VIENTIANE, Mar 23 (NNN-KPL) – The Lao government called on all Lao workers in foreign countries returning home, to enter through official international checkpoints, to ensure they are scanned for COVID-19.
Lao labour authorities are also mulling actions to assist Lao workers in foreign countries, including Thailand, following directions from the government’s monthly cabinet meeting for Mar, which announced measures to prevent and control the virus.
Local daily, Vientiane Times, on Monday (today), quoted an anonymous official from Lao Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, as saying about plans to help Lao workers who want to return home that the ministry will publicly announce shortly.
She said, labour officials admitted it was difficult to prevent labourers infected with the virus from entering the country, given that carriers may be asymptomatic for up to two weeks.
“The ministry cannot yet confirm the real number of workers returning. Even if they are illegal labourers, we still have to take care of them as they are Lao people,” the official said.
Many Lao workers have previously returned home via local border checkpoints, particularly illegal workers in Thailand, who avoided stricter scrutiny of their labour documents at international checkpoints.
Lao Prime Minister, Thongloun Sisoulith, ordered the temporary closure of traditional and local level border crossings around the country, as these were not equipped with virus detection tools to scan travellers.
The government is keeping a close watch on entry points the labourers use, while health officials will check their travel history.
Lao government intensified preventive measures, despite there being no confirmed case of the virus infection in Laos.– NNN-KPL
