Vientiane Times 1

4500 kip MONDAY MAY 4, 2020 ISSUE 83The First National English Language Newspaper

Vientiane Timeswww.vientianetimes.org.la and www.vientianetimeslao.la

65 years22.3.1955 - 22.3.2020

CONTINUED PAGE 5

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Souksakhone Vaenkeo The government is permitting Party and state offices and private businesses to resume operations on Monday (May 4) as normal while continuing to strictly observe coronavirus prevention measures.

The Prime Minister’s Office on Friday issued an announcement easing some

Offices, businesses back to work as govt eases restrictions

Mr Somdy Duangdy addresses the media briefing. --Photo Phoonsab

lockdown measures imposed under Prime Minister ’s Order No. 6, which have been in place since April 1.

Offices and businesses could assign their staff to work on a rotation basis, while those that wish their staff to continue to work from home can do so.

The announcement lifted the stay-at-home order, meaning people including

Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong

The National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control announced on Sunday that 10 infected patients continue to be cared for at Mittaphab Hospital in Vientiane with the 14th infected case also returning for treatment.

Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Phouthone Muongpak told the daily COVID-19 news briefing that the 14th infected case is an older patient who had been attempting to recover at home for 14 days.

Sunday marked 21 days straight without any new confirmed coronavirus cases. Nine patients have been discharged after they twice tested negative for the virus.

A n a d d i t i o n a l 1 9 suspected cases were tested on Saturday, but they all came back negative. The number included 15 Lao workers returning from Thailand (six from Savannakhet, three each from Borikhamxay and Champassak, two from Khammuan and one from Saravan province).

U N I T E D N AT I O N S (The Daily Star/ANN) -- UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for greater protection of journalists who are providing the “antidote” to what he has characterised as a pandemic of misinformation surrounding the Covid-19

foreign expatriates in Laos can now go out and travel within Vientiane or their home province.

The holding of meetings and training sessions may go ahead with an appropriately limited number of participants.

The government is also permitting wholesale and retail shops, restaurants, food shops, barbers and beauty salons, fresh markets, supermarkets, and ice and drinking water factories to reopen for business.

Larger factories and development projects that meet coronavirus (Covid-19) prevention standards may also resume operations.

The taskforce committees – one in charge of virus prevention and control, and another in charge of dealing with the economic impacts – have been entrusted to inspect and certify businesses and projects that meet the operation resumption criteria.

Projects and businesses managed by provincial authorities will be certified by provincial taskforce committees.

Speaking at the briefing on Friday, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Somdy Duangdy, who is Chairman of the N a t i o n a l Ta s k f o r c e Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, said the easing of restrictions was aimed at minimising the impact on social and economic development and people’s livelihoods.

The encouraging fact that there have been no new confirmed cases of infection for 19 consecutive days since April 12, combined with other forms of progress, was justification for the relaxation of virus prevention measures.

Outdoor exercise and sports involving individuals, such as walking, jogging, golfing, and cycling, may

Journos provide antidote to the ‘pandemic of misinformation’

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

(File photo)

crisis.He made the appeal in

a video message for World Press Freedom Day today. He underscored the crucial role media has in helping people make informed decisions.

U n d e r t h e c u r r e n t c i r c u m s t a n c e s , t h o s e

decisions can make the difference between life and death, Guterres added.

“ A s t h e p a n d e m i c spreads, it has also given rise to a second pandemic of misinformation, from harmful health advice to wild

conspiracy theories.“The press provides the

antidote: verified, scientific, f a c t - b a s e d n e w s a n d analysis,” the UN secretary-general said.

M e a n w h i l e , Transparency International Bangladesh has called upon the government to ensure an environment conducive to free and unrestricted discharge of professional functions of media as an indispensable precondition for constitutional rights of citizens and democratic accountab i l i ty o f the government.

In the context of the Covid-19 crisis, the TIB has demanded the government and other stakeholders

14th Lao COVID-19 case returns to hospital

From January to May 2, a total of 2,184 samples were tested with 19 confirmed infections.

May 2 saw 613 people including many Lao workers entering the country via border checkpoints from Thailand while 649 truck drivers entered from Vietnam with another 45 truck drivers coming from China. No entries were recorded for Wattay International Airport in Vientiane.

Some 147 quarantine centres were operating around the country housing 639 people with 400 self-isolating at home. Health authorities have tested 514 samples, but no infections were found.

According to the Ministry of Health as of May 3, COVID-19 had spread to 212 countries and territories, with 3,428,425 confirmed cases globally (84,023 new infections). The virus has claimed 243,832 lives while more than 1,093,199 people have recovered.

On May 2 there were 447 new virus infections and 56 deaths recorded among Asean members countries.

Dr Phouthone Muongpak addresses the press conference in Vientiane on Sunday. --Photo Khamphan

2 Vientiane TimesHome news Monday May 4, 2020

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Viengdavanh Banphahaksa

Authorities in Champassak p rov ince have begun inspecting the Covid-19 prevention standards of companies and factories before they resume normal o p e r a t i o n s a m i d t h e pandemic.

The Deputy Provincial Governor, Mr Bua l in Vongphachan, recently inspected measures put in place by two local companies and a factory in the province to protect the health of workers.

During the inspections, the companies and the factory presented reports on health protection standards for their staff and workers under the guidelines of the Ministry of Health, and Mr

Bangkok time 9.15am China Mainl’d 82,877 - Death 4,633 - Recovery 77,713

India 39,699 (1,323D) (10,819R) Pakistan 19,022 (440D) (4,817R) S’pore 17,548 (17D) (1,347R) Japan 14,733 (474D) (3,205R) S Korea 10,793(250D) (9,183R) Indonesia 10,834 (831D) (1,665R) Ph’pines 8,928 (603D) (1,124R) Bang’desh 8,790 (175D) (174R) Malaysia 6,176 (103D) (4,326R) Thailand 2,966 (54D) (2,732R) HK 1,040 (4D) (864R) Sri Lanka 702 (7D) (172R) Maldives 519 (1D) (17R) Taiwan 432 (6D) (324R) Vietnam 270 (219R) Myanmar 151 (6D) (37R) Brunei 138 (1D) (124R) Cambodia 122 (120R)

Nepal 59 (16R) Macau 45 (10R) Mongolia 39 (10R) E Timor 24 (16R) Laos 19 (10R) Bhutan 7 (5R) Diamond Princess Cruise off Japan 712 (12D) (645R) Covid-19 data: World: Sunday May 3 Bangkok time 17.05 pm World 3,497,297 (244,645D) (1,100,533R) US 1,159,897 (67,102D) (148,118R) Spain 245,567 (25,100D) (146,233R) Italy 209,328 (28,710D) (79,914R) France 168,396 (24,760D) (50,562R) UK 182,260 (28,131D) N/A Germany 164,967 (6,812D) (130,600R) Russia 134,687 (1,280D) (16,639R) Turkey 124,375 (3,336D) (58,259R) (D=Death, R=Recovered) Sources: Asia News Network members, selected health agencies, Johns Hopkins University

Covid-19 data: Asia News Network: Sunday May 3

Phomphong Laoin

The bodies of four people have been found in a river after they were reported missing following a recent flash flood in Kiewtaloun village, Xiengngeun district, Luang Prabang province.

The flash flood occurred on April 24, when three people were found dead and four others were reported missing.

The following day, local authorities began a search for the missing people and found four bodies 2 kilometres from the huts where their two families lived by the river, according to the village chief.

The number of flood victims has now increased from three to seven (six of whom are women) and authorities are making funeral arrangements.

The flood occurred when a tropical storm passed over the province, bringing heavy rain, hail and strong wind.

Kiewtaloun was battered by torrential rain and strong

Champassak inspects Covid-19 prevention standards of companies, factories

Mr Bualin Vongphachan inspecting the Covid-19 prevention standards of local companies and factories.

Bualin directed the firm to enhance the measures for Covid-19 prevention and control with the aim of protecting their workers, t h e S o c i a l - E c o n o m i c newspaper reported on Thursday.

Mr Bualin also visited the social service centre for vulnerable people in Pathoumphone district that is currently being used as accommodation for workers during the Covid-19 outbreak. The accommodation includes six buildings with 18 rooms that can house 90 people.

Currently, a total of 11 Covid-19 patients are being treated at the Friendship H o s p i t a l ( M i t t a p h a b Hospital) in Vientiane. All of them have only mild symptoms.

N o n e w c a s e s o f Coronavirus infections have been recorded in Laos for 18 days, the Deputy Head of the National Taskforce Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, Dr Phouthone Muongpak, told a daily news briefing on Thursday.

Eight Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospital after they tested negative for the virus. This included all three Covid-19 patients being treated at the Luang Prabang Hospital. The last person of these three patients was sent home on Wednesday.

All three patients will have to observe self-quarantine measures. They will also have to come in for another test after 14 to 28 days.

Bodies found in search for Luang Prabang flood victims

Mr Vongsavanh Thepphachan (second left) hands over cash and food to the two families of flash flood victims in Luang Prabang province recently.

wind for almost two hours and the resulting flash flood washed away the riverside huts in which the two families lived.

There were 11 people in the two families but the four others were reported to be safe.

The storm followed an alert on the same day from the Meteorology and Hydrology Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, which warned of storms from April 24-26.

The Deputy Governor of Luang Prabang province, Mr Vongsavanh Thepphachan, together with the Director of the province’s Labour and Social Welfare Department, Mr Soulisack Phommaly, and local authorities recently visited the two families and gave them cash and food worth 11 million kip.

