Prime Minister Hun Sen announced that people in four provinces – Ratanakkiri, Mondulkiri, Stung Treng and Preah Vihear – could now decide for themselves whether to wear a mask in public.

Hun Sen made the announcement in a special audio address late on April 10, explaining that the people in these four provinces were no longer required to wear masks.

“We're doing this to allow people to be able to take responsibility for themselves. We're not going to force anyone there to wear masks or not wear masks. We'll just leave it to the people there to choose for themselves,” he said.

The premier added that people who leave those four provinces and travel to others must still wear masks as required by law, but people who travel from other provinces to these four exempted provinces can then also decide for themselves whether or not to wear masks while they are there.

“I would like to make it clear that outside of these four provinces, it is still mandatory to wear a mask as part of the preventive health measures, which also include the three dos and don’ts,” he said.