PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Sen announced in a special message released on Sunday, 10 April, that the mask-wearing mandate would be lifted in the provinces of Ratanakkiri, Mondulkiri, Stung Treng and Preah Vihear. Those who reside in these four provinces can decide whether to wear masks or not on their own volition.

He stated that he made this decision to lift the mask-wearing mandate for these four provinces to test the Covid-19 resilience and herd immunity Cambodia has built in the local community through the successful implementation of the national vaccine campaign and other Government-ordered safety measures.

“We try this, not to test the lives of the people, but we want to know about the resilience of our community, both in urban and rural areas," he said. "And the provinces that we [are lifting the mask mandate] are non-contagious, and if there have been [Covid-19 cases], they have been very few."

The Prime Minister added that lifting mask-wearing protocols means that citizens can choose to wear or not wear masks by themselves, and tourists will also have the same right in the four stated provinces. However, he further reminded that mask-wearing rules will still strictly apply outside these provinces.

The Prime Minister also ordered the Minister of Economy and the Minister of Health to chair a meeting on measures to be taken for these four provinces with mask-wearing protocols lifted, while the four provincial administrations must prepare Covid-19 rapid tests in case there are any suspected Covid-19 infections identified, and those suspected cases must be immediately tested.

The lifting of mask-wearing measures in these four provinces came into effect on Sunday, 10 April.