Cambodia announces phased reopening to vaccinated tourists
Cambodia plans to reopen in stages to fully vaccinated foreign tourists starting from the end of November
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Cambodia's government announced plans Tuesday to reopen the country in several stages to fully vaccinated foreign tourists starting from the end of next month.
The program beginning Nov. 30 will allow visitors who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus to skip being quarantined if they stay at least five days in designated areas, the Tourism Ministry announced.
The first such areas are two seaside provinces, Sihanoukville and Koh Kong, on the Gulf of Thailand.
On arrival, visitors must show proof they have been vaccinated and take a rapid results test for COVID-19. They can proceed without quarantine if the results are negative.
Siem Reap province, home to the famous Angkor temples, is to be added to the quarantine-free province list in January.
Other destinations will then be added if the program is judged successful, with the entire country opening up when the coronavirus is considered under control.
Cambodia in 2019, before the pandemic, received 6.6 million foreigners who accounted for nearly $5 billion in revenue, and most of them visited Angkor and seaside destinations, according to the Tourism Ministry.
In 2020, the number of visitors dropped sharply to 1.3 million, and earnings from them plunged to about $1 billion.
Cambodia recorded 112 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, its lowest number since April, bringing its total since the pandemic began last year to 118,000.
___
This story has been corrected to show that the reopening to tourists program begins at the end of November, not this month.