VIENTIANE, July 8 (Xinhua) -- All travellers exiting Laos will be required to produce medical certificates for their destination country to contain the spread of COVID-19, a Lao official said.

The National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control has said that all travellers, including locals, must have a medical certificate before they visit another country. The committee said people who did not have a valid medical certificate would be denied entry at their destinations.

According to local daily Vientiane Times on Wednesday, Deputy Director of the government-run Mittaphab Hospital (Friendship Hospital), Vangnakhone Dittaphong, underlined the significance of medical certificates for travellers. There will be multiple health check points and travellers will be required to produce medical documents from their country of origin.

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

Mittaphab Hospital, Mahosot Hospital and Pasteur Institute in Vientiane are facilities in the capital city that have been designated to conduct a health check for COVID-19.

He said the medical certificate should certify that the traveller does not display any COVID-like symptoms and is COVID-negative. This preventive measure will be in place for a long time in preventing the spread of the coronavirus.