COVID-19 Notes

Most of the dwellings in Phnom Penh are shophouses like the one above, three or four-story buildings one room wide, with a ground floor shop opening onto the street and the family’s living quarter behind and above the shop. Now to keep customers, who may be infected, out of their homes, many of the shops have put up string barriers which allow for sales but prevent people from entering the shop. The two shops below have similar strings blocking people from walking in.

COVID-19 Notes

The latest coronavirus fashion fad is sewing a plastic visor onto a regular hat you can get in any market. Do the visors help, especially when you’re wearing a mask? Who knows. One thing for sure, you’d get the same effect and a lot more security if you wore a helmet with a visor! And you’d be following the law!

COVID-19 Notes

Another sign of the times: a bank has installed a sink with running water outside its entrance so people will wash their hands–and use the disinfectant on the sink–before entering the building. Just be careful not to trip over the drain hose.

Working in a new way

Government regulations to control the spread of COVID-19 have prohibited all church gatherings and meetings. The church wishes to continue to assist the local parish communities, however, so today Bishop Olivier organized an online meeting of the parish priests of the diocese, to discuss what the church can do while still following and supporting the government guidelines. Priests in seven different locations participated in an online conference call. I was with Fr. Damien at the church in Boeung Tum Pun.