‘One Confirmed Case’: Inside a Monthlong Covid-19 Building Lockdown
Matt Surrusco, Lim Kim Hong and Ouch Sony
| Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:39 pm

After nearly a full month in mandatory Covid-19 lockdown, about 800 people were told they could leave the Prince Central Plaza condominium complex in Phnom Penh late Friday night.

The building had been sealed under government order since February 20 — with nearly nothing allowed in or out except carefully handed over, alcohol-sprayed food delivery bags, several tenants said.

After three rounds of Covid-19 testing for 110 of 845 people locked inside the luxury high-rise, just one person in the building tested positive for the disease, as far as tenants have been told by building management.

The Covid-19 patient’s floor, 33B, remained under quarantine as of Sunday morning, said John*, a Prince Central Plaza sales employee who lives in the building and requested anonymity.

“This floor is still locked down,” he said. “All of this is because of the safety.”

Four tenants of the 36-floor building situated on Norodom Blvd. in Chamkarmon district spoke to VOD about life inside lockdown on the condition of anonymity due to fear of reprisals.

They said after the building was locked down on the same day the Health Ministry announced the ongoing “February 20” community cluster, residents inside were allowed to leave their apartments and wander around the massive complex, while wearing masks, including visiting the building’s grocery store, restaurants and an outdoor space for socializing.

Some noted feelings of frustration before the lockdown was lifted late Friday, citing a lack of clear communication about testing, when they would be released, why some floors were locked down, and whether more than one person has tested positive in the building.

George*, a resident who requested his real name not be used, said that three days after the Prince building was sealed, dozens of residents at a time crowded into the first floor to provide samples for Covid-19 testing.

“I thought to myself, this is a little bit — if we possibly have Covid, I don’t know why they’re gathering us all at the same time, in the same place,” George recalled on Friday before the lockdown release was announced.

While he said he mostly bought food in the building’s grocery store to cook at home, he had witnessed the process of accepting food deliveries in the lobby during the lockdown.

First, the delivery person places the bag of food on a chair positioned right outside the lobby’s automatic sliding glass doors. Then, a security guard sprays the bag with alcohol solution, and the delivery person departs. Next, the guard sprays the tenant’s hands and they pick up their order. Everyone wears a mask, George said.

On March 8, 845 people in the building were tested for the second time, according to a property management notice dated March 9 and seen by VOD. The second round of testing was done outside, in front of the building’s lobby, George said.

The Health Ministry “reported the second round of testing included one confirmed case,” the notice says. “Management contacted the Ministry of Health to send the patient to the hospital as quickly as possible.”

“After the second testing, and he got confirmed, so the [health] department picked him up,” John, the Prince Central Plaza sales employee and building resident, told VOD on Saturday. “He’s already left this building for days.”

Over the next two weeks, building management conducted a third round of testing for residents on three floors, and said with a “large percentage of certainty” that it believed everyone had passed, but then introduced stricter lockdowns for some areas of the building before finally ending the lockdown late Friday.
Full article: https://vodenglish.news/one-confirmed-c ... -lockdown/

I live in Prince Plaza and Sunday they locked us down AGAIN . Due to rumours of more positive tests here.

We are getting no information about anything are just told again that we can’t leave.

DesiTrufant wrote: ↑Tue Mar 23, 2021 5:58 pm I live in Prince Plaza and Sunday they locked us down AGAIN . Due to rumours of more positive tests here.

We are getting no information about anything are just told again that we can’t leave.

That sucks.

How the hell does this work? What if someone ran out of money to pay for food delivery and needed to go out to use the ATM?

DesiTrufant wrote: ↑Tue Mar 23, 2021 5:58 pm I live in Prince Plaza and Sunday they locked us down AGAIN . Due to rumours of more positive tests here.

We are getting no information about anything are just told again that we can’t leave.

That's wild and sounds like hell, stay strong friend.

Bad news for you DesiTrufant hope you get to know what's going on soon. It seems like that they did random testing in a area with the crowd of people waiting. They say the health authorities have worked wonders, but to me goings on like this does not show professional services, nor organisation skills, here is the key place for distancing and other rules.

Jerry Atrick wrote: ↑Tue Mar 23, 2021 7:19 pm

DesiTrufant wrote: ↑Tue Mar 23, 2021 5:58 pm I live in Prince Plaza and Sunday they locked us down AGAIN . Due to rumours of more positive tests here.

We are getting no information about anything are just told again that we can’t leave.

You poor bastards. I wouldn't live in a place after being locked in there

I have four months left on my lease then I’m gone

DesiTrufant wrote: ↑Wed Mar 24, 2021 12:18 pm

Jerry Atrick wrote: ↑Tue Mar 23, 2021 7:19 pm

DesiTrufant wrote: ↑Tue Mar 23, 2021 5:58 pm I live in Prince Plaza and Sunday they locked us down AGAIN . Due to rumours of more positive tests here.

We are getting no information about anything are just told again that we can’t leave.

You poor bastards. I wouldn't live in a place after being locked in there

I have four months left on my lease then I’m gone

You're getting maximum use of that apartment for your money though.

Who will want to live in these buildings post covid?