WHO
People queue for vaccines on the street in front of Phnom Penh's Stung Meanchey primary school on May 11, 2021. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

WHO, Gov’t Stress Continued Vigilance as Covid-19 Numbers Ease

Cambodia’s Covid-19 numbers appear to be on the decline, but authorities stressed the need for continued vigilance as outbreaks have emerged across the region, and say they are keeping particularly close watch on factories and dense urban areas.

Guards spray alcohol sanitizer near motorbike parking at Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh, which was a temporary Covid-19 testing center on December 8, 2020. (Hy Chhay/VOD)

‘There Will Be More of These Surges,’ WHO Warns Region

Increasing travel by people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, the emergence of new Covid-19 variants, and a global vaccine shortage are among factors that are prolonging the pandemic and will lead to further coronavirus outbreaks in the region, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto (left) meets with Chea Serey, the National Bank’s director-general of central banking, at Phnom Penh’s Cambodia Museum of Money and Economy on November 3, 2020, in this photograph posted to her Facebook page.

Health Ministry Won’t Say How Many Came In for Second Covid-19 Tests

More than 1,100 people have now been tested for suspected direct or indirect contact with a visiting Hungarian foreign minister, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday, but it remained unclear how many received second tests on Monday as urged by the Health Ministry.

A motorbike driver waits for customers outside the Health Ministry in Phnom Penh on March 19, 2020. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

Ministry Urges Covid-19 Precautions as Restaurants Reopen

The Health Ministry on Monday warned citizens to follow hygienic practices and avoid restaurants that fail to take precautions against the spread of Covid-19 as Cambodia nears a month without identifying a single new coronavirus infection.

A health worker wears protective equipment during a checkup clinic for garment workers at Chumpouvoan High School in Phnom Penh on April 20, 2020. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

Covid-19 Testing Drops by Half as No New Cases Reported for 22 Days

About 800 samples were tested for Covid-19 in Cambodia last week — less than half of the number tested the week before — while Health Ministry and WHO representatives on Monday said that the country remains at risk for outbreaks and needs to adjust to a “new normal.”

Representatives from the Health Ministry, World Health Organization and Pasteur Institute seated during a press conference in Phnom Penh on April 20, 2020 (Saut Sok Prathna/VOD)

Ministry Told to Test More After Week of No New Covid-19 Cases

After more than a week of no new Covid-19 cases reported in the country, the World Health Organization’s representative said the Health Ministry had been advised to increase testing and contact tracing while Cambodia was still in an early stage of the global pandemic.

Health Minister Mam Bunheng discusses the spread of Covid-19 during a press conference on April 13, 2020. (Chorn Chanren/VOD)

Health Ministry, WHO Warn of Possible Community Virus Transmission

While most of Cambodia’s Covid-19 infections have been linked to foreign travel, the Health Ministry and World Health Organization have warned that the country could face community transmission and localized outbreaks, especially if authorities are not able to trace the virus’s spread.