HUN SEN IN QUARANTINE, CANCELS HIGH-PROFILE MEETINGS

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen went into 14-day quarantine on Saturday, as the country reported a one-day record of 20 deaths from COVID-19, according to a Bangkok Post report.

Authorities also said they had detected the first cases of the highly transmissible Delta variant of the virus in people arriving by land from Thailand, and urged people to be extra-vigilant.

Hun Sen said he had canceled talks scheduled next week with British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab after coming into contact with someone infected with the coronavirus.

He wrote in a Facebook post that he had indirect contact with a COVID patient and doctors required he be tested and undergo quarantine for 14 days until July 3.

He wrote in a Facebook post that he had indirect contact with a COVID patient and doctors required he be tested and undergo quarantine for 14 days until July 3.

“I apologize that I have to cancel all scheduled meetings. … I beg for understanding from the UK Foreign Secretary,” he wrote, adding that the pair had been scheduled to meet on Wednesday morning in Phnom Penh.

Cambodia until recently had recorded one of the world’s lowest COVID-19 caseloads — only a few dozen infections up to February of this year. But the outbreak first detected in late February has caused infections to climb to 42,052 cases with 414 deaths.

“Please continue to be vigilant by practicing hygiene, social distancing, and not leaving your homes unnecessarily. Our country and the world continue to be plagued by the COVID-19 pandemic,” the Communicable Disease Control Department said in a statement posted on Facebook on Saturday.

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