Prime Minister Hun Sen on May 8 told the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training to work with factories and enterprises, and refrain from setting Covid-19 vaccination as a condition for resuming work, risking exposure to the novel coronavirus.

Citing an example, he said at one place many workers flocked to the village chief's house in order to get vaccination documents that would enable them to get the jabs before returning to work.

“Using vaccination as a condition for work is unjust for those who have not been immunised. I want to emphasise that we plan to inoculate 13 million people but so far we have achieved only 16 per cent. So, we cannot use vaccinations as the basis for employment or for retaining the jobs.

“I already made it clear that there is obligatory vaccination for civil servants and the armed forces, but such an obligation is not for ordinary citizens for now. In the future, vaccination will be mandatory for everyone but it needs time and sufficient vaccine supplies,” he said.

"Only after people in Phnom Penh and Kandal province and the whole country are vaccinated can we dictate that those who refuse to get the jabs will lose their job or be denied employment," he said.

He also called on people who are better-off not to vie for aid as it is prioritised for the poor.