No public gatherings, no visits to the pagoda, family celebrations only, but the elephant in the room is the annual mass migration of the population from cities and towns to people's home villages.

April 3, 2020
National Police Prepared to Curb COVID-19 Spread during Khmer New Year

General Commisariat of National Police has instructed its officers to be ready to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic during the celebration of Khmer New Year, the most important holiday of the year in Cambodia.

In a guideline issued today, General Neth Savoeun, the National Police Chief of Cambodia, set out a number of “necessary: measures that police officers all over the country have to implement to ensure “order and stability” during Khmer New Years, from assigning officers on petrol to combat crimes to controlling the traffics, as many people tend to leave the city for their home to spend the holiday with their family.

Meanwhile, General Savoeun also order his officers to take certain action to prevent the spread of the notorious COVID-19, which by today have seen 114 cases in the kingdom. Those also include the prohibition of public gathering and celebration, except for the small ones held by individual family at their houses.

“Officers have to be assigned to patrol, monitor or be stationed in necessary cases to prevent the public gathering,” he said.

Although it is a Buddhist tradition for people to go to the pagoda to pray and bring food to monks, gathering at all types of monasteries and temples will also be forbidden, according to the instruction.

General Savoeun also commanded the local police to work with the local authorities to keep track and monitor the health of the immigrant workers who have returned to Cambodia and act in accordance with the Health Ministry’s directory on COVID-19 immediately whenever they identify a suspected case.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50709495/n ... new-years/

April 3, 2020
Hotel manager tests positive for virus

The Kingdom has detected another case of coronavirus bringing the number of patients to 110, with 34 recoveries.

A Health Ministry statement yesterday said the new patient is a 58-year-old Cambodian man who had come in direct contact with French patients in Preah Sihanouk province.

He is the manager of the Independence Hotel in Sinhanoukville, which has been converted into a quarantine treatment facility, where 33 infected French nationals were isolated.

“He is now receiving treatment at the provincial referral hospital,” the statement said.

Sechou Sethychout, provincial heath department deputy director, said yesterday samples had been taken from all hotel staff after the manager became infected.

“We are waiting to see the results this evening and we will be retesting all of them again” he said. “We cannot comment now because they are still being monitored and quarantined.”

We are using the whole hotel as a treatment facility for COVID-19 patients and do not allow anyone to go in or come out of the building,” Mr Sethychout added.

Mr Sethychout could not confirm how many staff members were involved and referred the question to the provincial authorities.

The hotel manager diagnosed with the disease is the third Cambodian to have been infected through contact with 33 French tourists who tested positive for the virus. The other two were tour guides.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50709038/h ... for-virus/

Cambodia Breaking News, Poipet: On April 5, 2020, there was a gathering at Poipet International Border Gate in Banteay Meanchey province where local sellers and business people gathered on the Cambodia-Thailand Friendship Bridge to ask Thai authorities about the exact date of the future opening of the Banteay Meanchey border gate between Cambodia and Thailand.

Cambodian officials, HE NOR Meng Chroun, Deputy Governor of Banteay Meanchey, Brigadier General Long Jun, Deputy Director of the First Gate Department and Brigadier General Ee Chamroeun, came to the scene and explained to the local Cambodian population that the Thailand border is shut down to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and the border will remain shut due to the present state of emergency in Thailand. They ask the local people to be patient.