The Ministry of Tourism has instructed all local tourism-related businesses to implement additional preventive measures, including the prohibition of mass gatherings at local resorts, to prevent the spread of COVID-19 following the “November 28 community incident”.

The guideline, dated Tuesday and obtained by Khmer Times yesterday, makes it compulsory for owners or management of tourist destinations to limit the number of people visiting at the same time in addition to several other measures set by the Ministry of Tourism, including checking visitors’ temperatures prior to entry and providing hand-sanitisers on site.

“Tourist resorts, tourist communities and eco-tourism areas are required to cut down their guest numbers and avoid gatherings with more than 20 people,” Minister Thong Khon said in the guideline. “In case there is a [smaller] gathering, they must practise social distancing and follow other instructions from the Ministry of Health.”

The workers in the resorts, he added, must wear masks or face shields and have alcohol-based sanitiser or gel with them at all times, and if they have to touch the visitors, they must wear gloves.

“Provincial Departments of Tourism must take action against tourist-related businesses that fail to adhere to this guideline,” the minister added.

Chhay Sivlin, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, said the extra measures set by the Ministry of Tourism are more important than ever. She calls for the owners and managers of all tourism-related businesses to follow the guideline, as she believes that the first communication infection of the coronavirus has now thrown the Kingdom’s travel sector into uncertainty.

• Tags: COVID-19 in Cambodia, tourism