Hotel and restaurant owners have brought their concerns before the Deputy Prime Minister in relation to lockdown measures put in place during the coronavirus, or Covid-19, pandemic.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and Investment, Mr. Sonexay Siphandone, met with representatives of the Lao Hotel and Restaurant Association at the Landmark Riverside Hotel on 26 April.
Present at the meeting were members of the National Taskforce for Prevention and Control of Covid-19, along with Mr. Sihoun Sitthileuxay, Vice Mayor of Vientiane Capital, and high-ranking officials from the ministries of information, culture, and tourism, and labor and social welfare.
The representatives of the Lao Hotel and Restaurant Association, led by its president, Mr. Pakasith Chanthapanya, met with the DPM and other officials in his retinue to discuss the problems faced by hotels and restaurants amid the current crisis, and the resulting lockdown period.
Mr. Pakasith spoke with the DPM regarding strategies to revive the industry after the lockdown period ends.
It was noted that many of the issues faced by the industry during its recovery process will take time to solve, especially the implementation of policies to assist workers who now find themselves unemployed.
DPM Sonexay praised the efforts of those involved in the hotel and restaurant industry in ensuring strict adherence to Prime Ministerial Order No. 6/PM, which enforces a lockdown until 3 May.
He also praised Landmark Hotel for providing accommodation to Chinese medical volunteers who arrived in Laos to provide assistance during the pandemic.
The DPM took note of the various concerns raised by the Lao Hotel and Restaurant Association and said that he would bring them before the Prime Minister in a specific meeting to address their issues.
Lockdown in Laos could be lifted on 3 May if no new cases of Covid-19 are confirmed, and the situation in neighboring countries remains stable, according to the national taskforce.
