On 3 November, the Hungarian Foreign Minister and his delegation visited Cambodia. He tested positive for COVID-19 in Thailand on 4 November. On 7 November, a Cambodian bodyguard to the foreign minister tested positive for COVID-19, the first locally acquired case in Cambodia for more than 180 days.
In response to this event, the government rapidly conducted contact tracing and management based on the event setting, put contacts under quarantine, and implemented other public health measures.
From 4-18 November, 1741 contacts were tested. On 9 November, three further cases linked to this event were reported. Of the 1422 contacts tested on 18 November, none were positive for COVID-19.
The government also introduced targeted measures, closing schools in Phnom Penh and Kandal province for two weeks and banning other social gatherings and activities throughout the country. These restrictions have now been lifted.
“I commend Cambodia for its decisive action to manage the cluster linked to the 3 November diplomatic visit, and the government’s leaders for modelling good public health practices,” said Dr Takeshi Kasai, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Western Pacific.
WHO offered support and guidance on surveillance and safe management of specimen collection for large numbers of contacts. It also supported CDC to conduct a country risk assessment for COVID-19 following the event, which assessed the overall risk of progressing to stage 2 to remain high in Cambodia. Major recommendations made include strengthening implementation and monitoring of quarantine and reviewing surveillance to ensure early detection of cases.
“Early detection and rapid response with targeted interventions are essential to suppressing COVID-19,” said Dr Li Ailan, WHO Representative to Cambodia. “We must continue to prepare for largescale community transmission while responding to imported cases and events.”
WHO urges everyone to be vigilant, to be ready for a rapid response if an outbreak happens, and to be a champion of protective behaviours such as hand and respiratory hygiene, physical distancing, mask wearing, and avoiding crowds. Staying safe protects you and others from COVID-19.