Five factory workers fined for refusing Covid-19 test
MILITARY officers in Preah Sihanouk province’s Prey Nop district detained five factory workers on May 23 for education and fines after they failed to cooperate with health officials who were taking throat swabs to check for Covid-19 infections because they had been in contact with infected persons.
In a report, the officers said two of the five workers are residents of Choeung Kor commune’s Trapeang Kea village while the other three are from Veal Rinh commune’s Veal Meas village. They are all workers from the Zhi Cheang Home Pinh Furniture factory in the Checheang Special Economic Zone in Choeung Kor commune.
Provincial hall spokesman Kheang Phearom said on May 24 that the five workers were fined between one and five million riel ($1,250) and had been referred to health officials who will take throat swabs to detect the virus.
“Although they have been fined, these violators. . . will still have their samples taken for testing for Covid-19,” he said.
The Prey Nop district administration called on residents, especially those who had been in close contact with Covid-19 positive persons, to immediately report to local authorities so that officials can take throat swabs.
Separately on May 23, the provincial hall imposed administrative measures increasing fines on violators in outbreak locations effective May 24 through June 6.
It said that thanks to the measures already taken to contain the spread of Covid19 in Preah Sihanouk province, including the lockdown in Sihanoukville and other colour-coded zones, the spread of the virus was steadily declining.
It added that in order to ease people’s ability to earn a living and allow greater freedom of movement, it had lifted the orange zone restrictions in Sihanoukville and reclassified them as yellow zones.
They also reduced the size of the red zones in the affected districts, but those who violate the administrative measures will face heavier fines.