Prime Minister Hun Sen has reduced the quarantine period for inbound passengers who are not fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to only one week. This also applies to the unvaccinated.

Minister of Health Mam Bun Heng, who is also head of the Inter-ministerial Committee to Combat Covid-19, said in a press statement on April 21 that the change followed Hun Sen’s directive dated April 19.

“The committee wish to inform the public of the changes to quarantine conditions for unvaccinated foreign travellers [and] those who have not yet been vaccinated fully. Quarantine has been reduced from 14 to seven days,” he said.

The press release said that foreign travellers who arrive by air have to take a rapid test on the 7th day of the quarantine period showing they are negative for Covid-19. Travellers by land have to take two rapid tests – one on the first day before going to a quarantine centre and a second test on the 7th day to complete the quarantine period.

Bun Heng also instructed the authorities to continue efforts to vaccinate migrant workers against Covid-19.

Minister of Labour and Vocational Training Ith Samheng reminded all factory and enterprise owners or directors to cooperate with local authorities and labour departments in the capital and provinces to prepare to administer third and fourth vaccine doses to their employees.

“All factory and enterprise owners or directors have to manage the vaccination data on their workers and employees and fill in the vaccination status for them using the self-declaration function for labour inspection through the automated system.

“In cases where a worker does not yet have a Covid-19 vaccination card, he or she must submit their names in [English] and have vaccination dates registered using the forms specified in the system,” he said.

Prime Minister Hun Sen on April 20 ordered the campaign for booster shots targeting factory workers in collaboration with owners so that the employees will be given time off to get vaccinated as their workplaces are susceptible to infections.

Separately on April 20, Or Vandine – health ministry spokeswoman and head of the national Covid-19 vaccination committee – World Health Organisation (WHO) representative to Cambodia Li Ailan and UNICEF representative to Cambodia Foroogh Foyouzat visited vaccination sites in Ratanakkiri province to observe the local Covid-19 situation.

During the visit, Vandine said the government was striving to cooperate with its development partners to make it easier for everyone to carry out work related to protection from Covid-19 and recovery from the pandemic.

According to the ministry, as of April 20 Cambodia had vaccinated 92.93 per cent of its population of around 16 million.