Laos: Vientiane bans large gatherings over New Year holiday due to pandemic hinh anh 1A corner of Vientiane (File photo: AFP/VNA)

Vientiane (VNA) – The COVID-19 prevention and control agency of Laos’ Vientiane capital has banned large gatherings during the upcoming 2022 New Year over COVID-19 fear.

Alcoholic beverages will also be prohibited at restaurants and entertainment facilities.
The announcement was made over concern about by the Omicron variant, amid complex developments of the pandemic in the Southeast Asian country.

Local authorities are asked to inspect, monitor and dissolve gatherings, and allowed to detain violators.

The Ministry of Health reported on December 28 that Laos recorded 962 new COVID-19 cases across 18 localities and 14 deaths in the past 24 hours. The country has to date documented 107,740 cases, including 342 fatalities.

Vientiane logged the highest number of infections with 500 locally transmitted ones in a day./.

VNA