Phnom Penh municipal governor Khuong Sreng has requested the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training to notify factory owners in the capital to update their workers’ current address to facilitate managing employees during the Covid-19 outbreak.

The proposal was made at a virtual meeting on June 8 with officials from the labour ministry, the Ministry of Health and authorities from the capital’s 14 districts, the municipality said on June 8.

“The meeting was to find ways to update the workers’ address, which makes it easier to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in factories and rental units,” it said.

Municipal hall spokesman Meth Meas Pheakdey could not be reached for comment on June 9.

Sreng was quoted as saying by local media at the meeting that the Covid-19 situation had not improved with most infections found in factory workers in Phnom Penh.

He requested that the labour ministry issue a notice to factory owners in the capital to make a list of where workers live to enable more effective contact tracing in order to break the chain of transmission linked to the February 20 community outbreak.

Sreng also instructed all 14 district administrations to cooperate and work with the labour ministry after the official announcement from the ministry. Cooperation will make the work faster and more efficient with factory owners.

“This work must be detailed, including workers’ ID, address, and a 4x6cm photograph. If there is a problem, authorities can stop Covid-19 at the source,” he said.

Labour ministry spokesman Heng Sour could not be reached for comment on June 9.

Kaing Monika, deputy secretary-general of the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia, told The Post on June 9 that the association would disseminate any information from the ministry.

“There is already a list in each factory but keeping it updated every month is a tedious administrative job for factory staff,” he said.