Phnom Penh Quarantine Centre opens in Prek Pnov district on Wednesday. City Hall
A four-building quarantine centre in Phnom Penh’s Prek Pnov district was formally inaugurated on January 6.
The centre can house up to 500 people, according to Phnom Penh municipal governor Khuong Sreng.
At the inauguration ceremony, Sreng said the municipal hall had cooperated with the Ministry of Health to construct the centre because in the past quarantine accommodations had to be improvised using locations like schools, military barracks and hotels.
“Flight passengers from abroad arriving in Cambodia via Phnom Penh International Airport have two options – they can spend their own money quarantining at a hotel or a guesthouse, or for those who have less money or want to quarantine without having to spend money, they can stay at this centre,” he said.
He added that Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered the health ministry and the municipal administration to rapidly complete preparations for the quarantine centre because on January 11 schools will reopen to begin the new academic year.
Sreng continued that each building can house up to 126 people in quarantine. The rooms were designed according to ministry’s specifications.
“Out here, the air quality is good and the location is good for quarantine purposes because the buildings are far from any residences,” he said.
Ministry spokeswoman Or Vandine called on the public to exercise heightened caution and to adapt to the “new normal” amid the pandemic.
“The most important instructions from the government must be followed consistently – practice the three do’s and three don’ts’ to stay safe because that’s the new normal,” she said.
Citing a Battambang health department official, the Ministry of Information said that as of January 4, a total of 106 Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand had tested positive for Covid-19 and were being treated in hospitals in Thailand.
However, provincial health department deputy director Ouk Vichea told The Post on January 6 that this news was not yet confirmed and that he could not yet provide verification of the details.
“We have a meeting scheduled for January 7. I will ask about this problem specifically and get back to you on this,” he said.
Provincial hall spokesman Soeum Bunrith said 120 Cambodian migrant workers had been allowed to return home after testing negative for Covid-19 at the end of their 14-day quarantine as of January 5.
He further said that 1,369 Cambodian migrant workers have been quarantining at 10 different quarantine centres across the province.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation spokesman Koy Koung and Kim Chamroeun, an official who oversees matters related to Cambodia’s migrant workforce in Thailand, could not be reached for comment on January 6.
Separately, a 28 year-old Cambodian man from Pailin province’s Sala Krao district who arrived in Cambodia from Thailand on January 2 had tested positive for Covid-19 and is now being treated in the provincial referral hospital.
As of January 6, Cambodia had recorded a total of 383 Covid-19 cases, with 21 patients remaining hospitalised.
