Lockdown extended in Laos to curb COVID-19

VIENTIANE, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The Lao government has decided to extend the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown for another 15 days, effective from July 5-19 with certain relaxations.

Deputy Head of the Prime Minister's Office, Thipphakone Chanthavongsa, told a press conference in Lao capital Vientiane on Sunday that the situation in neighboring countries remained risky, and the Delta strain has been confirmed in Laos, therefore, the lockdown order will be extended until July 19.

The lockdown extension aimed to bring community transmissions of COVID-19 under control, minimize the number of patients and ensure everyone in the society restore normal life under new normal conditions as soon as possible, said Thipphakone.

The current nationwide lockdown, imposed on June 19, was set to expire on July 4.

Laos recorded 32 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections to 2,244.

A total of 2,031 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals.