Introduction

Following the positive COVID-19 test of the Foreign-Minister of Hungary following his state visit to the Kingdom of Cambodia, the country has implemented a minor lockdown across the country.

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According to the latest regulations as per yesterday (8th November), all schools in Phnom Penh and Kandal are to be closed for two weeks, whilst all “entertainment venues” are to be closed down nationally until further notice.

The initial school closure will only affect Phnom Penh and Kandal and is scheduled to last only two weeks. During this time, online classes are to carry on as “normal.”

The school closure comes after it is estimated that up to 900 people came into direct or indirect contact with the Hungarian Minister, including Prime-Minister of Cambodia Hun Sen.

One karate club and eight private educational institutions have been found to have been in contact with the Hungarian delegation. As a result, all kinds of group sporting activities have also been postponed for the time being, as well as the Olympic National Stadium.

Nationwide lockdown

As well as Phnom Penh, the country has also issued a nationwide closure on all entertainment venues. These are to include museums, cinemas, entertainment clubs and KTV’s. Restaurants and bars seem unaffected by the current ban, although much like anything, this could change rapidly.

The ban is to be indefinite with any future measures depending on the situation on the ground.

Cambodia has been one of the most successful countries in dealing with coronavirus, reporting only 295 cases, of which 288 of them recovered.

Despite brief lockdowns, the country has largely remained open, with life in Cambodia being much normal when compared to other countries in the region.

Entirely how Cambodia has managed to deal with it so well is open to debate, but the government and citizens can be commended for their actions at coping with the pandemic.