Laos’ northern and central provinces along with the capital are expecting more rain and thunderstorms until today (May 4), as noted in the seven-day forecast

posted by the Meteorology and Hydrology Department for April 28-May 4.

From May 2-4, the northern provinces of Phongsaly, Oudomxay, Huaphan and Xieng Khuang will be partly cloudy and can expect light rain. The city of Luang Prabang and Xayaboury province will have heavy clouds and light rain.

The central provinces of Vientiane, Borikhamxay, Khammuan, Savannakhet and the capital will have thunderstorms and some rain, which will spread to the southern provinces of Champassak, Saravan, Attapeu and Xekong.

People have been advised to keep a close eye on weather conditions and monitor national and local news stations for updates.

The department has advised everyone to be prepared for weather changes with the advent of the hot season, and to take precautions to protect children and elderly people.

now take place, but not team sports.

The Ministry of Education and Sports was told to restart classes on May 18 for Year 5 of primary schools (final year), Year 4 of lower secondary schools (final year) and Year 3 of upper secondary schools (final year, also known as Year 7 of secondary school).

The Ministry of Public Security and Ministry of National Defence were also instructed to reopen schools under their management on the same date.

Although the restrictions have been eased, all parties involved are required to apply strict infection prevention measures. These include maintaining a distance of at least one metre from other people, frequently washing hands with alcohol-based hand gel, wearing a face mask, and regularly checking

body temperature.Foreign nationals working

in Laos and foreign students studying in Laos may now return home when they wish.

Lao nationals wanting to go to another country for study or work purposes can do so in accordance with the regulations of the country of destination.

However, the government has extended five restriction measures imposed under the Prime Minister’s Order until May 17, as follows:

- Ban on interprovincial travel for non-essential trips, while permitted essential trips require a certificate from the authorities concerned;

- C l o s u r e o f enter tainment venues, facilities selling alcohol, cinemas, karaoke bars, spas and massage parlours, night markets, casinos, indoor sports facilities, and outdoor

team sports; - Ban on gatherings or

parties involving more than 10 participants who cannot remain one metre apart;

- Closure of all local and international borders for non-essential travel;

- Suspension of all types of entry visa for citizens of countries where Covid-19 is present, except visas for experts, technical staff and workers who are essential to the work of development projects and companies in Laos. However, foreign incomers are required to undergo a test for Covid-19 as well as a 14-day quarantine period at a special government quarantine centre.

Mr Somdy stressed the need for people from all walks of life to continue to exercise vigilance to ensure Laos does not face a second wave of the coronavirus.

Offices, businesses... FROM PAGE 1

Vientiane Times 3Monday May 4, 2020 Home news

By Sengchanh Soukhasem

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Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong

District officials in the capi ta l and Vient iane Chinese Foundation have joined forces to organise cleaning and the spraying of disinfectant to kil l coronavirus along main roads and in crowded local communities.

X a y s e t t h a d i s t r i c t and Vientiane Chinese

Districts, foundation team up to disinfect COVID-19 in capital

Foundation held a ceremony on Thursday to launch the activity with local authorities providing some funding whi le the founda t ion contributed medicines, alcohol as well as cleaning supplies and disinfectant for the task.

Vi e n t i a n e C h i n e s e Foundation and Rescue Team 1628 have already worked together to conduct cleaning and disinfecting in Xaythany

district from April 27-29. The cooperative effort

has also finished its work in Chan thabouly and Sikhottabong districts with plans to undertake cleaning in other areas of the capital up to May 5.

The activity is in line with measures laid out in the Prime Minister’s Order No. 06 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus which include stay at home restrictions.

Representatives of Xaythany district, Vientiane Chinese Foundation and Rescue Team 1628 come together during local cleaning and disinfecting work on Wednesday.

Souksamai Boulom

The state-run Lao Airlines will suspend all domestic and international flights in order to prevent, limit and control the spread of Covid-19.

Last week, the company had made an announcement a b o u t t h e s c h e d u l e d resumption of services on May 8, but the plan has now been indefinitely suspended.

A charter flight from Vientiane to Incheon, South Korea, which was scheduled for May 9 will operate as planned.

As part of efforts to prevent the spread of Covid-19, Lao Airlines had temporarily suspended all domestic flights from April 1.

F o l l o w i n g t h e suspension of flights, the company framed policies

Lao Airlines suspends all flightsfor customers, including a refund policy whereby there would be no penalty for passengers who wished to get a refund for their tickets.

The airline will issue Electronic Miscellaneous Documents to passengers, which will allow them to use the documents as credits to repurchase tickets of Lao Airlines once the situation improves. The process of cash refunds will take at least 60 days.

Under the change of date policy, passengers will be able to change their travel plans without any charge and they will be able to travel up until December 31, 2020.

Customers can also reroute to another destination but only on Lao Airlines flights, and passenger will be subject to different fees

if there is a difference in the base fare and authority taxes, according to the Lao Airlines.

The airlines had earlier suspended most of i ts international flights due to a dramatic decline in passengers amid the global Covid-19 pandemic.

According to a statement issued by Lao Airlines on March 20, all flights to Seoul in South Korea, Hanoi and Ho Chi Min City in Vietnam, Phnom Penh in Cambodia, and many provinces of China were suspended until April 30.

Services to Chengdu in China were suspended until April 14, while flights to Danang in Vietnam were indefinitely postponed. Flights to Bangkok and Chiangmai in Thailand were suspended until April 20.

Times Reporters

Students and teachers nationwide will have to be patient as authorities have proposed that primary and secondary schools and tert iary education institutions remain closed with an expected reopening from May 18.

According to a resolution by a Ministry of Education and Sports meeting last week, students of Grade 5 primary school, Grades 4 and 7 secondary school and final year students at tertiary education insti tutions, colleges and university will return to their classes on May 18 and continue studying to complete the curriculum by mid-July.

Students of other grades are expected to begin classes on June 2 and complete their studies by the end of July. For early childhood education, kindergartens will remain closed for the remainder of the current school year.

However, all schools mus t r ece ive o ff i c ia l

Schools to remain closed until at least May 18

a p p r o v a l f r o m t h e government through the Ministry of Education and Sports before commencing classes.

During the suspension period, the ministry has advised state and private schools to provide online educational programmes to maximise learn ing opportunities and soften the impacts of school closures on affected students while lessening the risk of viral infection.

Schools have been closed temporarily since March 19 to p reven t community transmission of COVID-19 amid the global pandemic. The ministry has produced study programmes for important subjects to broadcast on television and government online social media pages every day.

The on l ine s tud ies programmes include the key subjects of mathematics, Lao language and English.

Many schools have given students homework, and teachers are using social media apps to contact their

students and support them in their studies.

To prepare for the reopening of schools, the Ministry of Education and Sports proposed the National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control direct concerned off icials to clean and disinfect school classrooms and grounds to ensure the wellbeing of teachers and students.

T h e m i n i s t r y a l s o proposed the committee donate soap, hand gel, face masks, temperature monitors and build washbasins for schools nationwide.

T h e m i n i s t r y h a s enhanced communication to the private education sector about payment of teachers’ salaries and school fees across the country.

A u t h o r i t i e s h a v e advised both private school administrators and students’ parents to negotiate the t iming o f schoo l f ee p a y m e n t s t o a c h i e v e reasonable outcomes during the compulsory school shutdown.

Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth

Health authorit ies are advising that local recovering COVID-19 patients who have re-tested positive possess very little to no ability to spread the virus.

Director of Mittaphab Hosp i t a l , Dr Sanong Thongsana, told the daily COVID-19 news briefing held on Saturday that the public need not have any major concerns about contracting coronavirus from patients who are recovering and re-tested positive.

“We have confirmed that is because only remaining virus fragments were detected. The virus appears to re-infect patients, but it was only the remaining virus fragments causing the positive results,” he said.

Laos was not the first country where recovered COVID-19 patients had tested positive from virus fragments. Many countries around the

Recovering COVID-19 patients re-testing positive pose virtually no danger

Dr Sanong Thongsana addresses the media on Saturday.world had recorded similar cases including the Republic of Korea, he said.

“One reason is that it is new virus type in medical science, and patients will have to come back to the hospital after 14 days for mandatory testing according to healthcare guidelines,” he added.

At present, the hospital allowed the patients to go home on the condition they would observe self-quarantine measures and follow medical advice on

taking medications, resting and diet while reducing contact with members of their families, Dr Sanong said.

In addition, scientific data accumulated on COVID-19 patients so far suggests that they should self-quarantine at home to help stop a second wave of the outbreak occurring.

Since many patients showed no symptoms even with a COVID-19 infection, health officials might use antibody testing to check for asymptomatic cases.

4 Vientiane Times

BEIJING (China Daily/ANN) - - Astronomers have recently discovered a new fast radio burst (FRB), mysterious signals believed to be from the distant universe, with the largest and most sensitive radio telescope ever built.

An international team led by scientists at the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC) made the discovery by analysing the data from the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST).

FRBs are the brightest b u r s t s k n o w n i n t h e universe. They are called “fast” because these blips are very short, only several milliseconds in duration. But there is no reasonable explanation for their origin yet.

