The Cambodian capital city of Phnom Penh has been placed into a two-week lockdown as the country looks to halt a rapidly growing wave of COVID-19.
The outbreak stems from an incident on 20 February 2021 when four Chinese nationals bribed their way out of a quarantine hotel and visited a series of nightclubs. Two of those Chinese nationals later tested positive for COVID-19, setting in motion Cambodia’s first major outbreak. The 177 new cases reported Wednesday took the total number linked to the 20 February incident to 4,337.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced that Phnom Penh would be placed into lockdown for two weeks until 28 April.
Under the city’s lockdown conditions, residents will not be allowed to leave their homes unless shopping for food or medical purposes, or to go to work if they hold certain permits to do so. Exercise for no more than two people together at a time is allowed.
Most non-essential businesses will also be required to close and gatherings outside the home are banned.
Phnom Penh is home to Cambodia’s only integrated resort, NagaWorld, which suspended operations on 1 March after 11 staff members tested positive to COVID-19. Operator NagaCorp said at the time that the closure would allow NagaWorld to conduct “a more thorough review of its precautionary and preventive measures already undertaken while running in parallel a wholesome cleansing of the entire property to further protect all of its employees and visitors alike.”
Sihanoukville also shut down its borders in early March to prevent non-essential travel into or out of the coastal city.
