outdoor sports are now allowed.

Restrictions have been eased following a steady decline in the number of new Covid cases reported each day.

Over the past 24 hours, 488 new cases were reported, the National Taskforce for Covid-19 Prevention and Control announced on Saturday.

This was the fourth day that the number of new cases was recorded at below 500. The new cases bring the total as of Saturday to 136,148, including 565 deaths from the virus.

To encourage private sector involvement in Covid testing, the government is permitting private hospitals to offer testing in line with guidance given by the Ministry of Health, the notice from the Prime Minister’s Office stated.

Authorities at all levels have been instructed to expedite the vaccination programme in order to immunise the Lao population against the virus.

Laos has received more than 18 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, which is sufficient to inoculate the total population of more than 7 million people.

Although restrictions are gradually being phased out, the government continues to ban entertainment and karaoke venues from opening to the public.

Delivering a briefing on the easing of Covid curbs, the vice chairman of the National Taskforce for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, Thipphakone Chanthavongsa, said authorities in charge would continue to keep track of and assess the situation and revise measures accordingly.