Sangthong District in Vientiane Capital has locked down certain villages following the community spread of Covid-19 earlier this week.
According to a notice issued by the Sangthong District Taskforce for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, Samphana and Kengmor villages have been designated as red zones.
In a first for the district, new local cases of Covid-19 infection were detected among residents of Sangthong, with contract tracing revealing large numbers of people who may have had contact.
The infection is believed to have originated with the return of a migrant worker from Thailand.
The person had returned to Laos from Thailand via the Friendship Bridge, staying in quarantine for a full 14 days at the KM 27 state quarantine center. The person tested negative for Covid-19 and was authorized to leave the center on 21 July.
By 24 July, the person began exhibiting symptoms of Covid-19, complaining of headache, fever, and tiredness. However, they did not immediately get tested for Covid-19.
On 29 July the person was tested at the Houayhong testing center, where a positive result was announced on 30 July.
Following the test result, authorities in Sangthong District have designated the two villages of Samphana and Kengmor as red zones, while the district has been designated a location of risk.
Sangthong District has been locked down since yesterday evening, with those requiring entry or exit into the district to request authorization from the district taskforce.
Quarantine Period Could Be Extended
Xayaboury Province has locked down Xayaboury District following a similar incident as a husband and wife left quarantine and travelled to their home in the province where they then tested positive for Covid-19.
The persistence of the virus following a 14-day quarantine period has seen many alarmed residents urging the government to increase the quarantine period to 21 days.
