The 27th consecutive day of 'new low' daily case totals has sped up the reopening process.

[ASEAN NOW]

 

As Cambodia gets closer to reopening travel, tourism, and the economy, the country's daily new case total fell to its lowest level since April 5th, capping a remarkable 27-day run of 'new normal' low case counts.

 

The official daily new COVID case count for today was 111, increasing the overall number of COVID cases to 118,111.

 

PM Hun Sen stated 19 days ago, on the 8th of October, that Cambodia will be able to resume its economy across all sectors if the Covid-19 situation following Pchum Ben continues stable for at least 10-15 days, stating:

 

"If the situation does not improve in the next 10 to 15 days, I believe it is necessary to reopen the economy and society in all areas under the new normal paradigm," he said.

 

The Prime Minister declared yesterday that the government has laid the groundwork for Cambodia's economic recovery and a return to a "new normal" by the end of the year.

 

In breaking news, Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism announced yesterday that starting November 30, those who are fully vaccinated will be able to visit Sihanoukville, Koh Rong island, and the Dara Sakor Resort in Koh Kong province without having to go through quarantine, with Siem Reap following in early 2022.

 

This comes on the heels of major developments last week, such as the reopening of the e-Visa scheme for tourists and investors, the relaxation of the quarantine period for incoming travellers, the lifting of the ban on flights from Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, and the introduction of a new QR code system for checking vaccination status, all of which demonstrate the Royal Government's determination to reopen the Kingdom for business as soon as it is safe to do so.

 

In this mood of broad joy over the imminent reopening of the country, however, a note of caution must be struck.

 

COVID has not vanished – far from it – and, while Cambodia is significantly better prepared to handle with the pandemic threat than many other nations due to widespread immunization, it remains a devastating – albeit hopefully controlled – threat.

Instead, Cambodians must focus on adapting to the ‘new normal,' rather than expecting the Kingdom to return to life as it was before COVID.

 

Although residents of Phnom Penh are waiting to see if the long-standing ban on mass meetings will be removed tonight, now is not the time for celebrations; rather, it is the moment to respect the 'new normal' way of life and recognize that the COVID pandemic is still being contained.

 

With 19,557 instances being imported, the total number of Community Cases is now 98,554.

 

Today, ten imported cases were announced, maintaining the trend of importing few instances.

 

Cambodia also revealed 7 more deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19-related deaths in Cambodia to 2,758.

 

As active cases decreased, 264 recoveries were announced, bringing the total number of active COVID cases in Cambodia to 1,555.

 

The strategy of limited fast testing for COVID-19, which is the first step in transitioning away from the pandemic to the 'endemic stage' of the COVID-19 issue, is linked to the dramatic downward trend in reported cases.

 

This approach has drastically reduced the number of cases recorded, and when combined with the current policy of not providing any provincial or ‘Delta' numbers, it is now difficult to determine the exact extent of COVID in Cambodia.

 

Credit Source: Khmer Times

 

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