VIENTIANE, May 16 (Xinhua): Over 2,000 Lao people and foreign nationals have entered Laos through land borders and the airport in the Lao capital Vientiane since the government reopened the country's borders on May 9 amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to local daily Vientiane Times report on Monday, the figure was reported when Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Taskforce Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune, visited the First Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge and the Wattay International Airport in Vientiane last Friday.
The bridge opened on May 9 following a notice issued by the Prime Minister's Office stating that all borders could now reopen, with travel restrictions lifted and foreign nationals allowed to enter and exit Laos freely.
Head of the First Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge International Checkpoint Khamphone Thepphavong said that since Laos reopened, more than 1,600 people had entered the country and more than 2,100 people crossed the bridge into Thailand.
Meanwhile, more than 690 people have entered Laos through the airport in Vientiane since May 9 and more than 860 people have left Laos, a manager at Wattay International Airport said.
Kikeo also stressed the need for people to continue to comply with measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in keeping with guidance issued by the government.
The Lao government has called on all state departments, business operators and all sectors of society to be ready to welcome and offer warm hospitality to foreign tourists. - Xinhua
