Controls stepped up on trucks entering Laos from Thailand
 
Savannakhet province’s Taskforce Committee on Covid-19 Prevention and Control has strengthened virus prevention measures in relation to truck drivers entering Laos from Thailand.
More stringent measures are being carried out to prevent the spread of the coronavirus following the recent fresh outbreak of Covid-19 in Thailand.
Deputy Director of Savannakhet province’s health department, Dr Tiengkham Pongvongsa, told Vientiane Times the move was in response to an order from the National Taskforce Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control relating to all provinces bordering Thailand.
“We are not banning Thai trucks from delivering goods into Laos but all truck drivers must comply with government guidelines concerning the control of Covid-19,” he said.
Health authorities have strengthened screening and quarantine measures at all ports of entry across the country. Officials at all entry points are using thermal scanners to check visitors’ temperature, including in Savannakhet.
The Savannakhet Taskforce for Covid-19 Prevention and Control announced on January 11 that prevention and control measures would be strengthened at the second Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge, which links Savannakhet with Mukdahan province in Thailand.
Truck drivers entering Laos from Thailand have the option to self-monitor for the virus or to arrange a change of driver.
Officials are working hard to make Thai and Lao hauliers aware of the dynamics of the global pandemic and the importance of complying with the rules to prevent the spread of the virus.
Savannakhet province is a popular border crossing for international travel and trade.
There has recently been a noticeable drop in trade at Lao-Thai border in Savannakhet and about 400 trucks are currently entering the province from Thailand each day.
Savannakhet’s health department said the province had 11 quarantine centres up and running last August but only three are functioning now, housing almost 240 returning Lao workers.
Almost 2,000 Lao workers have returned to Savannakhet and nearby provinces across the Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge after they were laid off from jobs in Thailand due to the pandemic.
According to the province svirus taskforce, officials are strengthening preparedness for and response to Covid-19 by identifyingany unusual clusters of disease or illnesses.
The taskforce has told neighbouring countries that trucks ferrying goods to Laos may not travel through the China-Boten border crossing in Luang Namtha province.
The National Taskforce Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control has instructed local authorities in all provinces bordering Thailand to record information about people entering Laos.
These provinces are considered at high risk for the spread of the virus as they border populous Thailand, and the border between Laos and Thailand is porous.

By Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth
(Latest Update January 20, 2021)