COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia

COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia
DiseaseCOVID-19
Virus strainSARS-CoV-2
LocationCambodia
First outbreakWuhan, Hubei, China
Index caseSihanoukville
Arrival date27 January 2020
(4 years, 9 months, 3 weeks and 6 days)
Confirmed cases139,325[1] [a]
Recovered135,677
Deaths
3,056[1]
Fatality rate2.19%
Government website
Communicable Disease Control Department
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The COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia was a part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first imported case in Cambodia was detected in Sihanoukville on 27 January 2020.[3] Although a number of imported cases and transmission to direct contacts were confirmed throughout 2020, no community transmission was detected until 29 November 2020.[4] As of July 2021, Phnom Penh has been the most affected province with the majority of infections and deaths. Banteay Meanchey has the second-highest number of infections, whereas Kandal has second-highest number of deaths.[5]

The public health response is led by the Ministry of Health with support from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization and Institut Pasteur du Cambodge.[6][7][8] Contact tracing, quarantining, screening of arrivals[9][10][11] and public messaging related to hygiene, social distancing and mask wearing[12] have been central to the containment strategy. According to Global Health Security Index's report in 2019, Cambodia ranked 89th out of 195 countries in preparedness for infectious disease outbreak.[13]

Cambodia's initial response was slow - during the initial outbreak in China, few international travel restrictions were introduced, Cambodian citizens were not evacuated from Wuhan and Prime Minister Hun Sen downplayed the threat.[14][15] Cambodia allowed passengers of cruise ship MS Westerdam to disembark in February after it was refused entry to other countries.[16][17][18] Starting in March as the pandemic spread globally, Cambodia established its national response committee,[6] introduced restrictions on arrival,[16][19] closed education institutions, garment factories and entertainment venues,[20][21][22] and major public holidays were cancelled.[23] A controversial State of Emergency Law was passed in April 2020 but has not been implemented to date.[24] Most restrictions within the country were lifted by September.[25] In November, some restrictions were reinstated in Phnom Penh and thousands of Cambodian government employees and contacts went into quarantine following a one day-visit by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, who tested positive after arriving in Bangkok.[26][10] On 29 November, the first community transmission cluster was detected in Phnom Penh,[27] with the virus suspected to have entered the country sometime during October and circulated undetected.[28] The country began its vaccination programme and detected its largest outbreak to date in February 2021[29][30] thought to be related to a Phnom Penh quarantine breach that led to outbreaks at nightlife venues.[31] Cambodia reported its first death on 11 March 2021.[32] As Lineage B.1.1.7 spread in the capital's markets and garment factories, a curfew was later strengthened to the country's first lockdown across the entirety of Phnom Penh and Takhmau in April 2021 as the WHO warned Cambodia's healthcare system was at risk of becoming overwhelmed.[33][34] Provincial authorities later introduced restrictions elsewhere as outbreaks occurred.[35]

Cambodia's response up to July 2020 and its welcoming of the MS Westerdam were praised by the World Health Organization.[36][37] Criticism has included Prime Minister Hun Sen's downplaying of the risk of an outbreak during the early stages of the pandemic,[17][38][15][14] persecution of critics[39][24] and testing and surveillance procedures, particularly in overcrowded prisons.[40][7][41] The pandemic has had a severe impact on the economy, notably the tourism[42][43] and garment[20][44] sectors, with projections of a lasting increase in poverty, debt and unemployment.[45][46][47]

