No major closures for ‘Feb 20 event’
DESPITE the detection of an outbreak of community transmission of Covid-19 in central Phnom Penh on February 20, the government has yet to announce school closures or a ban on traditional gatherings, though mandatory preventive health measures remain in place.
Prime Minister Hun Sen addressed the nation that day, stating that the Ministry of Health had detected 32 confirmed cases of Covid-19 within a 10-hour period after some visa applicants had tested positive.
“I haven’t issued an order to close down gatherings such as weddings or group meetings. This week I myself have to attend programmes at the Ministry of Interior and another one for the grand opening of a hotel. I won’t cancel them. But everyone in attendance has to follow the recommended health measures for social distancing and maintain a distance of at least 1.3m.
“Residents of Phnom Penh must be very careful. If it isn’t necessary, don’t leave the house for now because we’re still doing contact tracing. Club N8 and some residential areas have been closed, but we still have to do contact tracing. If you stay home you can avoid any possible risks,” he said.
He also urged people to wear masks in public places and to continue with social distancing measures and he repeated that people should stay at home unless going out is absolutely necessary.
“I hope that the February 20 community transmission event will end this month if everyone cooperates and carries out the preventive measures attentively,” Hun Sen said.
On February 20, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport; the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training; and the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts issued separate notices instructing their officials to follow the preventive health measures and the guidelines of the health ministry.
In their notice, the education ministry told their officials that in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19 from the February 20 community event they have to continue to be cautious and to strictly adhere to the required health measures.
Education ministry spokesman Ros Soveacha confirmed on February 21
that following the February 20 community event, the ministry has not yet closed any schools.
Pech Bolen, president of the Federation of Education Services in Cambodia, said that his organisation had already conveyed the notice and instructions from the education ministry on February 20 to follow the Covid-19 preventive measures mandated by the health ministry.
On February 20, the labour ministry issued a four-point measure to technical and vocational education and training institutions regarding the February 20 community event.
The ministry told directors, staff members and civil servants at these institutions to follow the health measures and wear masks, wash hands and socially distance.
The labour ministry also said to avoid closed spaces without ventilation as well as air-conditioned places or crowded spaces and to refrain from touching others or shaking hands.
The culture ministry also instructed cinemas, theatres and museums in Cambodia to continue carrying out the health measures for preventing Covid-19 infection but they were not ordered to close.
NINE officials from the Pailin provincial land management department have thumbprinted a petition for the removal of their director and his deputy, accusing them of incompetence due to a lack of leadership and pertinent skills as well as engaging in discrimination and corruption.
In a letter dated February 5 addressed to Minister of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction Chea Sophara and seen by The Post on February 21, the group requested that their superiors be replaced with officials who could foster departmental unity and cooperative productivity.
“We are dissatisfied with the leadership of land management department director So Sokhon and the deputy director in charge of the cadastre Keo Sovath, who are incompetent and unskilled in cadastral work, uncommunicative and discriminatory in opinions and decisions in an inappropriate manner. They are unsuitable as leaders,” the petition said.
The accusation against Sokhon said his mismanagement had led to a deep rift in the department. He was accused of ignoring recommendations and procedures while precluding officials from performing their tasks – instead delegating to preferred interns – and of withholding from officials half of the stipends allotted for their out-of-office assignments.
Sovath was accused of being unqualified for his position, misusing assistants for his personal interests and failing to perform official duties resulting in delays and unresolved cases left for others to address. He is also accused of running a separate, unofficial registration scheme which defrauded the public.
Sokhon, however, denied the charges, telling The Post on February 21 he had heard that minister Sophara had already written a letter to the petitioners stating that no action would be taken.
He disputed the allegations that he was partisan and discriminatory, claiming that he had never had any problems with subordinates in the past and that work went on as usual.
“Working proceeds as normal. It’s their problem for those who complained. Among the complainants are two officials who have been transferred to other positions and are no longer under the control of the department,” Sokhon said.
Recently appointed Pailin provincial governor Ban Sreymom told The Post: “It is not yet possible to say which side is right and which is wrong because I am still new here.
I’ve already become acquainted with all of those involved, and most importantly, I am reviewing all the work that was done in the past,” she said.