Tourists wear face masks while visiting a destination in Siem Reap province of Cambodia on March 5 (Photo: AFP/VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Countries in Southeast Asia aretaking drastic actions in response to the COVID-19 outbreak as they have confirmedmore infected cases over the last few days.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered all schools in Siem Reap city to be shut down temporarily afterthe country confirmed the first Cambodian to be infected with SARS-CoV-2, thevirus that causes COVID-19, on March 7.
The patient, a 38-year-old manliving in northwest Siem Reap province, was tested positive for the virus bythe Pasteur Institute of Cambodia.
He was among the first fourpersons who had direct contact with a COVID-19-infected Japanese man who travelledto Siem Reap province on February 28 and was tested positive for the virus bythe Japanese health authorities on March 4 when he returned to Japan.
Meanwhile, the three otherswere negative for COVID-19, according to the Cambodian Health Ministry.
The Siem Reap patient was thesecond confirmed case of COVID-19 in Cambodia. The first is a 60-year-oldChinese man from China’s Wuhan city. He was tested positive for the virus onJanuary 27, and discharged from hospital on February 10 after completelyrecovering from the disease.
So far, health authorities of Siem Reap province have found atotal of eight persons having direct contact with the Japanese COVID-19 patient,and they were put in quarantine. The 40 others having indirect contact with himhave been instructed to self-isolate at home, and their health are beingclosely monitored, the Health Ministry said.
Meanwhile, the Bank of Thailand has put more 500 THBbanknotes into circulation to raise the percentage of cash that’s free of SARS-CoV-2contamination.
Somboon Chitphentom,assistant governor of the central bank’s banknote management group, said that thenotes have never been in circulation before and are hygienic.
Besides, the bank is also collecting and quarantining banknotes for 14days, the incubation period for the virus, after which they’ll go back intocirculation.
As the number of customers visiting shopping malls has been declining due to the COVID-19, the Emquartier and Emporium malls in Bangkok have installed tunnels with sanitiser sprinklers to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus before customers enter the building.
They are the first EM Auto Sanitising Gates in Thailand, which can reduce chances of the virus spreading by 90 percent.
Thailand has recorded 50COVID-19 cases, including 18 currently under treatment. Aside from one death,31 other patients have been discharged from hospital. The two new casesannounced on March 7 are Thai citizens returning from Italy, the epicenter ofthe outbreak in Europe.
In another development, Malaysiaand Thailand have barred the Costa Fortuna, a cruise ship carrying about 2,000people, including dozens of Italians, from docking due to fears about COVID-19.
The ship was first turned away from Phuket island of Thailandon March 6 despite there being no suspected virus cases aboard, according toits operator.
Thai authorities had imposedrestrictions "on Italians that have transited in Italy in the last 14days", Costa Cruises said on Twitter.
The ship is carrying 64 Italians, according to Malaysianofficials.
On March 7, the vessel triedto dock in the northern Malaysian state of Penang but was also refused entry. The decision was taken as Malaysia had decided to restrict entry of all cruiseships to the country's ports.
After being denied entry by Malaysia, the ship was heading toneighbouring Singapore, a Malaysian politician said./.
