People plead for food as markets shuttered

Navigating past restrictions: A woman buying vegetables next to a barricade set up in a neighbourhood due to lockdown restrictions introduced to try to halt a surge in cases in Phnom Penh. — AFP

All markets in the capital city have been closed to contain a surge in coronavirus infections as thousands of families plead for food.Phnom Penh went into lockdown on April 15 and has declared some districts “red zones, ” banning people from leaving their homes except for medical reasons.

In a new order issued late on Friday, Phnom Penh City Hall closed all markets from Saturday until May 7, adding that they have seen rising infections in markets and urging vendors and guards to get tested for Covid-19.