Thailand’s neighbour Cambodia has had no new Covid-19 cases for a month and its last patient has recovered and left hospital, leaving the country with 0 cases. But no easing of restrictions related to the virus, including school closures and border entry checks and quarantines, was mentioned in the statement from the Cambodian Ministry of Health. Cambodia’s last reported new case was on April 12. A total of 14,684 tests have been done since January, according to the ministry.

A 36 year old woman from Cambodia’s northwestern province of Banteay Meanchey was released from the Khmer Soviet Friendship Hospital in Phnom Penh, and was presented to the media in a livestream yesterday, thanking the health authorities.

Cambodia reported a total of 122 cases of the virus and no deaths from since the disease emerged in China and began spreading around the world, infecting more than 4.6 million and killing about 311,000 since January.

Cambodia’s Health Minister urged people to stay vigilant and take precautions such as not gathering in large groups.

“We think that most of the cases, generally, are imported, so we must be careful with all checkpoints at the border, at airports, at ports, at land checkpoints.”

“People who travel from abroad must have a certificate confirming that they don’t have COVID-19. Only then would we allow them in, and once they are in, they will be quarantined for another 14 days.”

Cambodia has fared better than most of its neighbours and other ASEAN nations. By comparison, as of today, Singapore has reported 27,635 cases and 22 deaths; Malaysia has reported 6,872 cases and 113 deaths; Indonesia 17,025 cases and 1,089 deaths, the Philippines 12,305 cases and 817 deaths; Thailand 3,025 cases and 56 deaths; Vietnam 318 cases and no deaths, Brunei 141 cases and 1 death, and Laos has reported 19 cases with no deaths.

SOURCE: Reuters | worldometers.info

A Ministry of Public Health announcement yesterday, signed by Deputy PM and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, and published in the Royal Gazette, claims the Covid-19 situation in 5 nearby countries is escalating. Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia and Myanmar have now been added to the list of countries and territories considered as high risk areas for infection.

On March 6, Thailand had named four countries: China (including Hong Kong and Macau), South Korea, Italy and Iran, as being high risk areas for Covid-19 infection, though Hong Kong and South Korea have contained their outbreaks admirably.

Somehow the recent surge in cases in Singapore, which has doubled its number of active cases in just six days, escaped the Minister’s attention. The island state now has 10,141 cases making it the highest number of cases in South east Asia.

The announcement makes the re-opening of borders with the neighbouring countries for trade and travel unlikely in the short-term. It would also make a resumption of flights to and from these countries unlikely to begin again soon.

Here is the text of a government press release:

“The Ministry of Public Health has issued a new announcement, defining five more countries as dangerous communicable disease areas for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

The “Announcement Regarding the Areas Outside the Kingdom Which Are Considered Dangerous Communicable Disease Areas for Covid-19” is in effect from 23 April 2020 onwards, after it was published in the Royal Gazette on 22 April 2020.

In this announcement, the five countries include Malaysia, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Republic of Indonesia, and the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.

The Ministry of Public Health in early March 2020 defined four countries as dangerous communicable disease areas. The four countries include the Republic of Korea, the People’s Republic of China (including Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions), the Republic of Italy, and the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

The new announcement brings the number of dangerous communicable disease areas for Covid-19 outside the Kingdom to nine. It was issued as Thailand is facing a high risk of Covid-19 from travelers from the countries sharing borders with Thailand.

SOURCES: The Nation Thailand | The Pattaya News

Today the Thai Labour Ministy is allowing stranded workers from Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar to stay and work beyond the expiration date of their work permits, due to the recent closure of their borders.

Labour Minister Mom Ratchawongse Chatumongol Sonakul says that the migrant workers are allowed to continue with their work until the borders reopen.

“This decision will benefit 108.586 migrant workers. They consist of 44,222 workers brought into the country to work for 4 years, based on memorandums of understanding with neighbouring countries, and 64,364 workers who hold border passes and work in border areas on a daily seasonal basis.”

SOURCE: Bangkok Post