Cambodia's coronavirus complacency may exact a global toll

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SIHANOUKVILLE, CAMBODIA (NYTIMES) - When Cambodia's prime minister greeted passengers on a cruise ship amid a coronavirus scare on Valentine's Day, embraces were the order of the day. Protective masks were not.. Read more at straitstimes.com.

SIHANOUKVILLE, CAMBODIA - When Cambodia's prime minister greeted passengers on a cruise ship amid a coronavirus scare on Valentine's Day, embraces were the order of the day. Protective masks were not.

Before the Westerdam docked in Sihanoukville, fearful governments in other countries had turned the ship away at five ports of call even though the cruise operator, Holland America, assured officials that the ship's passengers had been carefully screened. Many health experts urge people who have been in contact with coronavirus patients to self-quarantine for 14 days, lest they add another spoke to the contagion network.

"This is influenza-like transmission," said Dr Michael Osterholm, director of the Centre for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota."It's like trying to stop the wind." Health monitoring for the rest of the passengers was limited to a handful of temperature checks conducted with infrared thermometers, passengers said. In a statement, Holland America said that during one of those screenings, not a single person on board recorded an elevated temperature.

"In Cambodia, you have warmer background temperatures," he said."It could impact the measurement. That's the issue with any non-contact thermometer." On Monday evening, passengers celebrated news from Cambodian health officials that a first batch of 406 people in Phnom Penh had tested negative, although there was no certainty they would not later test positive.

Even as other governments instituted China travel bans that angered Beijing, Mr Hun Sen travelled to the Chinese capital and met with Mr Xi Jinping, China's leader, in another photo op.

 

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Why is the reporter making a political twist to good act of solidarity?! Should the ship be turned away like the previous countries? Why no one Condemn the Cruise Company who claimed that they have done the necessary screening?! Hatred & discrimination should not rule the world.

COWBOY Hun Sen

There is a reason why it is still so backward 😑

it’s a third world country, never step into this land. Definitely i feel unsafe You are putting global in risk by inserting money into your pocket! Such as awful country!

They'll have the first country in the world where all the coronavirus susceptible genes get weeded out

RIP

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