Medical Certificates Mandatory For Int’l Travel

Source: Vientiane Times

All travellers exiting Laos will be required to produce a medical certificate for their destination country to contain the spread of Covid-19.

The National Taskforce Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control has announced that all travellers, including locals, must have a medical certificate before they visit another country.

The committee said people who did not have a valid medical certificate would be denied entry at their destinations.
Deputy Director of Mittaphab Hospital, Dr Vangnakhone Dittaphong, during a telephone interview with Vientiane Times underlined the significance of medical certificates for travellers.

There will be multiple health check points and travellers will be required to produce medical documents from their country of origin.

They will have to pay a fee to obtain the medical certificate from the designated hospital.

People in Laos can request for a medical certificate at specific hospitals in the country. However, many have been prohibited from visiting hospitals and will not be able to procure medical certificates. These are people with flu-like symptoms, cough, sore throat, or respiratory problems or have had a history of contact with a high-risk group.

In Vientiane, the  Mittaphab Hospital (Friendship Hospital), Mahosot Hospital and the Pasteur Institute in Vientiane are the facilities in the city that have been designated to conduct a health check for Covid 19.

He said the medical certificate should certify that the traveller does not display any Covid-like symptoms and is Covid-negative. This preventive measure will go a long way in preventing the spread of the virus.

According to media reports, people recently infected with COVID-19 were not allowed entry into Thailand.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) announced that Thais stranded abroad who wish to return must present two documents to the airline – a medical certificate confirming that they are fit to travel and a travel certificate issued by the Embassy of Thailand, the Consulate General of Thailand, or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 72 hours before travel.

In case of failure to present these documents, the airline has the right to refuse a boarding pass. This measure and the rather complicated process has not gone down well with many Thai expats.