Kandal Governor Orders Closure of Market and Pagoda due to COVID-19 Threat
Kandal Provincial Governor Kong Sophorn ordered the temporary closure of Kandal Steung District’s Boeung Khyang market and Vihear Tranh pagoda to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Photo from Kandal provincial administration.
- Ou Sokmean and Phoung Vantha
- December 9, 2020 6:18 AM
A woman from Phnom Penh who has tested positive for the virus visited her mother in Kandal Province, prompting authorities to close and decontaminate places the mother visited.
PHNOM PENH--Kandal Provincial Governor Kong Sophorn ordered the temporary closure of Kandal Steung District’s Boeung Khyang market and Vihear Tranh pagoda to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
This comes after a woman who, on Nov. 27, went shopping at Pedro—a clothing store in Phnom Penh that has been linked to numerous COVID-19 cases—visited her mother in Kandal Province on Nov. 28 and has since tested positive on Dec. 8.
The temporary closure of Boeung Khyang market and Vihear Tranh Pagoda were announced after authorities have been retracing the places the infected woman’s mother has been after her daughter visited.
“The parents of the COVID-19 patient have been tested by health authorities, but have not yet received any results,” Sophorn said.
He went on to say that on Dec. 8, the authorities identified seven people who have had direct contact and 37 people who were in indirect contact with the mother of the COVID-19 patient. These people have subsequently been tested and placed in quarantine for 14 days, in accordance with the Ministry of Health’s guidelines.
Urging people not to be afraid, Sophorn called on people to cooperate with local authorities and health authorities if they were in contact with anyone who has been exposed to COVID-19 and requested they get tested immediately.
Both the market and the pagoda that were visited by the mother of the COVID-19 patient have been sprayed down with antiseptics by authorities.
As of the morning of Dec. 9, Cambodia had reported a total of 355 cases of COVID-19, with 47 people currently receiving treatment and zero deaths recorded in relation to the virus.
