Cambodia cuts quarantine time for fully vaccinated travellers

PHNOM PENH: The Cambodian government has decided to reduce the quarantine period for fully vaccinated inbound travellers from Monday onwards, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said in a statement.

Foreign investors, technical experts, diplomats, and cooperation project managers and coordinators, as well as Cambodian officials returning from overseas missions will be required to undergo a three-day quarantine only, while general inbound passengers, both Cambodians and foreigners, will be quarantined for seven days, the statement said.

However, the travellers who have not received a jab or not been fully vaccinated, will be required to go into a full 14-day quarantine, Xinhua news agency reported.

The statement added that foreign travellers will still need to present a medical certificate for a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours prior to their arrival in Cambodia, and they must carry a vaccination card or certificate indicating their full vaccination status and vaccination date.

Also, they must have proof of accommodation during the quarantine period and need to hold a Covid-19 insurance policy issued by Forte Insurance (Cambodia) Plc, which is the insurance consortium, it said, adding that all inbound passengers' samples will be taken for PCR tests upon their arrival in the Southeast Asian country. According to the statement, all visas must be requested at Cambodian embassies abroad, as visas on arrival will not be offered.

Chhay Sivlin, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, on Sunday welcomed the new quarantine policy, saying that it was a good sign for tourism industry, which had been hit hard by the pandemic.

"It's good news for our tourism because a shorter quarantine period will encourage investors, business people and tourists to come to Cambodia," she told Xinhua. "With this new quarantine policy, we hope our tourism will start to recover gradually."

The latest move came after the kingdom has administered at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine to 13.58 million people, or 84.9 per cent of its 16 million population, according to the MoH.

Of them, 12.54 million, or 78.3 perc ent, have been fully inoculated with two required shots, and 1.36 million, or 8.5 per cent, have received a third or booster dose, the MoH said.

Cambodia reported 258 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, bringing the total tally to 116,665 with 2,658 deaths, including 24 new fatalities from the pandemic. An additional 405 patients have recovered, taking the total number of recoveries in the country to 110,870, said the MoH. (IANS)

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