Cambodia to close casinos, halt rice exports due to Covid-19

A heath officer directing villagers to go home so he can spray disinfectant to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus in the slum neighborhood of Stung Meanchey in southern Phnom Penh, Cambodia. - AP

PHNOM PENH: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday (March 30) said the nation’s casinos would be closed starting Wednesday and rice exports would stop by Sunday in response to the Covid-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, state media reported.

Last week, as Cambodia’s total Covid-19 infections topped 100 cases, the premier said the government was weighing whether to declare a state of emergency, but as of yet, no national lockdown has been announced.