B y u s i n g h i s o w n nove l s ea r ch me thod incorporating deep-learning artificial intelligence, Zhu Weiwei, an astronomer at NAOC, found the new

JEJU (Korea herald/ANN) -- A larger-than-projected number of tourists visited South Korea’s southern resort island of Jeju during the so-called golden holiday, keeping health authorities on alert amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The number of visitors to Jeju between April 30 and May 2 totaled 138,802, roughly 30 percent more than a 106,905 forecast, according to the data by the island’s tourism board.

South Koreans are on an extended holiday, with key public holidays and calendar events, such as Buddha’s Birthday, Labor Day and Children’s Day all falling in late April or early May this year.

Officials projected that roughly 25,000 more will arrive on the island on Sunday ahead of the Children’s Day holiday scheduled for Tuesday.

The large groups of visitors have raised concern over possible transmissions of the new coronavirus.

The province’s monitoring results showed that only around 60 percent of visitors at outdoor sightseeing sites wore masks.

Province officials said they plan to implement tightened measures against the virus by testing visitors whose temperatures measures above 37.3 degrees.

The province has checked 85 visitors at its airport’s walk-through testing center during the four-day period, including 81 who came to Jeju after traveling abroad.

RUSSIA (China daily/ANN) -- Russia on Friday reported a record daily rise in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, a day after Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced he had been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus.

Mishustin, 54, said during a videoconference on Thursday that his latest coronavirus tests came back positive, and he needs to “self-isolate, and follow doctors’ instructions”.

Pres ident Vladimir Putin, who was taking part in the videoconference with the prime minister, sighed when he heard the news and wished Mishustin a speedy recovery.

Putin also approved Mishustin’s suggestion that First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov serve as acting prime minister during his absence.

Russia’s nationwide total of cases rose by 7,933 cases and now stands at 114,431, with 13,220 recoveries and 1,169 deaths.

Nevertheless, World H e a l t h O r g a n i s a t i o n representative to Russia Melita Vujnovic said that it might be possible for the Russian government to ease lockdown measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus in two weeks.

I n B r i t a i n , P r i m e Minister Boris Johnson led the government’s daily novel coronavirus briefing for the first time in five weeks on Thursday, when he said the nation was “past the peak of this disease” and that it was “on the downward slope”.

After recovering from a COVID-19 infection, Johnson said that a plan for easing the lockdown will come next week. He added that the “entire country” is rising to a challenge “not seen in our lifetimes”.

Monday May 4, 2020

World

In brief from Asia

News Network Japanese government to ease social contact restrictions, let some public facilities reopenJAPAN (The Japan Times) -- The government has decided to allow the reopening of parks, museums, libraries and other public facilities in areas with high coronavirus counts and to ease its request for slashing social contact, a senior official said Sunday.As part of efforts to deal with public fatigue from the nationwide state of emergency, economic revitalisation minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said at a news conference the government will permit such facilities to reopen if sufficient measures to slow the virus’s spread are put in place.

Around 70,000 people evacuated in Uzbekistan following burst damTASHKENT (Xinhua) -- Around 70,000 people have been evacuated after the Sardoba dam in the central Syrdarya region burst, flooding residential areas and crop fields, the Uzbek Emergency Ministry said Saturday.At least 56 people were injured and subsequently hospitalized in the region due to flooding, according to the ministry.The dam burst in the early morning on Friday after heavy rain and gales caused serious damage to settlements, communication networks and agricultural land, the ministry said.

Singapore’s response to coronavirus: Pulling out all the stops to save lives, and the economySINGAPORE (The Straits Times) -- On April 3, an assistant manager at the Lido branch of McDonald’s saw a doctor for a sore throat and fever. She was given five days’ medical leave.At the end of her medical leave on April 8, the 44-year-old mother of a teenage boy went back to the doctor.This time, she was sent to Sengkang General Hospital for a Covid-19 swab test.It was positive. Over the next nine days, six other employees of the fast-food chain, who had worked across nine outlets, were diagnosed with the coronavirus.

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a videoconference with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin at his residence in Novo-Ogaryovo outside Moscow on Thursday. Mishustin said he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. --Photo Alexei Druzhinin

Russian PM tested positive as cases jump

Johnson emphasised that avoiding a second spike of infections could cause “lasting economic damage” and so the government will need to “unlock the economy gradually”. He added that he thinks the economy will “bounce back strongly”.

The latest figures show 26,711 people in the UK have died from the coronavirus, and more than 172,000 were infected.

Elsewhere in Europe, German authorities on Thursday agreed to reopen playgrounds, churches and cultural institutions such as museums and zoos that have been shuttered because of the pandemic, but they postponed a decision on whether to relax the rules for restaurants, hotels and kindergartens.

German Chancel lor Angela Merkel said while there would be regional differences because of Germany’s federal structure, the overall goal remains ensuring the health system can cope with the country’s outbreak.

Germany has recorded more than 162,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 6,563 deaths.

Merkel said the federal and state governments wouldn’t make a decision on reopening hotels and restaurants at their next meeting next Wednesday, which will focus on further relaxing the rules for schools, childcare centers and sports facilities.

F e d e r a l a n d s t a t e authorities also agreed on Thursday to extend a ban on large sports events, concerts and festivals until at least Aug 31.

I n I r e l a n d , P r i m e Minister Leo Varadkar sa id on Thursday his government is developing a plan to gradually ease the

restrictions.Changes will be made

every two to four weeks, he said, adding the government would intervene if things are “going off track”.

Across the Atlantic in the United States, the White House let its two-week-old economic reopening gu ide l i ne s exp i r e on Thursday as half of all US states forged ahead with their own strategies for easing restrictions on restaurants, retail and other businesses shuttered by the coronavirus outbreak.

The enormous pressure on states to reopen, despite a lack of wide-scale virus testing and other safeguards urged by health experts, was highlighted in new Labor Department data.

The number showed that more than 30 million people in the US have applied for jobless claims during the six-week period since mid-March, indicating the ballooning economic cost of COVID-19 shutdowns and pointing to a deepening recession.

Meanwhile, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday that US state and local governments could need close to US$1 trillion in aid over several years to cope with the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We’re not going to be able to cover all of it, but to the extent that we can keep the states and localities sustainable, that’s our goal,” Pelosi said.

By Thursday, the number of known infections in the US had climbed to well over 1 million, including more than 62,000 deaths.

Ren Qi in Moscow, Jonathan Powell in London, Liu Xuan in Beijing, Xinhua and agencies contributed to this story.

More visitors than expected travel to Jeju

on ‘golden holiday’

--Photo Yonhap

Astronomers discover new fast radio burst with China’s giant telescope

burst, coded FRB 181123, from the massive survey data of FAST.

The d iscovery wi l l b e p u b l i s h e d i n t h e Astrophysical Journal Letters.

The analysis shows t h a t t h i s b u r s t m a y come from the remote universe. And this new discovery demonstrates FAST’s unique advantages in finding remote FRBs through blind search, said Li Di, the chief scientist of FAST and one of the co-authors.

T h e t e l e s c o p e i s expected to discover more FRBs and carry out deep follow-up observations, which could help shed light on the origin and physical mechanisms of FRBs, Li said.

Located in a naturally deep and round kars t depression in southwest China’s Guizhou Province, FAST was comple ted in September 2016 and started regular operations earlier this year.

Vientiane Times 5

ROME (Xinhua) -- As a national lockdown to fight the coronavirus pandemic is drawing to a close, Italy on Saturday posted a decrease in new infections, according to the latest numbers released by the Civil Protection Department.

The number of new infections were 1,900 in the last 24 hours, a drop from Friday’s figure, bringing the total number of infections, fatalities, and recoveries to 209,328.

T h e r e w e r e 1 , 6 6 5 additional recoveries, raising that total to 79,914.

The death toll registered on Saturday was 474, bringing the total to 28,710 since the pandemic first broke out in the northern Lombardy region on February 21.

Of those infected, 1,539 are in intensive care (down by 39 patients compared to Friday) and 17,357 are hospitalized with symptoms (down by 212 patients). The rest, or 81 percent of those who tested positive, are in isolation at home.

The national lockdown, which went into effect on March 10, will end on May 3.

Speaking at a nationally televised press conference e a r l i e r i n t h e d a y, Extraordinary Commissioner f o r t h e C o r o n a v i r u s Emergency Domenico Arcuri

JAPAN (The Japan News/ANN) -- The number of coronavirus infections in Tokyo has decreased by about 40 percent from its peak, according to data provided by the metropolitan government.

In the week from April 26 to May 2, 641 people in Tokyo were infected with

Monday May 4, 2020 World

protect professional freedom and health safety of media workers in the interest of people’s access to information and public awareness.

In a statement issued yesterday on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day 2020, the graft watchdog expressed concern over media workers reporting on corruption, theft, extortion and swindling of relief goods being subjected to self-censorship by various predicaments, harassment, intimidation, physical abuse, torture, disappearance and arbitrary arrests under motivated use of the Digital Security Act.

TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said, “The World Press Freedom Day this year is of much greater importance than ever. Free media is the most important catalyst to control illicit designs of those who are out to convert the Covid-19 pandemic into a festival of corruption.

“Media must be free to report not only on corruption and irregularities in relief operation on the ground, but also on different types of abuse of power and collusive corruption at higher levels where the need to fast-track procurement and distribution decisions in the crisis and recovery period may be treated as a licence for self-enrichment by a section of the politically and otherwise powerful.

“In this context it will be self-defeating to create any predicament against the media from discharging their professional role of information disclosure freely and safely,” the TIB executive director said.

