Cambodian Premier Hun Sen Placed in Quarantine for COVID-19
Chhay Sophal
Phnom Penh (November 4, 2020): Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and some of his government officials on Wednesday went into quarantine and tested for COVID-19 after they had come in contact with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto who was tested positive for the virus after meeting the premier and others a day earlier.
Szijjarto paid a one-day visit to the Kingdom on November 3. In the morning, Szijjarto met top Cambodian leaders, including PM Hun Sen, Foreign Affairs Minister Prak Sokhonn and others, in the Peace Palace before departure to Bangkok, Thailand, in the afternoon for his two-day visit.
During the ceremony at the Peace Palace presided over by the Prime Minister, Minister in Charge of Civil Aviation Mao Havannall, Agriculture Minister Veng Sakhon and Water Management Minister Lim Kean Hor also shook hands with Szijjarto.
In Bangkok, Szijjarto was reportedly tested positive COVID-19 and before their arrival in Cambodia, all Hungarian delegates had tested negative and they had COVID-19 negative test certificates.
Immediately after a statement on the issue sent to Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation from Bangkok on Wednesday, the Cambodian government decided to have all leaders and officials who met and interacted directly with the Hungarian delegation had to be tested for the virus and placed in quarantine.
Prime Minister Hun Sen on November 4 wrote his Facebook page that he was placed in quarantine for 14 days at his home without allowing any family member to get near although he, his 18 bodyguards and drivers had been tested negative.
He also apologized the whole nation for his canceling all public events during his quarantine. The Prime Minister is supposed to greet the King’s and Queen Mother’s return from Beijing this week and to join the King to celebrate the National Independent Day on November 9, to offer donation to flood victims in a few provinces, to inaugurate road construction of nearly 20 lines on November 16, to meet online with ASEAN Heads of State and Government Leaders on November 15.
However, he would do some work and doing exercise from home as usual, he wrote.