Head of the province’s Information, Culture and Tourism Department, Dr Somkhit Vongpanya, told Vientiane Times yesterday that people from Thailand were continuing to visit Bokeo, but the number of Chinese visitors had fallen off.

He attributed this to the Lunar New Year holiday and the spread of the coronavirus in China.

Meanwhile, Bokeo province, which shares a border with China, has post-poned next month’s Kapok Festival indefinitely in an attempt to reduce visitor numbers and prevent the virus spreading south from China.

The management committee of the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in Tonpheung district has advised the governor of Bokeo province not to allow Chinese or Myanmar nationals to enter or exit across the international border in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone.

The province is currently waiting for approval from central authorities, according to an official working at the zone.

Director General of the Department of Communicable Disease Control at the Ministry of Health, Dr Rattanaxay Phetsavanh, told Vientiane Times that Luang Namtha, Bokeo and Phongsaly provinces, which share a border with China, have been provided with equipment and personnel to inspect people crossing the border in either direction.

If medical staff find anyone who is unwell and has a cough or cold, the authorities will interview them. If they are Chinese they will be repatriated in order to prevent the spread of the virus into Laos, he said.

The Ministry of Health is advising people to protect themselves from the virus by limiting contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections.

The ministry also said that people who had returned from Wuhan or had close contact with a person with pneumonia in the last 14 days should visit a health centre or hospital for examination and treatment if they showed signs of fever, coughing or shortness of breath.

The new coronavirus has spread to many cities in China and beyond, including Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, the United States, Nepal, France, Australia, Vietnam, Canada and Malaysia.

Chinese health authorities said on Wednesday that 5,974 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the coronavirus had been reported in 31 provincial level regions by the end of Tuesday. A total of 132 people have died from the virus, Xinhua reported.