Phnom Penh: As Kan Ben gets underway ahead of Pchum Ben next month, the Ministry of Tourism is urging tourism businesses to adopt strict safety protocols to prevent any further outbreaks of Covid-19. Tens of thousands of people are expected to travel and spend time at hotels and resorts, most especially over the three-day national holiday in October.

The Ministry is advising owners of all tourism-related businesses to strictly implement the Health Ministry’s preventative measures, most notably the “3 do’s and 3 don’ts”. It wants all visitors’ addresses and contact numbers collecting in the event that contact tracing is needed. Businesses should also have the Stop Covid QR code in place and ensure that their customers use it. Temperature scanning, hand sanitising and mask-wearing should also be Standard Operating Procedure. Business owners are also being urged to determine their maximum capacity with regards to allowing for social distancing of 1.5 metres. Large gatherings are still banned, particularly at venues where social distancing cannot be facilitated. Any suspected cases of Covid-19 must be reported to authorities immediately.

Tourism businesses have been asked by the Ministry to also strengthen their protection of the environment over the festival, while keeping their prices “reasonable”.