“This year, we pay special tribute to those journalists who work tirelessly, often under stressful and dangerous conditions, to inform the public about the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The envoy said they honour the journalists who have fallen ill from Covid-19 and their selfless dedication to public service.

“We honor the life of Humayan Kabir Khokon, a senior journalist who worked until the day of his death and posthumously tested positive for the virus. We send our sincere condolences to Khokon’s family,” the US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller said.

Ambassador Miller said they honour all journalists, everywhere, who have sacrificed their lives, freedom and personal wellbeing in pursuit of truth and justice.

‘End criminalisation of journalist’The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression,

David Kaye, has urged states to free all media workers detained because of their work and stop the intimidation and repression of the independent press.

“A free press gives people access to information of all kinds, especially critical during a public health crisis,” he said in a statement on Friday marking World Press Freedom Day today.

Kaye said the theme of this year’s World Press Freedom Day is “Journalism without fear or favour”.

He urged all states to ensure that media workers can do their jobs without fear, keeping in mind that journalism expands people’s right to know and their right to accountable government.

He said detaining journalists runs directly counter to the state’s obligation to ensure an enabling environment for the media.

“At a time when disease outbreaks spread through detention facilities, detention’s cruelty is exposed, imposing an additionally excessive punishment that carries with it the risk of illness and death,” said Kaye.

Journos provide... FROM PAGE 1

Tokyo coronavirus infections drop by 40 percent

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike urges residents to stay at home at a press conference on Friday. --Photo the Yomiuri Shimbun

the virus, down about 40% from the peak of 1,074 in the week from April 12.

Calls urging people to avoid going out have had some effect, but there are also concerns that people may start to tire of the restrictions.

Although the Tokyo metropolitan government

believes that the peak has been passed, it has continued to call for cooperation from residents, warning that if lots of people go out during the Golden Week holiday period, “all of the efforts made so far will end in failure.”

Accord ing to da t a b a s e d o n t h e To k y o metropolitan government’s announcements, the number of people infected with the new coronavirus in the week from March 29 was 527, but the number nearly doubled to 1,011 in the week from April 5. The figure for the week from April 12 was 1,074, the highest number recorded so far.

The central government declared a state of emergency on April 7. The number of infections fell to 862 in the week from April 19 as a result of the metropolitan government’s measures to combat the virus in response to the declaration.

T h e p r o p o r t i o n o f patients with unknown infection routes also fell to about 40% from more than 70 percent at the peak. Recently, there have been many cases of mass

infections in hospitals and suspected infections among individuals in the same household. Meanwhile, testing has increased by more than 1,000 per week.

“ T h e n u m b e r o f infections has begun to decline significantly,” said Hiroshi Nishiura, professor at Hokkaido University and a member of the Health, Labor, and Welfare Ministry’s cluster task force.

According to the Tokyo Medical Association, the situation has also improved at the nation’s medical institutions, some of which had not been accepting patients.

“A critical situation has been overcome,” said Masataka Inokuchi, vice president of the association on Thursday. However, “There are no vaccines or drugs yet,” he said, warning of a potential second peak of infections.

Some speculate that a lack of discipline during the cherry blossom season in March may have contributed to the spread of the disease.

“There are still many [infections],” Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said on Saturday.

Coronavirus infections drop in Italy as lockdown draws to a close

A delivery man prepares to deliver pizzas in Trastevere district in Rome, Italy, on May 2, 2020. As a national lockdown to fight the COVID-19 pandemic is drawing to a close, Italy.

--Photo Xinhua

explained what lies ahead after the lockdown, in what the government has dubbed Phase Two.

“We must all be aware that on May 4, an even tougher challenge begins,” said Arcuri.

He compared Phase Two to “the second half of a football match, and as we all understand by now, nobody knows how long it will last or how it will end.”

“The relative freedom we are each about to gain must be ruled in the service of protecting the health of all,” Arcuri said.

“We have distributed 26.7 million masks over the past week to regional authorities across Italy, with a total of 165.5 million masks distributed since the beginning of emergency,” said the commissioner.

Arcuri added that in May there will be a distribution of 12 million masks a day, and that this number will rise to 18 million a day in June, 25 million in July-August, and 30 million by the time schools open in September.

He also showed prototypes of children’s masks decorated with superheroes and cartoons. “We will put these on the market very soon.”

The commissioner said he has secured deals with retailers and distributors --

including supermarket chains, pharmacies and drug stores -- so that starting Monday, surgical masks will be available at a fixed price of 50 eurocents (55 U.S. cents) plus VAT per mask.

They will be sold in 50,000 retailers across the country, or in one shop per every 1,200 inhabitants.

By mid-May, the fixed-price masks will be available in 100,000 retailers, or one per 600 inhabitants, said the commissioner.

“We have implemented this (deal) in the exclusive interests of the citizens,” said Arcuri. “No one will lose money on this. Everyone will earn the right amount - no more and no less.”

“Health and individual protection have no price and must not be speculated on,” he said in reference to cases of masks being sold at wildly overpriced rates before the government intervened.

Arcuri also said that serological testing for coronavirus antibodies will begin on Monday on an initial sample of 150,000 volunteers and 5 million swabs will be distributed to Italy’s 20 regions over the next two months.

“Tes t s and swabs , prevention and knowledge, time and space - these are all the elements we need in order to embark on Phase Two in a more mindful way,” said Arcuri.

6 Vientiane TimesMonday May 4, 2020

Vientiane Times 7

Tuesday April 28, 2020

Business Read more news at www.vientianetimes.org.la Monday May 4, 2020

Business

Website: www.lncci.la, Email: info@Incci.la, Facebook: www.facebook.com/LNCCITel: +856-21-453 312 fax:+856-21-452 580

Address: Km 5, Khaysone Road, P.O. Box 4596, Saysettha District, Vientiane.

April 30 , 2020

8.961 8.979

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Times Reporters

T h e g o v e r n m e n t h a s introduced the three-step Business Start-up process for registration of enterprises that will facilitate entrepreneurs, and reduce t ime and unnecessary costs.

The three basic steps for starting a business are registration of the e s t ab l i shmen t o f t he enterprise, which will take no more than 10 business days, sealing and requesting seal permission, which will take no more than five business days, and social security registration, which will take no more than two business days, according to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce recently.

Business Start-up is a process that involves only registration of individuals or entities and which does not include investment or business licences.

According to the Business Start-up Notification No 0115/PSO.DERM, dated January 29, 2020, several procedures and modifications have been amended. This includes the elimination of office or branch certificate forms for registration of enterprises in the services sector of the banking sector.

The registration of the Companies Act has been

S I N G A P O R E ( T h e Straits Times/ANN) -- Manufacturing and services firms are negative on business prospects for the next six months, amid the Covid-19 pandemic which has cast a pall over the global economy.

Their bleak sentiments were noted in two surveys released by the Economic Development Board (EDB) for the manufacturing sector and the Department of Statistics (Singstat) for services.

All industries within the services sector expect business activity to deteriorate for the period between April and September, as compared to the preceding half-year period, with a net weighted balance of 58 percent of firms predicting worse conditions.

The accommodation, food & beverage (F&B) services and retail trade industries are most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and were most negative on prospects for the upcoming months.

As a whole, the services industries expect to reduce hiring for the three months ending June, compared to the first three months of the year.

F i r m s i n t h e accommodation and retail industries expect to decrease hiring in second quarter in view of lower level of business activity during the circuit breaker period. The F&B sector also predicts a fall

Enterprise registration improvement to boost facilities

postponed to the next step after the business has been made operational.

T h e t a x p a y e r identification number will be provided together with the enterprise licence.

The orientation and delivery of the taxpayer identification number has been postponed to the next step, after the business has been made operational.

Registration of VAT and the enterprise’s licence plate have been cancelled, and seal registration has been incorporated into the sealing procedure.

The improvement of the steps for registration of enterprises to make them shorter was the outcome o f a g r e e m e n t a m o n g relevant sectors, especially the ministries of Industry and Commerce, Finance, Information, Culture and Tourism and Labour and Social Welfare.

The Lao government is improving different business regulations to provide better facilities and reduce time in order to help the business sector and encourage more investors.

This improvement also helps to boost the number of enterprises in Laos and eases the registration service for legal business operations.

Singapore services, manufacturing firms bleak on outlook with Covid-19 hit

in employment due to dine-in restrictions.

The overall services sector also expects operating receipts to decrease in the second quarter of 2020, compared with the first three months of the year.

The manufacturing sector turned bearish compared to the last quarterly survey, with a net weighted balance of 56 percent of firms foreseeing a weaker business outlook from April to September, as compared to the first three months of this year.

All clusters within the manufacturing sector expect a softer operating environment for the upcoming half-year, given the weakened external demand and supply chain disruptions due to global containment measures.

The transport engineering clus ter was the most pessimistic, with a net

weighted balance of 79 percent of firms expecting a dampened half-year ahead.

A majority of firms expect employment levels in the three months from April to June to remain similar to the first three months of the year. Among the manufacturing clusters, all clusters except the electronics cluster project a smaller workforce in the second quarter of 2020.

A net weighted balance of 32 percent of manufacturers expect output to decrease from April to June, compared with the first three months of the year. All clusters project lower output levels in the these three months, primarily due to global containment measures. The top two limiting factors which firms said would affect their ability to obtain export orders in the second quarter of this year are the Covid-19 pandemic and

global political or economic conditions, such as lingering risk of United States-China trade tensions.

