At least 23 Cambodians, of the 79 who traveled for the event, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the last seven days – most attended the religious congregation, organized by the Tablighi Jamaat missionary movement.
Cambodia’s Health Ministry has designated hospitals to treat infected individuals in all 24 provinces and Phnom Penh, even using the shuttered Great Duke Hotel in the capital to house patients.
In a ten-minute audio clip made public on social media, Prime Minister Hun Sen said that Vietnam had closed the border to stem the spread of the virus, which is why Cambodia had decided to do the same.
Or Vandine added that Cambodia had so far tested 1,112 and the ministry was working to expand its testing capabilities.
The school closures have made it hard for working parents to supervise their children or ensure that they are not falling back on their lessons.
On Friday, health officials confirmed that two foreigners – a Belgian and Canadian national – had tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Phnom Penh, with Siem Reap seeing one case in early March, one of them a Cambodian national.
A Ministry of Health statement released Saturday morning banned the entry of foreigners from the five countries, the first time Cambodia has introduced entry restrictions since the viral outbreak.
Five of the cruise passengers had been tested for COVID-19, after which one British woman tested positive on Tuesday. The five were on a flight from London to Hanoi last week, when one of the passengers onboard tested positive for the virus
As the coronavirus rattles global markets, some analysts are now warning of a possible global recession. The damage is already starting to show in some countries hit hardest by the outbreak, as VOA’s Bill Gallo reports from Seoul.
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