Children aged 6 to 11 will be vaccinated in the next phase of Cambodia’s inoculation drive in order to reopen primary schools in the country, Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Wednesday.
As schools begin to reopen across the country, principals talk of splitting classes to keep classes small and safe, while parents and teachers say there will be a lot of catching up for students.
Most schools in Tbong Khmum and Prey Veng are preparing to reopen on Monday, while Stung Treng has already begun in-person classes in select districts, provincial officials said on Thursday.
Prime Minister Hun Sen pushed for rural schools in areas with little Covid-19 to be reopened even ahead of ending nationwide school closures.
At least one-third of children in the country are not continuing to learn during the school closures, according to a report released earlier this month by Christian aid group World Vision.
Preah Sihanouk suspended transport in and out of the province, while authorities on Thursday extended school closures, and Prime Minister Hun Sen said the “February 20” Covid-19 outbreak could last past Khmer New Year next month.
UPDATED 6 p.m. — The Education Ministry has announced the school year is called off for public schools amid the emergence of a new cluster of coronavirus cases over the weekend.
UPDATED 1 p.m. — Prime Minister Hun Sen has emerged from quarantine as ministries issued a raft of orders to lift restrictions on various gatherings and facilities two weeks after a visiting diplomat sparked a Covid-19 scare in the country.
As the government closes schools for a second time amid renewed concerns of Covid-19 transmission, Phnom Penh students preparing for their ninth and 12th grade tests are concerned they have fallen behind during their online lessons.
All schools in Phnom Penh and towns in Kandal province are being closed for two weeks, while KTVs, movie theaters and museums will be shuttered across the country till further notice, after a Cambodian man who worked directly with a visiting Hungarian foreign minister was found positive for Covid-19 on his second test on Saturday.
VOD is an independent media outlet producing radio programs and disseminating information to the public via the Internet.
© 2019 VOD. All Rights Reserved.
