A dog wearing face mask is seen on a street as the country is hit by an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, in Shanghai, China on March 2, 2020. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)

A chimp motions for Santa to deliver his gift during Lion Country Safari's annual Christmas with the Chimps on Thursday, December 20, 2012. (Photo by Bruce R. Bennett/The Palm Beach Post)

Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, and Thailand to the west. Its population was estimated to be around 6.5 million in 2012. A third (33%) of the country's population lives below the international poverty line which means living on less than U.S. $1.25 per day.

Soldiers pose for a photo during the flower exhibition marking the 105th birth anniversary of the country's founding father, Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang, North Korea April 16, 2017. (Photo by Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

A cyclist climbs over a tree fallen atop a car after a heavy storm in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, July 25, 2015. One person was killed as the most severe July storm ever recorded in the Netherlands swept across the country on Saturday, delaying flights and disrupting road and rail traffic. Dozens of flights were delayed at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport and authorities warned travellers not to take to the road as gale-force winds and rain lashed the country, prompting the meteorological service to issue a “Code Red” warning. (Photo by Cris Toala Olivares/Reuters)

Royal sacred white oxen are offered food to consult the oracles during the Royal Ploughing Ceremony at the Royal Ground, Sanam Luang near the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, 09 May 2016. The ancient Brahmin rite is of great importance to the country's farmers. Thousands of farmers converge in Bangkok for the annual event, which is believed to assure a successful planting season and an abundance of crops. This year the sacred oxen ate paddy, sesame seeds, water and liquor which according to traditional soothsayers predicts that the country will have abundant food, sufficient water for agriculture as well as communication and foreign trade will improve leading to the prosperous economy. (Photo by Rungroj Yongrit/EPA)

An image taken with a drone shows beach umbrellas and deck chairs as beachgoers enjoy the hot weather in Scheveningen, the Netherlands, 24 July 2019. The Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute has issued an official warning due to high temperatures affecting the country as well as Western Europe. (Photo by Sem van der Wal/EPA/EFE)

Passengers wears a face mask while riding on a bus after new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Peshawar, Pakistan, 18 November 2020. Countries around the world are taking increased measures to stem the widespread of the Covid-19 disease. (Photo by Arshad Arbab/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)