BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Brunei will increase its Covid-19 (coronavirus) testing capacity by 10 fold with a new virology lab under construction, the country's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah (pic) said on Sunday (March 22).



In his special speech on the Covid-19 pandemic broadcasted nationwide, the Sultan called on the people in Brunei to deal with this pandemic collectively as a nation, asking his people to apply personal hygiene such as masks and hand sanitizer and prepare for a long-term fight.



The Sultan said that the Ministry of Health is trying to increase the capacity of medical staff. And to increase testing capacity, a new virology laboratory is being built with the hope to increase the country's testing capacity by 10 fold to meet the testing need.



Brunei's Ministry of Health reported five new cases of the Covid-19 on Saturday, bringing the country's total to 83 cases. As of Saturday, a total of 1,633 people have been ordered to undergo quarantine and 2,699 laboratory tests for the virus have been conducted.



The Sultan also asked people in Brunei not to do panic buying, saying the government has verified that national supplies such as rice and sugar are more than enough. He warned all retailers not to take the opportunity for price hiking as this is punishable by law. - Xinhua/Asian News Network

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