Oddar Meanchey: The number of Delta variant cases in Cambodia is fast approaching 500. 97 new cases of the variant have been detected in the border province of Oddar Meanchey. The announcement was made by the provincial health department late on Tuesday. These are in addition to the 385 Delta cases confirmed by the Ministry of Health on Monday.

Border provinces, such as Banteay Meanchey are braced for an influx of migrant workers from Thailand when the borders reopen on Friday morning. The source of the Delta variant in Cambodia is believed to be a migrant worker. Health Ministry spokesperson, Or Vandine, warned at the beginning of August that the Delta variant was now in the community and was spreading fast.

It’s why government launched its 14-day preventative campaign, which is scheduled to end at midnight on Thursday. High-level meetings are expected to be held over the next 24 hours to discuss whether or not the current measures should be extended. Those measures include the 9pm-3am curfew, a nationwide ban on alcohol sales and the suspension of high-risk businesses.