Planned investments among firms for the next 12 months are largely for the replacement of worn-out equipment and installation of new production technology.

In a s t a t emen t on Thursday, the Ministry for Trade and Industry (MTI) said that it is “not surprising that many businesses surveyed are pessimistic about their near-term outlook” given that global coronavirus containment measures have affected many firms, especially those in consumer-facing segments.

The circuit breaker measures, despite their impact on Singapore’s economy, are needed to fight the outbreak, it noted.

MTI pointed out that Singapore’s economic fundamentals remain strong despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, and added that measures can gradually be eased if community transmissions are reduced.

“As long as employers, workers and the Government work closely together, we are confident that our businesses and workers will be able to adapt and emerge stronger, just as we had done in previous crises,” the ministry said.

All clusters within the manufacturing sector expect a softer operating environment for the upcoming half-year.

8 Vientiane TimesBusiness Monday May 4, 2020

ANKARA (AA) -- Turkey’s industry and technology minister called on G20 member states to design an international accountability mechanism for countries which “behaved irresponsible or non-transparent” in times of crisis.

S p e a k i n g a t a n extraordinary virtual meeting of G20 Digital Economy Ministers, Mustafa Varank highlighted the importance of acting in a collective responsible manner to sustain the global order.

He also called on member states to deliver a constructive and result-oriented roadmap t o e m e rg e f r o m t h e coronavirus pandemic.

The ministers gathered online to discuss effective use of digital economy policies to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

Increas ing in te rne t connectivity, providing data safety, developing digital R&D projects in healthcare sector, using digital technologies for manufacturing medical supplies and strengthening the resilience of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in global supply chains were among topics addressed during the meeting.

MANILA (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) -- The government has released ahead of schedule the wage subsidies of over 115,000 workers employed by micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that temporarily closed during the lockdown imposed in Luzon and other parts of the country to contain COVID-19’s spread.

“As of May 1, the Social Security System (SSS), through its partnership with the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), has released wage subsidies for a total of 115,782 employees of small businesses. 106,000 beneficiaries who chose to receive the subsidy through MLhuillier are being notified via text message that their cash is ready for pickup. For 9,782 of them, the cash has been deposited directly to their bank or e-wallet

DUBAI (WAM/BRNN) -- Dubai Customs continues its recognisable role in facilitating legitimate trade, enhancing the national economy and supporting the national efforts against the negative impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

In Q1,2020, around 24.314m tonnes of goods passed through Dubai Customs’ sea and a i r shipping centres despite the international economic downturn due to the pandemic crisis. Dubai Customs’ inspectors are working very hard on the frontline to ensure smooth and streamlined flow of goods into the local, regional and international markets.

Dubai Customs has equipped its inspection officers across all its centres with the safety gear and equipment to protect them from any exposure to the

Highlighting that the world economy will suffer the worst year since the Great Depression, Varank said cooperation at the G20 is imperative to save lives and livelihoods alike.

“Additionally, we must design an international accountability mechanism for countries which behaved i r respons ib le or non-transparent in such times,” Varank stressed.

Touching on Turkey’s efforts to stem the spread of the virus, Varank said Turkey has so far delivered medical supplies to 55 countries.

“Turkey’s ability to achieve this became possible with the visionary leadership of his excellency President Recep Tayyip Erdogan,” Varank added.

He stressed that the country moved swiftly to tackle the crisis thanks to its sound healthcare system.

“First, we distinguished some of our hospitals as pandemic hospitals.”

“Then, rapidly increased the capacity of our intensive care units.”, he explained.

While many countries face medical equipment shortages, including personal protect ive equipment , respirators and masks, Turkey took up national

accounts,” Finance Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Antonio Joselito G. Lambino II said in a statement on Saturday.

“Over the past few days, the SSS was able to process the submissions of around 76,915 employers. Upon the instruction of Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III, the small business wage subsidy (SBWS) task force started re leas ing the subsidy earlier than scheduled. The electronic application and automated payout systems definitely made the release of benefits faster than programmes that use manual processing,” Lambino said.

The first tranche of wage subsidies was scheduled to be distributed starting May 1 up to May 15, to be followed by another round on May 16-31.

In all, about 3.4 million affected workers nationwide

emergency initiative for mass production of indigenous ventilators in a two-week period, Varank said.

“Thanks to this effort, we can today allocate a respiratory device for nearly every intensive care bed in Turkey,” he added.

He under l ined that digital technologies have been effect ively used to fight the pandemic in Turkey, such as a pandemic tracking application which displays the exact status of the outbreak and create risk maps across the country.

“With their consent, individuals can also track their family, get access to social services, and even evaluate themselves for the virus with the help of a few of detailed questions,” Varank noted.

Tu r k e y ’s r e c e n t l y l a u n c h e d C O V I D - 1 9 Technology Platform to coordinate R&D projects for the discovery of new medicines and vaccines is hosting 16 different projects so far, Varank highlighted.

“We are employing big data search techniques, for instance, to identify drug candidates among thousands of molecules with the help of AI,” he said.

will receive P5,000-8,000 for two months as a form of relief while the economy was on standstill amid the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

A total of P51 billion will be given away under the SBWS programme.

Application for SBWS had been extended until May 8 instead of the original April 30 deadline as the SSS website—where employers needed to submit their applications—had hit a snag, having been down for one week after the programme was launched last April 16.

SBWS was a jo in t programme of the Department of Finance, Bureau of Internal Revenue, and the SSS to extend financial assistance to displaced workers and their employers badly hit by the socioeconomic fallout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

G20 should design int’l accountability mechanism

Over 115,000 MSME workers got wage subsidy ahead of schedule

Dubai Customs pushes shipping against tide of coronavirus

Dubai Customs has equipped its inspection officers across all its centres with the safety gear and equipment to protect them from any exposure to the virus.

virus. Following the strict guidelines which include social distancing and wearing gloves and masks is not an option for all inspectors, employees and clients.

“Dubai Customs is playing an increasingly important role during this difficult time to secure borders, trade and international supply chain,” said Dr Abdullah Busnad, Executive Director of Customs Inspection Division.

“We work hard to ensure safety to everyone during the outbreak of covid-19 and at the same time to secure the supp ly cha in and handle goods and different commodities, especially food commodities, during this difficult time. Our people in Dubai Customs are our real assets, and by following the wise directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice

President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai we will overcome this challenge.”

F o l l o w i n g t h e st imulus package plan announced by Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Customs extended a refund of 20 percent on the customs fees imposed on imported products sold locally in Dubai markets from 15th March to 30th June.

Dhows and all ships r e g i s t e r ed locally are exempted of any berthing fees. The package also includes the cancellation of the AED 50,000 bank guarantee or cash required to undertake customs clearance activity. Bank guarantee or cash paid by existing customs clearance companies will be refunded.

Vientiane Times 9Monday May 4, 2020 Business

CHINA (China Daily/ANN) -- China-Europe freight rail service has hit a monthly record high in April as it plays a bigger role in maintaining the global supply chain amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to the country’s top railway operator on Saturday.

Freight trips between China and Europe witnessed a record high last month, said China State Railway Group, adding that cargo trips registered strong growth and rose 46 percent year-on-year to 979 trips in April, carrying a total of 88,000 standard-sized shipping containers.

A total of 2,920 trips were made during the past four months, and 262,000 standard-sized shipping containers were transported between the two regions, which saw a 24 percent and 27 percent year-on-year increase respectively, the company said.

The number of trips from China to Europe reached 1,638 with a total of 148,000 containers, while figures from Europe to China stood at 1,282 with 114,000 containers, it added.

S.KOREA (The Korea Herald/ANN) -- The number of workers subscribed to the national pension programme has dropped by more than 10,000 over the past two months in South Korea, as the global COVID-19 pandemic has dampened corporate business, according to a local corporate tracker.

CEOScore surveyed 492 companies out of the nation’s top 500 companies on the

JAPAN (The Yomiur i Shimbun/ANN) -- The government has unveiled its plan to extend the emergency declaration. Curbing economic activity for a longer period could further hurt the business performance of Japanese companies.

I s e t a n M i t s u k o s h i Holdings Ltd. announced on Friday that it will extend the closure of some of its stores, including its Nagoya Sakae Mitsukoshi Store in Nagoya. The company initially planned to keep these stores closed till May 6, the end of Golden Week holiday period.

As for stores in the Tokyo metropolitan area, including Isetan’s main store in Shinjuku and Mitsukoshi’s main store in Nihonbashi, both in central Tokyo, the company plan to resume operations at a time when the declaration is lifted. These stores are expected to remain closed for the time being.

Sogo & Seibu Co., another department store operator, will also continue to suspend operations.

Royal Holdings Co., which operates the Royal Host restaurant chain, is suspending eat-in service during the Golden Week

The stable operation of China-Europe cargo trains has remained a reliable transportation channel connecting China, Europe and countries involved in the Bel t and Road In i t i a t ive , d i sp lay ing i t s s t ra teg ic va lue of ensuring the international supply chain amid the escalating situation of the novel coronavirus outbreak worldwide, the company said.

Since the first train carrying medical supplies

departed from the eastern Chinese city of Yiwu on March 21, the China-Europe freight trains have transported 3,142 tonnes of epidemic prevention materials to countries such as Italy, Germany, Spain, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Netherlands by the end of last month.

