Greetings everyone.

My wife and I are due to depart from our current place of residence in Korea and head for Cambodia at the start of May. We are originally from the UK and have been teaching in Korea most recently. Jobs are now lined up in Cambodia in Siem Reap, and contracts end here at the end of April, and our rent ends then too.

We are planning to fly from Korea to Cambodia and go into the mandatory 2 week quarantine as per protocol upon arrival. We are aware of the Hotel lottery situation where you do not know where you are going to be placed, and we have no problem with all of the requirements that we need to meet. We have researched and read up on what needs to be done and all the ins and outs of this part of the process. Visa's are all but finalised and all our documentation is in order. Employment is with good quality, organised, professional institutions.

With everything that is going on in Cambodia right now, and the ongoing changing landscape with lockdowns and restrictions however, we are somewhat apprehensive/unsure about the procedure following quarantine. I have been reading these forums avidly for a few weeks now following everything that you guys have been able to glean from your research and lived experiences.

It doesn't seem as though every part of the authorities efforts is joined up or on the same page with things regarding the restrictions and rules, especially regarding travel (health care workers not able to reach vaccination locations, and differing enforcement of rules by different road blocks for example), not to mention that they change with updates as the situation develops.

I note in a post from PSD-Kiwi he posted a document in the Information on Coronavirus thread regarding the update to the PP/Takhmao Lockdown directive. Article 3 in the document's second to last bullet point states "Activities of transporting individual after completing quarantine/patient from hospital or treatment facilities to be permitted and facilitated by authorities."

When we arrived in Korea last year, following our 2 day test and quarantine, we were escorted via the authorities to our place of residence for our 2 week quarantine. I know in Cambodia the entire 2 weeks will take place in a government approved location, but following this time, will the authorities facilitate our transport from that location to a residence in Siem Reap where we will, presumably if things continue the way they have, go into lockdown at that residence? I am fully aware that Cambodia is not Korea and the infrastructure and organisation of matters is much less joined up due to the state of play in the developing nation.

We also have the matter of organising and getting set up in the country. We have surmised that under the current situation, the ability to go to a bank, set up an account, set up a phone contract and such will be greatly diminished, if not impossible when things begin. We have looked into the possibility of renting a semi-holiday apartment initially as is guaranteed to have internet which will allow us to stay connected and informed with everything as matters progress. They will accept payment from our UK bank account, so this is not a problem initially. But going beyond that point we hope to arrange a house to rent in Sala Kamreuk, near to the school of employment. We assume that this will be very difficult, again maybe even impossible, under the full lockdown, but also that the situation in Siem Reap is different than in PP.

I know this is a long post, and it covers but some of the sorts of things we are unsure/querying regards our plans. I hope I've said enough to put you in the picture of where we are and what we know and don't know. I will very happily answer any questions you have to help paint a clearer picture of things. Any advice, help, experience, warnings, or even second or third hand accounts from people entering the country at this time of much heightened restrictions would be welcome. With a few years under our belts between us and a few grey hairs above my ears, this is not our first time juggling with authorities in differing/difficult situations from differing cultures, and it is far from our first Rodeo with planning/organisation and the logistics of complicated international matters/travel and law, but the virus adds a whole new element of insecurity to the road map.

Thank you in advance to everyone who may be able to offer insight. Questions happily answered to provide more information. I will make a greetings post in the Introduce Yourself thread shortly, and hope to join in with this forum and all it has to offer.

Kindly, Max.

I'm sorry.

My enthusiasm to paint the whole picture may have occluded the general thrust of my queries. I shall try to be succinct for clarity. Any clarity or information on any of the following would be most welcome.

- Are arrivals still being processed a they were before the massively increased mesaures - e.g. 2 week quarantine in government facility with testing as appropriate?
- Is there any confirmation that the authorities are doing what the bullet point says in the document and facilitating travel from arrivals quarantine to their place of residence?
- If this document is not being arranged/honoured is there even a way to leave PP to get to our residence to go into lockdown?
- Does your place of residence for lockdown have to be a long term rental already arranged before arrival? Setting one up there or at a distance under the situation as is would be near impossible.
- Is it possible to access banks or phone companies for the purposes of establishing accounts?
- How is lockdown in Siem Reap different from PP? Are the same restrictions in place as laid out in the documents posted by PSD-Kiwi regarding PP? Can you only access shops and food in your nearby vaccinity or is Siem Reap also going down the rice and pilchards government delivery model?

I guess in summation does anyone know about the process of arriving and getting to residence, or has anyone heard from folk who have or are arriving very recently or shortly, and what is their experience?

Sorry I wasn't clearer in my original post, I wanted to make it clear we aren't green behind the ears when it comes to these sorts of life experiences, and that we had done a fair amount of research and I wasn't just coming here to ask people to do my homework for me.

Thank you for your read of my wall of text, I hope this helps.

Thank you PSD-Kiwi,

These are great answers, very helpful and kind of you to help out with this information. It is really appreciated.

This will help a great deal as we look at the situation and planning as it unfolds before us. Thank you also for your work on putting the documents on the Covid thread, they have been really helpful too.

Have a wonderful day.

I know one individual that would like to travel PP to Siem Reap having completed their quarantine. As of yesterday they were not being allowed to go. Exactly what that means in detail I don't know.

Just be aware that the next person taking a different driver using a different road may very well be allowed to make the trip.

TWY wrote: ↑Tue Apr 20, 2021 1:41 pm I know one individual that would like to travel PP to Siem Reap having completed their quarantine. As of yesterday they were not being allowed to go. Exactly what that means in detail I don't know.

Just be aware that the next person taking a different driver using a different road may very well be allowed to make the trip.

Thanks for this info. Considering staying in/around PP if needs be for a period. Of course this could turn in to a longer stay if things don't ease (or restrictions stay in place for a lot longer time). But with your comments about drivers, differing attempts could be made I suppose. It is all too early to tell at this stage. Employment does not start immediately, and as far as I know, it's possible the employer is likely to be shut down during restrictions so those things together ease some of that pressure somewhat. Time will tell... Every step is a step closer.

Thank you, all information is useful. Better informed, better prepared.