Cambodians urged to reduce gatherings on Valentine's Day amid rising Omicron cases

A family is having their dinner at Tuol Tom Poung Market in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. - Bloomberg

PHNOM PENH, Feb 12 (Xinhua): Cambodia has called on people to reduce large scale gatherings on Valentine's Day that falls on Monday (Feb 14), in order to curb the spread of Covid-19, as the number of Covid-19 Omicron variant cases continued to rise.

Health Minister Mam Bunheng said in a press statement that every year, some people, especially youth, gather for entertainment purposes or dining together on Valentine's Day, although it is not a Cambodian tradition.

"These activities can pose a high risk for a large scale transmission of Covid-19, particularly the Omicron variant, into the community," he said.

"The Ministry of Health would like to remind all members of the public, especially young men and women, to remain vigilant about the possibility of COVID-19 virus circulating in our community and to strictly implement health measures," said the minister.

Bunheng said that vaccination, together with a guideline on "three dos and three don'ts," is essential to prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially the Omicron variant.

The "three dos" include wearing a face mask, washing hands regularly, and maintaining physical distancing of 1.5 meters, Bunheng said, adding that the "three don'ts" stands for avoiding confined or enclosed spaces, staying away from crowded spaces, and refraining from physical contact with each other.

He also urged local authorities to help promote these health measures to people across the country.

The southeast Asian nation registered a daily record of 274 Covid-19 Omicron variant cases on Friday (Feb 11) with zero deaths, the Ministry of Health said.

It added that since the pandemic hit the country in January 2020, the kingdom has confirmed a total of 122,742 cases, with 3,015 deaths and 118,525 recoveries.

The country has administered at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccines to 14.37 million people, or 89.8 percent of its 16 million population, the ministry said.

Almost 13.8 million or 86.2 percent have been fully vaccinated with two required shots, it noted.

Most of the vaccines used in the country's inoculation campaign are China's Sinovac and Sinopharm. - Xinhua