  1. ^ a b Mathieu, Edouard; Ritchie, Hannah; Rodés-Guirao, Lucas; Appel, Cameron; Giattino, Charlie; Hasell, Joe; Macdonald, Bobbie; Dattani, Saloni; Beltekian, Diana; Ortiz-Ospina, Esteban; Roser, Max (2020–2024). "Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)". Our World in Data. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
  2. ^ Turton, Shaun (1 October 2021). "Cambodia COVID cases plummet after PM orders reduced testing". Nikkei Asia. Archived from the original on 3 October 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  3. ^ "Cambodia confirms first case of coronavirus: Health minister". CNA.asia. 27 January 2020. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  4. ^ "At first Cambodians couldn't believe their COVID-19 numbers. Now they do". www.abc.net.au. 3 December 2020. Archived from the original on 28 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  5. ^ "COVID-19 Dashboard | Open Development Cambodia (ODC)". 10 June 2020. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Xinhua-2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Sony-2020b was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "The Cambodian lab working to unravel how COVID-19 spreads and grows". Southeast Asia Globe. 2 April 2020. Archived from the original on 10 December 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  9. ^ Sony, O (13 April 2020). "Health Ministry, WHO Warn of Possible Community Virus Transmission". vodenglish.news. Archived from the original on 11 December 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  10. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Dara-2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "Provinces Cast Wide Net for Covid-19 Contact Tracing". VOD. 2 December 2020. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  12. ^ "Insights from the Cambodian experience in preventing the spread of COVID-19". www.unicef.org. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  13. ^ Global Health Security Index, 2019 Source
  14. ^ a b "Hun Sen's Political Gamble: The Coronavirus Epidemic". thediplomat.com. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  15. ^ a b Tiezzi, Shannon. "China and Cambodia: Love in the Time of Coronavirus". thediplomat.com. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  16. ^ a b "Cambodia and Coronavirus: Temporary Travel Restrictions". 12 May 2020.[permanent dead link‍]
  17. ^ a b Beech, Hannah (18 February 2020). "Cambodia's Coronavirus Complacency May Exact a Global Toll". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference Time-2020a was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference Khmer Times-2020c was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference DW-2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference Fresh News-2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ "Cambodia Announces Nationwide School Closures as COVID Response Ramps Up". VOA Cambodia. 16 March 2020. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference Khmer Times-2020d was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ a b "Fears as Cambodia grants PM vast powers under Covid-19 pretext". The Guardian. 10 April 2020. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  25. ^ Cite error: The named reference Cambodianess-2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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  27. ^ Cite error: The named reference Khmer Times-2020b was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  28. ^ "Local COVID Outbreak Different Strain From November 3 Cases ⋆ Cambodia News English". Cambodia News English. 3 December 2020. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  29. ^ "Corruption threatens Cambodia's COVID success as cluster spreads". Nikkei Asia. Archived from the original on 23 February 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  30. ^ "Cambodia launches COVID-19 vaccinations with shots for PM's sons, ministers". Reuters. 10 February 2021. Archived from the original on 11 February 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  31. ^ "Cambodia's nightlife scene tests COVID success". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  32. ^ Cite error: The named reference Cheang-2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  33. ^ Bopha, Phorn. "COVID variant pushes Cambodia to brink of 'national tragedy'". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  34. ^ "'February 20' Cluster in Numbers: 7,600 and Climbing". vodenglish.news. 22 April 2021. Archived from the original on 27 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  35. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kunthear-2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  36. ^ Cite error: The named reference WHO-2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  37. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBC News-2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  38. ^ Grundy-Warr, Carl; Lin, Shaun (16 June 2020). "COVID-19 geopolitics: silence and erasure in Cambodia and Myanmar in times of pandemic". Eurasian Geography and Economics. 61 (4–5): 493–510. doi:10.1080/15387216.2020.1780928. ISSN 1538-7216.
  39. ^ "Cambodia: Covid-19 Spurs Bogus 'Fake News' Arrests". Human Rights Watch. 29 April 2020. Archived from the original on 4 May 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  40. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kong-2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  41. ^ Techseng, Tran (1 December 2020). "No Prisoners Tested Despite Contact With Covid-19 Infected Director". VOD English. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  42. ^ Cite error: The named reference South China Morning Post-2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  43. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hunt-2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  44. ^ Cite error: The named reference Flynn-2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  45. ^ Cite error: The named reference UNDP-2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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  47. ^ "'Strangled by debt': Coronavirus deepens Cambodia's loan crisis". news.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 22 November 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.


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