Truck drivers may be to blame for the increase in Covid-19.

[ASEAN NOW]

 

Truck drivers who cross the border ferrying products back and forth between Thailand and Cambodia are spreading the virus to local inhabitants, according to Battambang province.

Truck drivers cross the border on a daily basis, transporting critical products and perishables, adding to the province's efforts to restrict the spread of Covid-19 in the community.

 

“The border with the biggest number of trucks crossing is the Doung International Checkpoint,” said Seam Borith, deputy province governor. If they are repeat entries, all participants are subjected to rapid Covid-19 tests every 72 hours.”

 

On Saturday, Kamrieng district governor Sok Sokhun told Khmer Times that the increase in infections was likely caused by Covid-19 positive truck drivers who slipped through or those who tested negative at the international border but were asymptomatic.

 

“Vendors have been reporting positive Covid-19 cases, and the impacted market is close to the Duong International Checkpoint. “We suspect that the high number of vendors testing positive for Covid-19 is due to truck drivers, who can number up to 600 per day,” he explained.

 

“No migrant workers cross this gate; only truck drivers transfer commodities between Cambodia and Thailand,” he continued.

 

“Once they enter Cambodian land, the drivers are tested for Covid-19, but the issue has exacerbated because the drivers and sellers have not sufficiently protected themselves, and many of them are asymptomatic when tested, thus not showing positive findings at the time of testing,” he said.

The KRD market in O'daler village, Boeng Raing commune, Kamrieng district, was temporarily closed on Wednesday for the day after Battambang's provincial administration declared several portions of the hamlet a red zone.

 

The majority of them sick are sellers at KRD market, and they were discovered after three days of quick testing on over 700 vendors and residents in the area.

 

According to Sokhun, the market has up to 700 sellers and is the most popular in Kamrieng district. Out of 379 suppliers tested on Wednesday, 134 were determined to be positive. On Thursday, out of 217 vendors tested, 78 were found to be positive, and on Friday, out of 177 vendors tested, 40 were found to be positive, bringing the total to 252 by Saturday.