Coronavirus: Cambodia cases spike, travellers from countries including US and Italy banned
- Phnom Penh has announced 35 confirmed cases in the country, up from 12 on Sunday, most of them people who had recently travelled overseas
- The country has also barred people travelling from Germany, France, Spain and Iran for the next 30 days
Phnom Penh on Wednesday announced there were 37 confirmed cases in the country, up from 12 on Sunday. Most of them are foreign nationals or locals who had recently travelled overseas, with at least 24 having at the end of last month attended a gathering at a Kuala Lumpur mosque, which has been linked to more than 400 cases in Malaysia.
Foreign travellers from the United States, Germany, France, Spain and Italy have been barred entry for 30 days starting from Tuesday, with a ban of the same duration imposed on foreigners from Iran beginning on Wednesday.
The government has tested a total of 1,112 people, according to health ministry spokeswoman Or Vandine, but she did not clarify if that included the passengers and crew of the Westerdam, a cruise ship that docked in Cambodia last month after multiple countries barred it from entering over coronavirus fears.
Prime Minister Hun Sen greeted and hugged Westerdam passengers as they disembarked in Sihanoukville on February 14, but Cambodia’s attitude towards tourists soured after a Viking River Cruises ship in Ho Chi Minh City last week carried three British nationals who later tested positive for the virus.
