PHNOM PENH: A 25-year-old Irish man staying at a hotel in Phnom Penh's Daun Penh district has tested positive for the new Omicron variant of Covid-19, on Friday.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Health, the Irishman traveled to Kenya about a month and three days ago, then flew back to Cambodia with layovers in Dubai and Bangkok, arriving in the Kingdom on Thursday.

The Ministry of Health has stated that, "Upon arrival at Phnom Penh International Airport, the Ministry of Health team quickly tested the traveler and found a positive case of Covid-19. His sample was sent to Institut Pasteur du Cambodge for analysis, where it was confirmed to be the Omicron variant.

The patient is currently being treated at the National Center for Tuberculosis and Hepatitis C in Phnom Penh.

The first case of Omicron in Cambodia was identified on Tuesday, 14 December, from a 23-year-old Cambodian woman living in Bavet City in Svay Rieng Province, who was 15 weeks pregnant, and returning to Cambodia from Ghana (West Africa).

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Hun Sen reassured the people of Cambodia not to panic over the discovery of the new case of Omicron, urging the people to keep implementing the recommended preventive measures such as the ‘3 Do’s and 3 Don’ts’, to protect themselves from this disease.