Prime Minister Hun Sen said that Cambodia is proud to have supported the poor and vulnerable with cash payments through the dark time of the Covid-19 pandemic. To date, the government has disbursed about $40 million a month to assist people affected by the virus.

Speaking at the Cambodia-Vietnam Investment and Trade Promotion Forum 2022, held in Phnom Penh on November 8, he said Cambodia is also preparing to launch an intervention programme to help about 600,000 households affected by inflation. The intervention is to ensure that the households, totalling around two million people, do not fall below the poverty line.

“Due to our successful control of Covid-19, we have reopened all aspects of society and the economy, and we have done it not with fear, but with confidence. We used to be concerned about the closure of schools, but now we have prioritised nearly four million students for vaccination,” he said.

For four consecutive days from November 6-9, Cambodia recorded no new Covid-19 cases. Two patients recovered from the virus on November 9, with no deaths recorded during the period, according to a Ministry of Health press release.

As of November 9, the total number of cases recorded in the Kingdom was 137,996, with 134,936 recoveries and 3,056 deaths.

The prominent Japanese-run Nikkei daily, which has evaluated and ranked many countries around the world on their government’s ability to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and the implementation of vaccination campaigns, had ranked Cambodia and Vietnam among the highest in Asia for the momentum of their post-Covid-19 rehabilitation.

Hun Sen said the assessment reflected the two nations’ ability to recover – and reopen to foreign tourists and investors – far earlier than most countries.

Health ministry secretary of state Or Vandine said on November 8 that 95.12 per cent of Cambodia’s estimated population of 16 million had been vaccinated, among the highest rates in the world. They include 103.74 per cent of the 10 million people aged 18 and older; 101.14 per cent of the 12-17 age group; 140.03 per cent of 5 to 11 year olds; and 78.39 per cent of the 3-4 age group.