PM Hun Sen Orders Home Treatment for Patients with Omicron Variant
People sit on a cart pulled by a motorbike travelling along a street in Phnom Penh on August 18, 2021. Photo: AFP
- By Sao Phal Niseiy
- January 22, 2022 4:15 PM
This measure based on the milder effects of the variant will hopefully reassure prospective visitors to the country, he said
PHNOM PENH--Prime Minister Hun Sen on Jan. 21 ordered homecare for patients with the COVID-19 Omicron variant, a move to ease concerns of foreign tourists who visit the country.
“We have found that the Omicron variant, even though it is contagious, is not very dangerous compared with other variants like Delta and Alpha,” he said in a pre-recorded message. This is why, he said, “we will allow patients to receive treatment at home, hotels and places where they live: This variant is less severe.”
The prime minister went on to say that, based on the information received about this variant, there is no requirement for those with the Omicron variant to be treated at government-run hospitals as the health authorities had ordered while they were monitoring the situation when they had first detected Omicron variant on Dec. 14.
“Therefore, I order the Ministry of Health and relevant authorities to allow foreigners arriving either with Omicron or other types of variants to receive treatment at hotels, embassies and other places where they choose to stay,” he said, adding that he hoped this decision will ease concerns of foreign tourists who come to visit Cambodia.
As for Cambodians arriving from abroad and people in the country, they also are allowed to be treated at home, Hun Sen said. However, he stressed, this must be carried out in accordance with the health authorities’ standard operating procedures.
More than 40 Omicron variant cases recorded
On Jan 22, Cambodia recorded 44 case of Omicron variant, with 28 of these cases regarding people coming to the country from abroad, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Health.
Meanwhile, 15 COVID-19 patients have made a complete recovery and been discharged from hospital. And no death due to the coronavirus was registered, the statement read.
As of Jan. 22, the health authorities have reported 121,000 cases nationwide with 117,195 recoveries since the start of the pandemic. The official death toll in Cambodia stands at 3,015 persons.
