People wear face masks at a railway station in Bangkok, Thailand (Illustrative photo: AFP/VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – A total of 40,356 people in Laos have received COVID-19tests since January, unveiled a report from the Lao Ministry of Health onSeptember 4.
Ofthe number, 22 tested positive for coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and 21 of them haverecovered.
Thelast patient has been treated in a designated hospital in Vientiane capital.
OnSeptember 3, a total of 2,246 people entered Laos through international bordercheckpoints. The temperature of each person entering Laos was checked and noone showed signs of fever.
TheLao government has warned people nationwide not to neglect containment andpreventive measures.
Meanwhile,Thailand is racing ahead with contact tracing after detecting its firstdomestic coronavirus infection in over three months, with tests conducted onnearly 200 people with possible exposure to the new case.
Thailandreported its first non-imported case after over 100 days on September 3, aftera prisoner a day earlier had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 that causesCOVID-19 during a mandatory test for new inmates.
Sofar, 194 people considered at risk. Thai authorities were using a governmentsmartphone application to contact those who had checked-in at high-risk venues.
Thailandhas reported 3,431 cases and 58 COVID-19 deaths overall, with 96 patientscurrently being treated in hospital.
Alsoon September 3, Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said thecountry will work with the Group of 20 (G-20) countries and internationalorganisations to look into the gradual restart of cross-border travel.
Thisresumption of international traffic amid the COVID-19 pandemic will be donesafely through comprehensive testing and rigorous contact tracing, he said.
Theminister also emphasised the need to keep global supply chains open and theimportance of speeding up the digital transformation of societies.
Headded that therapeutics and vaccines should be a global good for all./.
Thailand will allow foreign tourists to visit for longer stays in Phuket tourist island from October, a senior official of the country said on August 21, as the government tries to revive a key economic sector that has been devasted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Lawernce Wong, co-chair of the Singaporean inter-ministry committee against COVID-19, on August 21 said the country will allow the general travel by its people to Brunei and New Zealand, starting from September 1.
Cambodia will charge only 100 USD from foreigners for each of the required two COVID-19 tests and the rest of their deposit will be returned to them, the Health Ministry announced on September 2.
The Republic of Korea (RoK), China and Japan agreed on May 3 to reinforce the regional financial safety net, along with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), by launching a new financing facility programme meant to extend greater support in case of a financial crisis.
A technical issue combined with an extreme heatwave was blamed for a series of explosions at a military base that killed 20 soldiers and injured several others in Cambodia on April 27, the country’s Ministry of Defence said in a May 2 statement as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
The Customs Department of Thailand is scheduled to commence the collection of value-added tax (VAT) on imported goods sent via postal services, regardless of the goods value, starting in May.
A lecturer from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine has warned Thais to be more vigilant against COVID-19, saying infection rates appeare to be worsening with higher hospital admissions, deaths and severe cases.
Malaysia should harness the collective expertise and resources to drive sustainable growth and development of the halal industry, according to Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Laos has officially restored the 10% value-added tax (VAT) rate starting May 1, in a bid to support the country’s budget revenue and socio-economic development.
The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) entered its second plenary session in Hanoi on the afternoon of April 23, discussing ways to ensure comprehensive security for the people-centred ASEAN Community.
The first session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) in Hanoi on April 23 focused on fast and sustainable growth for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) and the ASEAN Alliance on Carbon Markets (AACM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the implementation of carbon crediting programmes across Southeast Asia.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn reaffirmed ASEAN leaders' commitment to empowering the youth to unleash their full potential when he had a dialogue with ASEAN youth in Hanoi on April 22 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Future Forum (AF 2024).
The Thai Government is being urged to increase the proportion of renewable power generation to more than the target of 50% set in the power development plan (PDP).
The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of Indonesia on April 21 lifted its tsunami advisory issued previously following the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro district of North Sulawesi province.
Thailand expects to export about 1 million tonnes of durian, valued at an estimated 130 billion THB (3.53 billion USD) this year, with most of the shipments to China, according to Minister of Agriculture Thammanat Prompao.
The 72nd meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) and related meetings are being held by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Vietnam in the central city of Da Nang on April 22-26.
Enhancing regional food security and tackling the pressing challenges of climate change will be key agendas defining Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house) Johari Abdul told the press on April 19.
People wear face masks at a railway station in Bangkok, Thailand (Illustrative photo: AFP/VNA) 
