The Phnom Penh Municipal Administration has instructed all business owners to re-apply for travel permits to pass through orange and red zones after the lockdown is lifted on May 6.

The notification, signed by municipal governor Khuong Sreng on May 5, informs all business owners who have received travel permits from both Phnom Penh municipality and the 14 district administrations they can apply for travel permits from May 6 onwards.

Kamboul district governor Khim Sunsoda said businesses owners must apply for travel permit to pass through high-risk locations except for the pharmaceutical and food industries, for whom it is not necessary to apply for permits as they can travel normally.

Nevertheless, he said the government only permits workplaces to use 2 per cent of their total staff in orange and yellow zones.

"The district can only issue permits to business owners for travel according to the number of people they have on staff. For example, a company with 100 people can only get permission for two people," said Sunsoda.

He said during the recent lockdown, his district had issued travel permits to all business owners and factory owners that had requested them, but those permissions expired on May 6.

On May 5, the Phnom Penh municipality introduced new administrative measures to be applied in the capital to prevent the spread of the virus by dividing the capital into red, orange and yellow zones. These instructions are applicable for seven days until May 12.