Cambodia allows entertainment venues in capital to reopen

Phnom Penh, Nov 30 (IANS) Cambodia on Tuesday allowed all karaoke parlors, nightclubs, and bars in capital city Phnom Penh to reopen after a long halt due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Karaoke parlors, nightclubs and discotheques in Phnom Penh are allowed to reopen from November 30 onwards, with the adaptation to the new normal," Phnom Penh governor Khuong Sreng said in a decision.

Business owners must strictly comply with the standard operating procedure, assigning staff members to inspect the Covid vaccination cards of customers and screen their temperature at the entrance, he said.

They must adhere to the measures including mask-wearing, hand hygiene, physical distancing, avoiding enclosed spaces, avoiding crowded spaces, and avoiding touching each other, he said, adding that they must also clean and disinfect their facilities regularly, Xinhua news agency reported.

The latest move came after most of the population in the Southeast Asian nation had been vaccinated against Covid and the number of new infections had seen a significant drop.

The kingdom launched a Covid vaccination drive in February, with China being the main vaccine supplier.

Ministry of Health (MoH)'s secretary of state and spokeswoman Or Vandine said as of November 29, the country had administered at least one vaccine dose to 14.13 million people aged five years old and above, or 88.3 per cent of its 16-million population.

Of them, 13.32 million, or 83.2 per cent, had been fully vaccinated with both required shots, and 2.25 million, or 14 percent, had received a booster dose, she added.

The kingdom reported 22 new Covid cases on Tuesday, pushing the national case total to 120,134, the MoH said, adding that five new fatalities were confirmed, bringing the overall death toll to 2,940.