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The graph above, from VOD, indicates that all is not well with the Cambodian government’s efforts to slow down the spread of Covid-19 in the kingdom.
On the other hand, the government has made some good moves. Within ASEAN, Cambodia has vaccinated more people than any other country except Singapore. And Cambodia has from the start included us foreigners living here in their vaccination plans. In this picture a member of our English Catholic Community gets his second injection.
Life under Covid-19 is certainly unpredictable but yet there are also elements in society and the culture that are the same.
(Left photo) Even as the infections are still quite bad in Cambodia, the government is anticipating that vaccinating everyone will improve the situation (Cambodia has the second highest number of vaccinations given in ASEAN, after Singapore), and so they have prepared a video to welcome back the foreign tourists.
(Right) Probably because there has been so much disruption, loss of income and mobility and opportunity, the populace in some areas is very serious about making things better quickly. One man who tested positive escaped from the treatment center, and when locals found him at his home, the police had to intervene to keep him from being beaten to death.
(Left photo) Even as the numbers of infections in the last three months (25,000) increased more than 6,500% over the infections in the entire first year (375) of the pandemic, some foreigners feel the safety regulations and requirements shouldn’t interfere with their enjoyment and still keep partying.
(Right) Another old custom persisting in the culture is adulterating rice wine with methanol. In the latest incident 12 people died after drinking the rice wine at a funeral.
[Photos and headlines from the Khmer Times.]
The light colored areas of this night time map are the heavier clouds–the kind that produce rain. We’re into May now so the rainy season should become more regular. So far we’ve just had a few heavy downpours, nothing like what the rainy season can produce.
The Khmer Times is a pro-government newspaper so it was rather surprising to find this editorial rather strongly criticizing the government’s handling of the restrictions caused by Covid-19. Click here to read the editorial. Notice, though, that the writer was careful to applaud the prime minister while speaking ill of his “minions.” The writer’s harsh comments are very valid.
And here is the prime minister himself saying the police have done a good job.
One of the problems with controlling the spread of Covid-19 in Cambodia is the porous nature of the borders with Vietnam on the east and Thailand on the west. A good number of Chinese make their way to Vietnam and then illegally cross the border into Cambodia while on the Thai border, there are numbers of people going both directions, some with the reported help of the Thai military.