PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) – Cambodia closes the most popular tourist destination, the centuries-old Angkor temple complex, for two weeks to help fight the country’s coronavirus outbreak.
The closure of the world-famous site is the latest in a series of steps the country is taking after the number of coronavirus cases rose in February.
The Apsara Authority, the government agency overseeing the archeological site, said temporarily stopping local and foreign tourists from visiting the temples is important to help fight the virus. In a statement on Wednesday, he said visitors are banned from April 7 to April 20.
The Angkor site in the northwestern province of Siem Reap attracted 2.2 million foreign tourists in 2019, but fell sharply last year due to pandemic disruptions. Cambodia allows tourists, but must be quarantined.
The Ministry of Health announced on Thursday 113 new local cases of coronavirus and two deaths. Cambodia recorded a total of 3,028 cases, including 23 deaths.
The ministry followed the latest outbreak against a foreign resident who broke a quarantine in a hotel and went to a nightclub in early February. On February 20, the government announced a planned two-week closure of all public schools, cinemas, bars and entertainment venues in the capital Phnom Penh.
As the number of cases increased, the closures were extended across the country to schools, gyms, concert halls, museums and other gathering places.
A deceased luxury hotel in the capital has been transformed into a coronavirus hospital with 500 rooms, and the authorities are applying a new law that imposes a criminal penalty for violating health rules.
The use of face masks was mandatory in Phnom Penh and in the four most densely populated provinces in the country.
The government stepped up other restrictions earlier this month, including a two-week rule between 8pm and 5am in Phnom Penh.
It has also expanded its coronavirus vaccination campaign, targeting 1 million doses per month since April. By the end of March, about 400,000 people – about a third of them members of the armed forces – had been vaccinated.
By the end of March, Cambodia had purchased more than 3.1 million doses of vaccines from China through the World Health Organization’s COVAX initiative. Cambodia has a population of about 17 million.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said on social media this week that vaccinations are voluntary, but that civil servants and members of the military would be at risk of being fired if they are not inoculated.