Cambodia has suspended all cross-border travel to and from Vietnam for a month as it looks to curb the further spread of COVID-19.
According to local media reports, the suspension of travel between the neighboring countries will kick-in from 18 July, with exceptions made only for diplomats, civil servants, some students and patients in need of medical treatment.
In a letter sent to the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Cambodia to Vietnam earlier this week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Royal Government has decided to temporarily suspend the Cambodian-Vietnamese border crossing of skilled workers, technicians and employees of Vietnamese companies.”
The closure comes amid reports that Vietnamese immigrants had continued to travel back and forth across the border despite both countries facing their largest outbreaks to date.
Cambodian border towns near the border with Vietnam such as Bavet are home to dozens of casinos serving Vietnamese nationals unable to enter casinos in their own country.
Cambodia reported another 915 cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, pushing the national total to 63,615 with around 63,000 of those coming since February of this year.
The nation’s only integrated resort, NagaWorld in Phnom Penh, has been closed since March after 11 staff tested positive to COVID-19 in that month.
