Banteay Meanchey provincial governor Oum Reatrey has instructed authorities to increase their efforts in preventing illegal border crossings and collecting samples of migrant workers who return from Thailand, in a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Reatrey gave the instructions as he went to inspect three border checkpoints – Boeung Trakuon, Thma Puok and Malai – in Malai district and the O’Beichoan checkpoint in O’Chrov district on July 15.

He ordered the provincial joint force including police, military officers and health workers to strictly enforce preventive measures by checking on returning migrants, drivers who transport goods across the border and deploying working groups to detect the coronavirus via Covid-19 antigen rapid tests.