Phnom Penh (VNA) – The Cambodian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS) has confirmed that several schools will no longer require their staff and students to conduct COVID-19 tests when they are allowed to reopen this month.

The Khmer Times quoted the MoEYS spokesman Ros Soveachea said the ministry and the Ministry of Health agreed that if students, their parents, or staff members of 20 education institutions in the first phase of school re-opening returned from an oversea trip before early June, or have not travelled outside of Cambodia, they do not need to undergo COVID-19 tests. 

This proposal was approved by Prime Minister Hun Sen.

However, the MoEYS has yet to confirm which 20 schools will be opened in the coming days, despite many staff already returning to campuses and the schools’ names widely circulated online.

The official noted the ministry is continuing to discuss technical details of “Schools Re-opening Phase One” with the approved 20 schools, which also have to discuss further details with students’ parents for mutual agreement.

The ministry previously said that the approved 20 schools would need to follow the health measures set by the Health Ministry and the World Health Organisation.

The schools must keep their environment clean. Each class must not have more than 15 students while social distancing must be strictly enforced.

As of August 4 morning, Cambodia recorded 241 COVID-19 cases, including 200 recoveries./.
VNA