The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on May 26 placed a man in pre-trial detention for attempting to escape from a Covid-19 treatment facility in Dangkor district on May 22.

According to the detention order issued by Investigating Judge Ros Samedi on May 26, Sear San – a 28-year-old resident of Tuol Pich commune’s Chambok Kong village in Kandal province’s Ang Snuol district – had been treated for mild symptoms at the centre before his escape.

Judge Samedi charged San with avoiding treatment and fleeing the facility under Article 8 of the law on the control of Covid-19 and other contagious diseases.

Medical staff contacted authorities after San fled. The municipal police’s intervention force, who were equipped with anti-virus clothing and automatic remote control equipment, searched for San for about 15 minutes.

San faces between one and five years in prison and a fine of up to 20 million riel ($5,000) if found guilty. And if he is found to have transmitted the virus to others, the prison sentence will be more than double to between five and 10 years.