Cambodia mandates mask wearing nationwide as 556 new COVID-19 cases confirmed

PHNOM PENH, Aug 17 -- Cambodians nationwide have been required to wear face masks as the Southeast Asian nation reported 556 new COVID-19 cases and 14 more deaths on Tuesday, Xinhua reported.

In a statement released late on Monday, Health Minister Mam Bunheng imposed a mandatory mask-wearing rule in additional 15 provinces, bringing all of the kingdom’s 25 cities and provinces under the rule.

“Requirements for wearing face masks and maintaining a physical distancing (of 1.5 metres from each other) must be implemented from now on until further notice,” he said.

The minister also instructed local authorities to take action to ensure the effective implementation of the requirements.

Under its law, first-time violators will receive a warning, as repeat offenders will be fined between US$50 to US$250.

Cambodia has been enduring the third wave of COVID-19 community transmission since Feb 20.

To date, the kingdom registered a total of 86,597 COVID-19 cases, with 81,918 recoveries and 1,718 fatalities, the health ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The country began a COVID-19 vaccination drive on Feb 10, aiming to inoculate 12 million people, or 75 per cent, of its 16 million population by November.

As of Aug 16, some 9.04 million people, or 56.5 per cent of the total population, have received at least one vaccine dose, while 7.36 million of them, or 46 per cent, have completed the two-dose inoculation, the ministry said.

-- BERNAMA