The China-Europe rail service is considered a significant part of the Belt and Road Initiative, and is expected to boost trade between China and Europe.

China-Europe freight rail service hits monthly record high in April

A cargo train bound for Duisburg in Germany leaves Wuhan, capital of Hubei province.

Prolonged self-restraint request may strike further blow to

Japanese companiesholiday period and plans to reopen their restaurants on Thursday for shorter business hours.

Many restaurants are small businesses, and long-term closures are a matter of life and death. A restaurant owner in Tokyo said: “Even if sales are zero, rent and salary must be paid. My business could go bankrupt if it takes longer.”

Some manufacturers, which have been closed for business, plan to resume operations by having their employees work at home.

Toshiba Corp., which has suspended operations since April 20, except f o r ma in t enance and inspection work, plans to resume operations by telecommuting in principle from Thursday. Canon Inc. plans to hold talks with its labor union over whether to take extra time off on Thursday and Friday, after Golden Week ends.

A u t o m a k e r s w i l l continue to suspend or reduce production even after the holiday period. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. will close its main plants in Japan on May 12 through 15. Nissan Motor Co. will continue production cuts at its three domestic plants

until as late as May 29, while its subsidiary in Fukuoka Prefecture will suspend production for three days.

R e q u e s t s b y l o c a l governments to refrain from some activities in response to the emergency declarations cast a shadow over corporate performance.

Three major department store operators announced on Friday that April sales fell by 70 percent-90 percent from a year earlier. Duty-free sales to foreign visitors to Japan, which have supported department store sales, was only about 1percent of the previous year’s level at each operator.

Automobile sales, which were affected by voluntary restrictions on outings, also fell. Domestic sales of new cars in April were 270,393 units, down 28.6 percent from a year earlier, an indus t ry o rgan i sa t ion announced on Friday. It was the second lowest f igure for Apri l s ince comparable data became available in 1968.

According to a survey by Tokyo Shoko Research Ltd., 359 companies had revised their business results downward by April 29 due to the spread of the new coronavirus infections.

Fewer people than usual are seen in the Ginza district in Tokyo on Friday because many shops including department stores are closed.

number of their employees who joined the mandatory National Pension Service. According to the survey, the number of pension subscribers stood at around 1.6 million as of the end of March, down by 10,844 from February.

The distribution sector, which was most affected by the contract ion of consumption activities due to the social distancing policy,

saw the largest decline in the two months of February and March, down by more than 4,000 people.

The services, food and beverage sectors saw a drop of more than 1,000. Construction, transportation, shipbuilding, machinery, faci l i t ies , t rading and household goods industries also saw a three-digit decrease in the number of employees.

Large firms cut jobs by more than 10,000 over two months

10 Vientiane Times

FeatureMonday May 4, 2020

Souknilundon Southivongnorath

Wh e n a person who r e c o v e r e d after being

infected by the Coronavirus tested positive again on Saturday after 14 days of self-isolation, it became the talk of the town.

After the daily news briefing by the National Taskforce Committees for Covid-19 Prevention and Control on Saturday afternoon, my friends and I too were surprised and people were asking on social media why the person had tested positive again. Was this a new case of Coronavirus infection? Could this person have infected other people she was in contact with? Will it be more dangerous than before? How we can solve this problem?

As an reporter, I started to look for answers along with other journalists from some of the officials handling this matter. I later found out that if the people had watched the live broadcast on the official TV and social media channel, they would have got clear information on this issue because the members of the committee had clearly explained the matter, and also asked the audience to explain things to those who had not understood so far.

At the news briefing on May 2, the Director General of the Communicable Disease Control Department under the Ministry of Health, Dr Rattanaxay Phetsouvanh, explained that the person is a girl who had been admitted to Mittaphab Hospital for Covid-19 treatment on April 7. She then recovered and was released from hospital on April 16, and asked to remain in self-isolation at home for two weeks. She returned to the hospital for a test on May 1 and was found to be positive but it was not a new case of Covid-19.

“Just a part of the virus remained in her body, which is not dangerous because it is already dead,” Dr Rattanaxay explained.

He said the case of the girl was similar to that of other people around the world who recovered and then tested positive while remaining healthy. Health

Reasons why a recovered patient tested positive for Covid-19 after 14 days of self-isolation

officials needed to admit them to hospital to continue their analysis to find out why they had been infected again.

According to the report presented at the news briefing, some countries in Asia such as the Republic of Korea detected 292 people who tested positive after recovering. Five percent to 14 percent of the total cases in China experienced something similar and there were five such cases in Vietnam.

However, most experts and researchers gave similar reasons - that these people tested positive as the “remainder of virus fragments” were still in their body. The virus was already dead and couldn’t infect others they were in contact with. This was also shown by analysis in the countries were such cases were reported.

“We admitted the girl to Mittiphab Hospital to get samples for medical culture techniques to find out whether the virus was fully developed, and the result showed it was not developed. So, this mean the virus fragments a r e d e a d a n d c a n n o t affect other people,” Dr Rattanaxay said.

He also explained that the World Health Organisation had reported that people who recover from the disease have a very low probability of getting infected by the virus again.

Dr Rattanaxay added:

“The other reason could be the Covid-19 real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction or test machine which we use to scan for the virus. This is the same machine used in other countries because it produces quick results and helps in searching for the heredity of the Covid-19 virus. But the machine cannot indicate whether the virus is dead or alive.

“Therefore, many analysts and researchers, particularly those from Florida in the US said this is ‘remainders of virus fragments’, and the same was the analysis in the Republic of Korea. Not only the Covid-19 virus, there have been some instances in Laos where people treated for diseases similar to Covid-19 had recovered, but when they returned for a check-up, the virus was still found in their body.”

He said all Covid-19 patients in Laos will receive a handbook from the Ministry of Health that would explain everything to the patients and their families.

The National Taskforce Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control also reported that the World Health Organisation is now advising healthcare professionals around the world to carry out careful analyses to find out why people who recover were testing positive again.

The committee also asked the public to continue

explaining this issue to other people who were not aware of all the details.

Dr Rattanaxay forwarded a message to all people who understand about this: “If

Photo shows a Covid-19 patient permitted to self-isolate at home for 14 days. When the person returns for a test after that period and tests positive, it could be because of “remainder of virus fragments”.

people ask about this, we can explain things to them so that they understand.”

Vientiane Times 11

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Monday May 4, 2020 Feature

ZHEJIANG (China Daily) -- A 46-year-old hairdresser is enjoying the thrill of living different identities in his day-to-day life by being a marathon runner, fitness fanatic and volunteer.

“Just live a happy and bold life. This has always been my motto,” said Fan Guozhi who gets fun from workouts besides his ordinary role as a hairdresser.

Fan recently shared his attitude toward life via WeChat Moments on April 21, after finishing a 111.11-kilometer race.

But it wasn’t always this way. Fan, who has been working in the hairdressing industry for almost three decades in Hangzhou, capital of East China’s Zhejiang province, knew nothing about fitness or workouts six years ago.

“As a hairdresser, I used to work very late at night and usually had midnight meals after work,” he recalled. “In 2014, my weight was only 55 kilograms, but I had a pot belly.

“At that time, I felt tired from time to time, but

Hairdresser steps up to make the most out of life

couldn’t find any diseases when I went to the hospital.”

His poor state of health

made him decide to make some changes and he started to go to the gym.

“Today, no one can imagine that I had no interest in any exercise in the first 40 years of my life,” Fan said. “But I always believe that people should do something we don’t like to strengthen our wills.”

Driven by a thirst for change and purpose, Fan kept exercising through self-study. Now, he has reached the weight of 61 kilograms

and a body fat ratio of less than 10 percent. In October 2018, Fan joined a running event by accident which led to him keeping fit by running.

In the past one and a half years, he has grown into an excellent runner in the eyes of his peers.

“I once participated in an ultra-marathon event, which took me 12 hours to finish the whole race, and also joined

some 100-km trail-running competitions,” Fan said.

He added that not long ago, he and his friends ran from Hangzhou to Huzhou, a Zhejiang city 80 km away, in less than seven hours, which usually takes more than two hours by car.

On April 21, Fan and two others decided to run around a 550-meter track in a sports park. They started at around 3 am, when the sky was still dark, and spent 10 and a half hours completing 200 laps, which amounted to 111.11 km.

“We prepared enough food and water to stay energized and this was also the first time that I wore a pair of sandals for such a long distance,” said Fan.

Despite the feat, he returned to work at his salon the next morning after a night of rest.

In addition to his roles of hairdresser and runner, he has also done his part to serve society.

Fan has kept a tradition in his salon that people older than 65 are welcome to have free haircuts every Monday morning.

“Some elderly people will wait before the doors open, so we usually open the business earlier on Mondays,” he said. “I don’t know the exact number of people that we’ve served, but I will keep offering the service as long as the salon is open.”

Fan Guozhi runs at a park in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

Fan displays his build after a morning exercise.

12 Vientiane TimesMonday May 4, 2020

StreetwiseStreetwise

Opinion

Visith Teppalath Mr Bounlom Keophilavan, the chief of Phonepapao village in Sisattanak district, Vientiane: for more than a month, other members of our village’s administrative board

and I have taken turns to work at our office to provide services and facilitate people who come to contact us for their different works. Our village administration board works every day to serve the people and issues passes for people who want to go out of their homes for valid reasons or some necessity. People who want to go out of their homes need to make this pass at the administration office of their village or community, so that authorities can let them move about as they wish. If they don’t have the pass, authorities may not let them move about. We also have helped people to solve problems and explained what they don’t understand about the lockdown, as well as the rules and regulations and how to follow them. Mr Khanthasin Chommanivong, the head of the Public Security unit of

What have you been doing during the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown?

