PHNOM PENH: On the morning of Tuesday, 26 April, Prime Minister Hun Sen, announced that the outdoor mask mandate has been lifted across Cambodia, meaning that the decision to wear a mask in public, outdoor settings is now each individual’s own choice.

EAC News sent out a team to interview some people on the streets of Phnom Penh to see how they were feeling about this news. Many have expressed their happiness over the removal of the mask mandate, saying that they are feeling relieved because this will help to reduce the cost of buying masks, and also reduces their worries about accidentally violating health measures when not wearing a mask outside. Meanwhile, some have also said that wearing masks has simply become their habit.

On Tuesday, 26 April, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced through a special voice message that mask-wearing in outdoor, public spaces will no longer be mandatory, so citizens could choose themselves whether they preferred to wear a mask or not while outdoors. This decision came after the Minister of Economy and the Minister of Health held a meeting on Monday, 25 April, to deliberate whether it was feasible and safe to lift the mask mandate.

The Prime Minister said in his message, "I, your Prime Minister, hope that lifting the mask mandate will create a happy atmosphere for our people. It will also contribute to saving costs by shifting the cost of buying masks to buying other items like food, clothes for children and saving for other purposes.”

After this announcement was made, many people living in Phnom Penh have expressed their happiness and relief because it is easier to breathe without a mask, the cost of buying masks will be reduced, and because people will no longer have to worry about being accused of violating health measures when not wearing masks outdoors.

33-year-old car mechanic, Seng Phal, said, "When I heard the news, I was happy because it means I do not have to spend as much money buying masks every day, every month. […] [I am also relieved] because when I wear a mask, it is hard to breath because I have a nose problem.”

Chuon Lin, a 39-year-old tourist bus driver said, "I think it’s a good thing because work related to tourists will increase. [More tourists] will go out a lot because they know that they do not have to wear a mask outside anymore, so there are less problems, reduced costs, and [tourists] will also be less afraid about going anywhere they want."

32-year-old jeweler, Nin Sonivat said, "We're really happy because now it seems we have the freedom to hang out with each other, and we can go out a lot since people are more resistant to disease, which is really good. I'm happy. […] [We had to buy masks a lot] and spend a lot of money, also because the masks cannot be washed [and reused], so we have to change masks often every day, and because there are many members in our house, it costs a lot. If we no longer have to wear masks, then we can reduce a lot.”

In the midst of this happy atmosphere, there are, however, some people who say that mask-wearing has now become a part of their daily habits.

One example is 62-year-old Ung Tay, a market vendor who said, "We protect our health [with masks] because we do not know who is infected with Covid-19, so I always [wear masks] to be protected. And sellers like me, when people from a distance see us not wearing masks, they do not dare to buy from us. We have to buy a lot (of masks), it cannot be counted, because in one day I have to change two to three times regularly. Also my children, grandchildren, son-in-law, they are still using masks every day even though everyone has been vaccinated four times. We still used masks regularly.”

Most of the people EAC News interviewed seem unconcerned about the recurrence of Covid-19, believing in the government measures in place, and trusting the level of local herd immunity achieved, which they see as being further strengthened by the administration of booster vaccine doses.