Cambodia considers abolishing compulsory mask wearing rule hinh anh 1A fruit stall at a market in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on November 17, 2021. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)
Phnom Penh (VNA) - Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said that the Government is considering removing the mandatory requirement of wearing masks for COVID-19 prevention, at least in some provinces of the country.

Speaking at an inauguration ceremony of 38 roads in the tourist province of Siem Reap on April 3, Hun Sen said he was considering lifting the regulation in the first two pilot provinces of Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey. If the pilot is successful, Cambodia could expand the deregulation across the nation.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, Cambodia has applied a mandatory mask wearing policy on the streets and public places, with failure to comply resulting in heavy fines.

On April 2, Secretary of State and Ministry of Health spokesman Or Vandine said that the COVAX vaccine distribution mechanism had just decided to increase the amount of vaccine for Cambodia from 20 percent to 30 percent of the country's total population. So far, 14.8 million people of Cambodia's 16-million population have been vaccinated with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The nation has resumed socio-economic activities, with fully vaccinated tourists allowed to enter without quarantine from November last year./.
VNA