Phnom Penh: The Minister of Health Mam Bunheng instructed the Covid-19 Commission and the Ratanakkiri, Mondulkiri, Stung Treng and Preah Vihear provincial authorities to pay more attention to Covid-19 cases in their respective provinces and to be prepared to timely response in case of outbreak of Covid-19 virus in the province.
In a letter to the Chairman of the Covid-19 Commission at the Capital-Provincial Level, the Minister of Health, Mam Bunheng introduced the measures to remove the mask mandate in the four provinces, saying that from now on, both people living in the province or those who travel to these four provinces are no longer required to wear masks, except for Covid-19 patients and those associated with Covid-19 positives. When people leave the four provinces, the mandate to wear masks must be carried out immediately.
In addition to instructing citizens, the Minister also ordered the Covid-19 Disease Control Commission and the four provincial authorities, who don’t need to wear their masks to prepare a team of doctors, medical equipment and medicines for Covid-19, as well as Covid-19 antigen test kits to be able to respond in a timely manner in the event of an eventual outbreak of Covid-19 among a group of people in a particular location, as well as to cooperate and report suspected cases that could lead to a re-emergence of Covid-19 virus infection.
The minister also advised people in the four provinces to quickly test for Covid-19 on their own in case of suspicion, such as fever, cough or respiratory symptoms (nasal congestion, runny nose, itchy throat, hoarseness, Sore throat, etc.).
He also asked the health departments of the six provincial administrations to make new reports on the cases of Covid-19, which have been found since the beginning of the waiver, to the four Covid-19 Commissions and the Department of Infectious Diseases of the Ministry of Health.
"The inter-ministerial commission to fight Covid-19 will update the masked exemption conditions according to the necessity and the actual evolution of Covid-19," said Mam Bunheng.
On the 10th of April, Prime Minister Hun Sen decided to remove the obligation to wear masks in Ratanakkiri, Mondulkiri, Stung Treng and Preah Vihear provinces, leaving it up to residents to decide whether or not to wear masks.
In a special message on 10th of April 2022, Prime Minister stated that the decision to remove the mask duty from the four provinces to test the resilience of the community that Cambodia has successfully implemented in the past.
