Sihanoukville has recorded 17 new Covid-19 cases in relation to the “February 20” cluster, the Health Ministry announced on Tuesday, as a Preah Sihanouk spokesperson said there were now more than 50 cases in the province.
The ministry announced 24 total cases, all connected to the cluster — with seven of them in Phnom Penh and 17 in Sihanoukville — including four Cambodians, four Vietnamese and 16 Chinese nationals. It also said there was one recovery, leaving 366 active cases in the country.
Preah Sihanouk provincial spokesperson Kheang Phearum said in a statement on Tuesday morning that the province now had 52 active Covid-19 cases.
On Monday, he said the provincial hospital had 20 rooms with two beds each to treat Covid-19 patients, and another building was being prepared for more.
He added that the province was setting up a Covid-19 testing center thanks to donated Chinese equipment, and it should be ready by the end of the month.
“When our laboratory building is completed and officially operational, all testing of samples for communicable diseases, especially Covid-19, will be done in this laboratory,” Phearum said.
According to statements by the provincial administration on Monday, 30 buildings in the province have been closed down due to links to Covid-19 cases.
Among the locations was a clinic that authorities said had falsely determined a patient to be positive for Covid-19. The clinic was also found to be lacking a permit, the provincial administration said.
The February 20 cluster is the largest Cambodia has seen to date, with schools closed in Phnom Penh and the provinces of Kandal and Preah Sihanouk, and nightclubs, fitness centers, museums and theaters also asked to close.
