Southeast Asia: Laos has no new COVID-19 case for 25 consecutive days hinh anh 1A COVID-19 patient in Laos receives treatment (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)
 
Hanoi (VNA) – Laos’ Health Ministry said the country had not recorded any new case of COVID-19 for 25 days in a row as of late May 6, with the total cases remaining at 19 with 10 having recovered.

Despite the optimistic outcomes, Lao authorities remain cautious and continue to keep strict prevention measures in place, with special attention paid to those who enter the country. All people entering Laos, including Lao citizens, have to be tested for coronavirus and quarantined for 14 days.  

On May 7 afternoon, the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos announced that a large number of Vietnamese citizens had registered with the embassy and Lao diplomatic agencies to return to Vietnam after the Lao Government agreed to allow foreign citizens to exit via border gates.

During three days from May 4 to 6, around 1,600 Vietnamese citizens returned to Vietnam through international border gates on the Vietnam-Laos border.

Meanwhile, Thailand continued to report only few new COVID-19 cases, with three confirmed on May 7 and no new death. The country had a total 2,992 infections and 55 deaths.

Thailand has mapped out a timetable for phase two of relaxing restrictions measures which were imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19. Spokesman of the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) Taweesilp Visanuyothin said the second phase for easing of restrictions would begin on May 17 if the number of new cases does not increase. The Thai Government has planned four phases for easing of restrictions over two months.  

The spokesman also said all Thais returning from overseas must be quarantined for 14 days. Since April 4, Thailand has repatriated 4,637 citizens from 27 countries, and is preparing to bring 7,000 more citizens home.  

Meanwhile, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines recorded many more new infections on May 7.  

Malaysia confirmed 39 new cases, bringing the total to 6,467 but the number of fatalities remained at 107 with no new death.

The number of cases in Indonesia rose to 12,776 and fatalities to 930 with 338 new infections and 35 new deaths.  

The Philippines had 339 more cases and 27 new deaths, taking the total number of cases to 10,343 and fatalities to 685./.

VNA