COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia
The COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia was a part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first imported case in Cambodia was detected in Sihanoukville on 27 January 2020.[3] Although a number of imported cases and transmission to direct contacts were confirmed throughout 2020, no community transmission was detected until 29 November 2020.[4] As of July 2021, Phnom Penh has been the most affected province with the majority of infections and deaths. Banteay Meanchey has the second-highest number of infections, whereas Kandal has second-highest number of deaths.[5]
COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia
The public health response is led by the Ministry of Health with support from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization and Institut Pasteur du Cambodge.[6][7][8] Contact tracing, quarantining, screening of arrivals[9][10][11] and public messaging related to hygiene, social distancing and mask wearing[12] have been central to the containment strategy. According to Global Health Security Index's report in 2019, Cambodia ranked 89th out of 195 countries in preparedness for infectious disease outbreak.[13]
Cambodia's initial response was slow - during the initial outbreak in China, few international travel restrictions were introduced, Cambodian citizens were not evacuated from Wuhan and Prime Minister Hun Sen downplayed the threat.[14][15] Cambodia allowed passengers of cruise ship MS Westerdam to disembark in February after it was refused entry to other countries.[16][17][18] Starting in March as the pandemic spread globally, Cambodia established its national response committee,[6] introduced restrictions on arrival,[16][19] closed education institutions, garment factories and entertainment venues,[20][21][22] and major public holidays were cancelled.[23] A controversial State of Emergency Law was passed in April 2020 but has not been implemented to date.[24] Most restrictions within the country were lifted by September.[25] In November, some restrictions were reinstated in Phnom Penh and thousands of Cambodian government employees and contacts went into quarantine following a one day-visit by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, who tested positive after arriving in Bangkok.[26][10] On 29 November, the first community transmission cluster was detected in Phnom Penh,[27] with the virus suspected to have entered the country sometime during October and circulated undetected.[28] The country began its vaccination programme and detected its largest outbreak to date in February 2021[29][30] thought to be related to a Phnom Penh quarantine breach that led to outbreaks at nightlife venues.[31] Cambodia reported its first death on 11 March 2021.[32] As Lineage B.1.1.7 spread in the capital's markets and garment factories, a curfew was later strengthened to the country's first lockdown across the entirety of Phnom Penh and Takhmau in April 2021 as the WHO warned Cambodia's healthcare system was at risk of becoming overwhelmed.[33][34] Provincial authorities later introduced restrictions elsewhere as outbreaks occurred.[35]
Cambodia's response up to July 2020 and its welcoming of the MS Westerdam were praised by the World Health Organization.[36][37] Criticism has included Prime Minister Hun Sen's downplaying of the risk of an outbreak during the early stages of the pandemic,[17][38][15][14] persecution of critics[39][24] and testing and surveillance procedures, particularly in overcrowded prisons.[40][7][41] The pandemic has had a severe impact on the economy, notably the tourism[42][43] and garment[20][44] sectors, with projections of a lasting increase in poverty, debt and unemployment.[45][46][47]
Background[edit]
On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.[48][49]
The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003,[50][51] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.[52][50]
Reception[edit]
Initial response[edit]
During the early stages of the pandemic, it was reported that Prime Minister Hun Sen was downplaying the pandemic and Cambodia was not responding in an effort to maintain its close diplomatic and economic relationship with China.[14][38][15][216] In February, Hun Sen downplayed the risk of the virus at a press conference, suggesting the virus was sensationalized by the media and threatened to expel those present who were wearing masks. Hun Sen also visited China to show Cambodia's support in its response, and offered to visit Wuhan specifically.[15] Unlike most other countries, Cambodia did not cease travel to and from China and did not evacuate its overseas citizens from Wuhan during the initial outbreak there.[217][14][216]
During a press conference on 27 July 2020, at the six month mark of the declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom praised Cambodia for its success in "preventing [a] large scale outbreak", along with New Zealand, Rwanda, Vietnam and Thailand.[36] The WHO also praised Cambodia's welcoming of the MS Westerdam.[37]
Testing procedures[edit]
Concerns have been raised about the lack of widespread community testing in Cambodia. In April 2020, testing was reportedly restricted to travellers or those with contact to known COVID-19 cases. "Regular flu" cases were not being tested.[40] The lack of transparency of these procedures was highlighted in the wake of the Hungarian Foreign Minister's visit in November, as were the breach in safety protocols during the meetings. A number of people travelling from Cambodia have tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival in other countries.[7] Some experts suggested that COVID-19 was circulating undetected in the country during 2020[7][216] while others suggested that the hot weather and open-air society kept transmission low.[8]
Prisons[edit]
No prisoners were tested for COVID-19 despite coming into contact with officials who tested positive, prompting criticism from the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights, particularly as Cambodia's prisons are often overcrowded.[41][218] Prisons director Nuth Savna told VOD in December that several prisoners had fever but still did not test them, dismissing this as due to the change in weather.[219][218] In June 2021, the Interior Ministry's Prisons Department admitted that 10-20% of prison inmates in certain prisons had been infected with COVID-19, indicating several thousand infections were initially not tested or reported.[173]
Human rights[edit]
On 30 March 2020, Human Rights Watch criticized local authorities for engaging in "inflammatory rhetoric against vulnerable groups and foreigners", including having specifically referred to groups (such as Khmer Islam) as the subject of positive cases in a 17 March Facebook post (which incited discriminatory comments), and having blamed foreigners for its spread.[220] It has also criticized the Cambodian government for using emergency measures to restrict freedoms, including "baseless" arrests of critics and opposition supporters for "incitement" or dissemination of "fake news", including members of the Cambodian National Rescue Party, and an online journalist who quoted a speech by Prime Minister Hun Sen on social media.[39]
In April 2021, Phnom Penh police were criticised by Cambodian human rights groups and Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith for implementing caning to punish violators of the city's lockdown restrictions.[165] Human rights groups, and a group of UN special rapporteurs for human rights also expressed concern over the severity of punishments for lockdown violations.[164]
