Long boats will not race down the Tonle Sap in front of the Royal Palace this year after the government decided to again cancel the annual Water Festival. The announcement coincides with the start of a third-dose vaccine campaign in 11 capital districts.
A Sihanoukville casino has seen a Covid-19 outbreak of more than 200 cases and turned into a makeshift quarantine center, where authorities denied workers’ claims of forced labor.
Cambodia saw a sharp decrease in Covid-19 cases after Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered a scaling back of rapid testing, as Siem Reap province ended QR code scanning at its borders and Preah Vihear lifted its red zones.
Making sure that all children receive quality education in Covid-19’s “new normal” will require changes in mindset, new soft skills and consideration of economic, political and cultural dimensions, writes educator Neak Piseth.
Prime Minister Hun Sen instructed provincial officials to be more judicious in the use of rapid Covid-19 tests and to test only those who exhibited clear symptoms of the disease, according to an audio clip sent by the prime minister and heard by VOD.
At least 100 cases of Covid-19 have been reported at a Preah Sihanouk special economic zone since Sunday, with officials downplaying the outbreak which they say is smaller than previous transmissions.
Ung Ratana, director of the Ratanakiri provincial health department, said that as of Tuesday, more than 200 positive cases had been found at the Phat Dao plantation out of about 1,000 workers.
Higher education institutions will be allowed to reopen after 18 months of disrupted learning, with the Education Ministry setting out guidelines such as mandatory vaccinations, Covid-19 testing and smaller classes to ensure social distancing.
Siem Reap officials say they are seeing a drop in Covid-19 cases in the city after 10 days of red-zones in some communes and villages, while working to meet food shortages amid restrictions.
Cambodian tourism business owners expressed cautious optimism over the prime minister’s plans to entice foreign travelers back into the country and resuscitate the sector’s fortunes.
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