The Prime Minister issued order No 06 to lockdown the capital and the country and asked all people to stay in for more for a month to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and to observe social distancing norms. Vientiane Times asked some people

what they have been doing for more than one month while staying at home.Phonepapao village in Sisattanak district, Vientiane: Our public security force has been divided into groups and they are taking turns to check and inspect people who travel through our village as well as those who go out or come into the village. We also have travelled to check every corner of the village to make sure that people don’t gather in groups to drink or for other activities,

especially during the Lao New Year. This is for making sure that people are observing the social distancing norms. If we found people breaking the rules or regulations by gathering in big groups to drink or for other activities, we asked them to stop and gave instruction to them. For people who travel through our village, we check their passes, and if they don’t have passes, we ask them to return home or to get the passes to go out again. Our unit has actively worked with district and central authorities to follow the order of the prime minister on checking and inspecting residents who go out or come into our village. We have worked all day and night and also regularly check

around the village and community in order to ensure that people aren’t gathering in groups for any activities, and for ensuring order and peace in the village. Ms Phuangmaly, a resident of Xayaboury province: Just like other families, everyone in my family and I have stayed in for more than a month and we don’t go out if it isn’t necessary. Each day my husband and children and I help each other to do the household work. I also encourage my children and grandchildren to study at home. I help them by explaining their lessons

if they don’t understand. We celebrated Lao New Year at home in a traditional way by pouring water on Buddha statues and pouring a bit on each other for blessings, and had meals together. During the New Year, we went to the temple for a short time to pour water on Buddha statues and make merit. We also visited some relatives whose houses aren’t far away. Of course, it’s boring to stay in for a long time but we must realise the dangers posed by the virus and be aware of our safety and protect ourselves.

Mr Khamngeun Vongmileuth, a teacher in Chanthabouly district, Vientiane: I have stayed

at home most of the time for more than a month during the lockdown and

went out only when I had to buy food or some essential item. I also used my free time to check and prepare lessons, and give instructions about lessons and exercises to my students via social media platforms. Besides, I also helped my family with the household work, such as cleaning around the house daily. Ms Namfone, a student in Xaythany district, Vientiane: I have stayed at home with my parents and sisters and brothers. We do the household

work together. I study at home by myself and help my brothers and sisters with their lessons and do my homework which teachers have given to us. During the Lao New Year, we went to the temple in our village to pour water on Buddha statues, performed rituals and made merit. But we were aware about the Coronavirus and the spread of Covid-19 and we didn’t stay outside for a long time. I hope the situation returns to normal soon so I can go to school again.

Vientiane Times 13Monday May 4, 2020 Opinion

Xayxana Leukai

Although we are still taking precautions to guard against Covid-19, we should not forget that dengue fever has claimed one life in Vientiane and sickened more than 900 people nationwide as of April 24, according to the national epidemiology network.

Many of you are familiar with the risks posed by dengue fever, incidences of which usually peak in the rainy season so that it is often referred to as a seasonal disease by the medical profession.

In early April, a 31-year-o ld woman l iv ing in Thasavang village, Xaythany district, Vientiane, died of the virus after being ill for five days.

Dengue fever is one of the Ministry of Health’s priorities as it tackles various illnesses each year. The ministry has run numerous campaigns to curb the spread of the virus but it remains a major public health threat and is hindering progress towards achieving a better overall health status.

There is no medication available to cure dengue fever but it is a preventable disease. The mosquitoes that carry the dengue virus transmit it among humans by sucking the blood of an infected person and then injecting it into another individual. Every year the Ministry of Health urges communities to get rid of mosquito breeding grounds (stagnant water), which is viewed as the most effective way to prevent the spread of dengue.

Effective prevention methods

Avoiding being bitten by mosquitoes is of course the best way to guard against the virus. This means you should sleep under a mosquito net when you take a nap during the day, as dengue-carrying mosquitoes are mainly active during hours of daylight. But this is the final step in the prevention process. First and foremost, it’s essential to prevent mosquitoes breeding so that they are reduced in number. If there is no stagnant water lying around, mosquitoes will not be able to lay their eggs and the reproductive cycle will be interrupted.

B y g e t t i n g r i d o f

m o s q u i t o e s , w e w i l l eventually be spared the scourge of dengue fever.

To help achieve this goal, the Ministry of Health encourages everyone to ensure that old tins and other containers, tyres, and coconut shells are not left lying around to collect rainwater in which mosquitoes can lay their eggs. In addition, bushes and other thick vegetation around houses should be cleared to deprive mosquitoes of their habitat.

Buckets and any other water containers should be firmly covered to prevent mosquitoes laying their eggs.

Another way to prevent mosquito larvae developing is to place tiny guppy fish in pots of water that contain lotus flowers. The fish will

eat any larvae in the water and prevent them from developing into mosquitoes. It takes about one week for eggs to turn into larvae and another seven days for larvae to become fully formed mosquitoes. If we can interrupt the reproductive cycle by flushing out watery breeding grounds each week, we will eventually significantly reduce the mosquito population.

Dengue and Covid-19 a dangerous mix

Most people who died after contracting Covid-19 had compromised immune systems and many were elderly. Some had underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease or kidney disease. Now more than ever we must pay particular attention to the health of ourselves and our families by ensuring that we comply with the Covid-19 control measures. Bear in mind that if you fall ill with dengue fever and then also contract Covid-19 or vice versa, your chances of survival are greatly reduced.

While these two viruses continue to stalk the land and lots of people are staying at home to avoid Covid-19, it’s essential that we remove all potential mosquito breeding grounds. At the same time, we must continue to follow the guidelines to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which so far have proved successful.

--Readers can reach author at xleukai@gmail.com

Don’t forget that dengue is also a killer as well as Covid-19

As the Lao PDR, together with the rest of the world, is marking Labour Day May 1, the values of this day are now more essential than ever, with the COVID-19 pandemic putting lives, jobs, and essential services at risk everywhere and disproportionately affecting the poores t and most vulnerable.

The pandemic has served to highlight and exacerbate the social and economic injustices that underpin so many societies. The Lao government is working hard to protect the population from the virus spread and to mitigate the socio-economic impact of the containment measures. The UN in Laos supports the government’s efforts and puts an emphasis o n e n h a n c i n g s o c i a l protection for all, including t he mos t vu lne rab le , supporting those who are hit hardest by livelihoods’ losses and protecting rights at work.

With the majority of the Lao population employed in the informal economy and in rural areas, decent work deficits are typically high and these workers are particularly vulnerable to socio-economic risks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and threats to wellbeing, including food security, in case of loss of employment or income,

Protecting rights at work, enhancing social protection in times of COVID-19

illness or self-quarantine, just like vulnerable workers everywhere in the world. According to the Lao PDR’s Voluntary National Review (VNR) on the Implementation of 2030 Agenda, 11 percent of rural households have poor or borderline food consumption, and this proportion might increase as livelihoods are strained by income losses due

to the pandemic. In addition, workers employed in other significant sectors of the Lao PDR’s economy, such as the industries based on natural resources as well as the tourism sector (accounting for 10 percent of the country’s employment mainly in micro, small & medium enterprises), will also face difficulties as COVID-19 complicates

operations of the international supply chains and has put tourism on hold. All worker’s dependents , including children, adolescents, people with disabilities and older persons, face the same risks in case of unemployment of the primary bread-winner.

Migrants and the i r dependents have also been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic globally – and in

the Lao PDR. With migrants accounting for around 8 percent of the Lao working population, according to the VNR, their remittances have become an important support for many families in the country over recent years. As COVID-19 struck, an estimated 140,000 migrants returned home to Laos due to the loss of employment

in Thailand and the travel restrictions put in place, leaving many families with a huge loss of income. Some migrant workers often lack access to healthcare, social services and knowledge of basic hygiene precautions, some of them become internally displaced or face stigma and discrimination. For these migrant workers, and all working people

suffering under the current circumstances, today is an occasion to be reminded of the need to promote social justice and decent work everywhere.

–Source Source: United Nations (UN), International Labour Organ i za t ion (ILO) and International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Lao PDR.

If we can interrupt the reproductive cycle by flushing out watery breeding grounds each week, we will eventually

significantly reduce the mosquito population.

As COVID-19 struck, an estimated 140,000 migrants returned home to Laos due to the loss of employment

in Thailand and the travel restrictions put in place,

leaving many families with a huge loss of income.

14 Vientiane TimesMonday May 4, 2020

Entertainment

JAPAN (The Japan Times/ANN) -- Although not targeted by authorities for closure requests under measures to battle the spread of coronavirus, many bookstores in Japan’s major metropolitan areas have chosen to close or curtail opening hours, dealing a blow to book and magazine publishers.

Meanwhile, for the public whose appetite for reading has only increased as it responds to the government’s stay-at-home requests, the pain of bookshop closures has been compounded by an almost total shutdown of municipal-run libraries in urban areas.

The day after Japan’s state-of-emergency was first declared by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on April 7 in Tokyo, Osaka and five other prefectures, Akira Yamaguchi, an executive at Hayakawa Publishing Corp., was dumbstruck as he read the list of Tokyo bookstores that had decided to close for the time being.

