Cambodia closes markets to curb COVID-19, thousands plead for food
25 April, 2021
Cambodia closed all markets in the capital Phnom Penh on Saturday (Apr 24) to include a spike in coronavirus infections as a large number of families plead for food throughout a two-week lockdown.
The Southeast Asian country has among the world's smallest coronavirus caseloads, but an outbreak that started in late February has seen overall cases spike to 8,848 and 61 deaths.
Phnom Penh went into lockdown on Apr 15 and has declared some districts "red zones", banning persons from leaving their homes aside from medical reasons.
In a new order issued on late Friday, Phnom Penh City Hall said all markets should be closed from Saturday until May 7, saying they have seen rising infections in markets and urged vendors and guards to get tested for COVID-19.
"Through the implementation of the Royal Government of Cambodia's lockdown measures, the Phnom Penh Municipal Administration has been paying close focus on the evolving status of COVID-19 epidemic," the town Hall said in a statement.
"Focusing on vendors in all markets in Phnom Penh, it has seen continuous infection rate at a worrying risky and urgent measures are had a need to prevent," the statement added.
Within the efforts to supply food to persons who couldn't leave their homes in lockdown areas, city officials have given a large number of families 25kg of rice, a box of soy sauce, a bag of fish sauce and a bag of canned fish, in line with the City Hall's Facebook page.
In the federal government Telegram group create recently for individuals to request emergency food the help of authorities, thousands of folks have requested food aid.
"I am Tun Sreyphos and I require aid through the lockdown ... number of family (is) 11," said Tun Sreyphos in the Telegram group.
"I and my children ask for immediate assistance in the sort of essential daily food ... I had completely lost my family income due to the closure of the factory and the lockdown," said Thorn Meng who includes a family of five.
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