Teachers are inoculated with Sinovac’s coronavirus jabs as part of a vaccination campaign at Kolap 1 Primary School in Phnom Penh’s Daun Penh district in April. Hong Menea
The Ministry of Civil Service is requiring candidates who have already applied for the entrance examination into six ministries and institutions to be vaccinated against Covid-19 with both doses.
The notification signed by Ev Bunthol, secretary of state and chairman of the ministry’s examination organising committee on May 4, stated that six ministries and institutions including the ministries of Civil Service; National Assembly-Senate Relations and Inspection; Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; Commerce; Water Resources and Meteorology; and the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) would all require full vaccination of candidates for this year.
The notice states that on the day of the exam all candidates must bring their Covid-19 vaccination card.
In cases where candidates are not able to receive the Covid-19 vaccine for health reasons, they must have an official certificate from the municipal or provincial health departments.
According to the announcement, any candidate who does not have the vaccination card or a certificate from the municipal or provincial health departments will not be allowed to take the exam.
Civil service ministry spokesman Youk Bunna told The Post on May 6 that the ministry requires candidates to be vaccinated against Covid-19 because of the severity of the outbreak in Cambodia currently.
All civil servants and public servants must get Covid-19 vaccinations to protect themselves against infection and to avoid infecting others.
"They have to get Covid-19 vaccinations in order to be safe for work and for public safety too," he said.
Bunna said immunisation is very important for everyone, especially public officials, because they are the guarantors of job security and communications with many public service seekers.
Prime Minister Hun Sen first warned on April 6 that all civil servants must be inoculated – even the newly recruit ones – and contractual employment must be updated to require vaccination before they are allowed to enter the framework or take the entrance exam.
Hun Sen believes that otherwise the vaccination campaign – which requires between 10 and 13 million people to be vaccinated to achieve what is known as “herd immunity” – would be meaningless because too many people would refuse vaccination.
"We have to consider the common national interest and public health, except for those cases where a doctor confirms that the person cannot be vaccinated," he said.
