Bleach Showers Declared Ineffective, Use in Hospitals Banned 

Department of Hygiene and Health Promotion under the Ministry of Health has informed the Vientiane Health Department, provincial Health Departments and all Lao hospitals to cease the erroneous use of chlorine bleach and related shower cabinets in a bid to prevent Covid-19.

The department announced that erroneous use of chorine solutions aiming to destroy the virus causing COVID-19 in Lao hospitals would not be effective, and it also threatened to negatively affect health, according to the Ministry's announcement on Monday.

Studies in China had already revealed such use of sodium hypochlorite-based bleach solutions to lack sufficient efficacy in the prevention of viral spread.

As of Monday, there were 12 known cases of infection with the novel Coronavirus in Laos, according to the National Taskforce Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control.

The government has intensified prevention and control measures in line with Prime Ministerial Order No 06 including the requirement that everyone in Laos stays at home for three weeks from April 1-19.

The order forms another part of stringent government measures to prevent community spread of the virus that causes Covid-19, which remains a high-level transmission risk in the country.

By Viengdavanh Banphahaksa
(Latest Update April 7, 2020)