I t included popular spots such as Tsutaya in Daikanyama and Maruzen in Nihonbashi, both trendy neighborhoods in Tokyo. Even Sanseido’s flagship bookstore in the Jinbocho area - Tokyo’s center of used-book stores and a mecca for bibliophiles - closed its doors.

“Most of the books we planned to sell at the end of this month have already been printed, and we will be in trouble if we can’t distribute them,” Yamaguchi says.

According to Nippon Shuppan Hanbai Inc. and Tohan Corp., Japan’s major wholesale book and magazine distributors, hundreds of their bookstore business partners have temporarily suspended operations.

Hayakawa Publishing’s Ya m a g u c h i w a s a l s o

I N D O N E S I A ( T h e Jakarta Post/ANN) -- As the coronavirus pandemic has forced populations worldwide indoors, many celebrities have harnessed their star power to try and raise spirits online, dubbing the illness a great unifier.

But express ions of solidarity have rung hollow for some social media users fatigued by content that’s perhaps well-intentioned but backdropped by hot tubs, crackling fireplaces, or backyard pools.

The most recent eye rolls came after the announcement that some 200 celebrities and politicians - including billionaire Oprah, superstar actress Julia Roberts and former US president George W. Bush - would participate in a 24-hour long “Call to Unite” livestream event starting Friday to encourage donating to COVID-19 relief efforts.

“If only they knew ppl with money,” tweeted journalist Astead Herndon of the announcement.

And yet, we watch: more than 270 million people worldwide tuned in to a recent star-studded marathon special intended

A Maruzen bookstore in Tokyo remains closed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Closed bookstores and libraries remain a challenge for bibliophiles

concerned about whether some of those bookshops would still be around when life begins to return to normal.

“We are also afraid that bookstores with tight profit margins will be forced out of business without financial resources to keep them above water,” he says.

Magazines, meanwhile, have started pushing back their release dates, casting a shadow over even those magazines that were selling briskly in early April.

When the s t a t e o f emergency, now in effect nat ionwide , was f i rs t imposed in the Tokyo and Osaka metropolitan areas, Kinokuniya Co., a mega-chain bookstore, initially continued operating some outlets, including its flagship store in Shinjuku, central Tokyo.

It argued that “in the midst of a deluge of fake information, many people depend on books” to provide the truth.

It reversed its stance after April 10, however, when the Tokyo government fleshed out its request to residents to refrain from nonessential outings, even though the city said regular bookstores, considered “necessary to maintain a social life,” were not subject to closure requests, although used-book stores were.

As there are several thousand customers who visit stores daily on average, even on weekdays, the company feared that its stores would become a “hotbed of infection,” and decided to remain closed.

“We are grateful that books were recognized as essential to our lives, but the safety of our customers and staff is the most important thing,” says an official from the company’s general affairs department. “It was a difficult decision to make.”

Other bookstores are walking a tightrope as they do not wish to be responsible for spreading the disease while they seek ways to keep their businesses afloat.

To tread that line, a bookstore located along a private railway line in Tokyo cut back its store hours.

“Many people have told me they are glad that my bookstore is open,” says its owner. “Paperbacks, comic books and children’s books are the most sold. People feel constrained and thirst for enjoyment. It is important to have a place where they can buy books.”

Nippon Shuppan Hanbai has reported that its March sales were greater than those at the same time last year.

It attributed the increase to comics, and books and educational material for students, stating the demand for the latter grew after the government’s request at the end of February for all schools to close in response to the spread of the virus.

A t t h e s a m e t i m e a s b o o k s h o p s w e r e shutting, libraries, run by municipalities, were closing their doors. Around 890, or 60 percent of Japan’s 1,550 libraries had stopped operating as of April 16, according to the saveMLAK disaster relief information site, whose main purpose is to monitor damage to museums, libraries, archives and community centers at times of natural disaster.

But that figure reaches more than 95 percent for public libraries in the seven prefectures covered by Abe’s April 7 state-of-emergency declaration.

Though many have closed their doors physically, some have devised ways to stay in business by setting up temporary “window” slots from which people can borrow books.

Pandemic-era celebrities struggle to strike appropriate tone

to celebrate essential workers that featured headliners The Rolling Stones and Taylor Swift performing from their homes.

Even for those loving to hate, the streamed sing-alongs and Instagram live soliloquys keep the internet rapt, perhaps temporarily alleviating the boredom of life indoors.

W h e t h e r m e s s a g e s of the rich and famous fascinate or leave a bad taste, that attention remains “says more about our culture than these actual celebrities,” according t o p r o f e s s o r C h e r y l Thompson of Toronto’s Ryerson University.

“We might not want to admit it to ourselves,” Thompson said, but “we look to them, in some ways, to be our gauge for what we should think and feel.”

‘Out of touch’The scholar of creative

industries pointed to Tom Hanks’ announcement in mid-March that he had contracted coronavirus, saying that news convinced many people the infection was serious.

Indeed, Jenna Anderson

s a i d t h e r e a l i t i e s o f coronavirus first hit her once Hanks - whom she called a “national-treasure type” - went public with his illness.

T h e 3 0 - y e a r - o l d p r e v i o u s l y l i v i n g i n Australia, where Hanks quarantined, is now isolating with her family in Houston.

But Anderson said while some content has been useful - stars’ descriptions of symptoms, for example - “most of what sticks in my mind are negat ive e x p e r i e n c e s w h e r e celebrities do seem a bit out of touch”.

The internet slammed ta lk show personal i ty Ellen DeGeneres when she joked self-quarantine in her glassy California mansion was like “being in jail”.

Arnold Schwarzenegger criticiSed spring-breakers from his jacuzzi, cigar in hand, while a coterie of stars led by Gal Gadot became a laughing stock after dropping an awkward cover of John Lennon’s “Imagine”, including Zoe Kravitz perched by her f i replace while others appeared to be meandering across their estates.

Vientiane Times 15Classified Monday May 4, 2020

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16 Vientiane TimesMonday May 4, 2020

Sports

(China Daily/ANN) -- Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said on Tuesday that his team is operating as if its season is over.

“ I t f e e l s l i k e t h e offseason,” Kerr said on a video conference call coordinated by the University of San Francisco.

“And in fact we had a Zoom call, (general manager)

(China Daily/ANN) -- Head coach’s sudden exit casts shadow over Beijing 2022 preparations

Wang Meng has stepped down as head coach of China’s national speed skating team after serving only 11 months in the high-profile post, casting a shadow over the squad’s preparation for the home Winter Olympics.

Less than two years out from the 2022 Beijing Games, a recent management reshuffle of the team, which consists of both the short-and long-track squads, has raised eyebrows, with Wang allegedly removed due to the winter sports national governing body’s dissatisfaction with results during her tenure.

The team on Wednesday began a fitness training camp in Chengde, Hebei province, where Wang’s absence and the introduction of new team manager Zhang Bei generated intense media interest.

M u l t i p l e o u t l e t s , including Beijing News and The Paper, have reported Wang’s exit from the national post, yet the National Winter Sports Administrative Centre

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. --Photo agencies

Kerr: Warriors treating season as if it’s done

Bob Myers and I got on a Zoom with our players, our whole roster last week.

“And it was just a chance to check in, but it was also a chance for Bob to update the players on his contact with the league and the latest news, but it also kind of felt like our annual team exit meeting.

“Our coaching staff and I have been undergoing staff

evaluations, offseason plans, so we are absolutely in offseason mode right now.”

Kerr added that while teams in playoff contention are trying to keep their teams focused in the event of the season resuming, his club-last in the NBA at 15-50 and the only team officially eliminated from contention-has moved on.

Wang’s skating reign comes to skidding halthad still not confirmed the personnel change by Wednesday afternoon.

One of the most decorated short-track speed skaters of all time, Wang won four gold medals in women’s 500m, 1,000m and 3,000m relay at two Olympic Games (2006 and 2010).

D e s p i t e a l a c k o f c o m p e l l i n g c o a c h i n g experience on her resume, Wang’s appointment last May, as part of a merger of the short-and long-track squads, was initially hailed as a boost for the host’s medal hopes at the 2022 Beijing Games.

Her arrival ended the 13-year tenure of her former coach Li Yan at the helm of the short-track squad after the team finished the 2018-19 season without a single gold at the world championships.

Overseeing management of both squads, the 35-year-old Wang was specifically in charge of the short-track unit’s training with help from South Korea’s former national team coach Kim Sun-tae and ex-Canadian men’s team coach Derrick Campbell.

According to reports, the short-track team’s inability to keep pace with the world’s elite prompted the governing

body to wield the axe.Under Wang’s guidance,

the short-track team finished the past 2019-20 International Skating Union World Cup season with 10 gold medals-far behind arch-rival South Korea’s 24-gold haul. China also finished the season with no skaters atop the overall standings in any of the sport’s nine disciplines, across both the men’s and women’s categories.

The v i rus-enforced cancellation of the short-track world championships, which were due to take place in Seoul last month, denied Wang a chance to prove the doubters wrong.

In defense of Wang, some observers highlighted that China produced its best World Cup season in five years under her leadership.

The last time China’s short-track team bettered this season’s World Cup medal haul was in the 2014-15 campaign, when it finished with 14 golds.

“To turn the team’s management system around twice over past the two years won’t do any good for its long-term improvement,” read a Beijing News article on Wednesday.