Author: Charles Dittmeier

Apologies

I had the photos and text ready to post last night but then I got distracted by numerous calls and messages from people seeking help from the St. Vincent de Paul Society of the church and I completely forgot about posting when I finished with all the messages.

The Wet Season

This is the rainy season and today was the heaviest rain I have seen here in years. In mid afternoon, it just poured, so much so that I decided to leave my bicycle at the Deaf Development Programme and take a tuk-tuk home because I knew the streets of Boeung Tum Pun would be flooded. They were.

Little Red Zones

Today I was in the neighborhood of St. Joseph Church and encountered this street blocked off for a mini-lockdown of just one or two blocks. Our daily overall infection numbers for the country have dropped below 600 but there are still pockets of infection even in highly vaccinated Phnom Penh.

Notable Quotes

“The way to God lies through love of people. At the Last Judgment I shall not be asked whether I was successful in my ascetic exercises, nor how many bows and prostrations I made. Instead I shall be asked did I feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and the prisoners.”   

Mother Maria Skobtsova

An Unstable Situation

Cambodia is in a volatile and unstable situation with COVID-19. A few days ago, the WHO declared that the next two weeks will be critical for the kingdom as daily infection numbers remain high and the Delta variant becomes established. [All photos are from the Khmer Times]


The good news is that Cambodia has received more than 7 million doses of vaccine and 73% of the population has been vaccinated. China, the United States, and the UK are contributing 2 million more doses this week.
More good news is that today vaccinations began for 12 to 17 year old children, and the prime minister announced that a third injection, a booster, will be offered to all who have received the first two doses.
Bad news is that hundreds of Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand are daily crossing the border to return to their home provinces because the factories in Thailand have shut down because of the pandemic. The Thai-Cambodian border is now closed but people like these are crossing illegally. The worry is that they are importing the Delta variant spreading through the country.
More bad news is that a new curfew declared in Phnom Penh and other cities is not being strictly observed. 275 persons were detained last night in Phnom Penh during the curfew hours of 9:00 PM to 3:00 AM.