Cambodia Finally Denies Cruise Ship Entry Amid COVID-19 Pandemic...

[Asia Economy Reporter Bu Aeri] Cambodia, which had accepted a large cruise ship that was denied entry by five countries due to concerns over the influx of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), has ultimately decided to completely ban cruise ship entries.

According to local media, on the 13th, Cambodia's Ministry of Public Works and Transport sent an official letter to cruise ship companies and operators notifying them that all cruise ship entries are temporarily prohibited to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

This measure was taken after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a COVID-19 pandemic and three confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported on the Mekong River cruise ship that departed from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on the 5th and arrived at Kampong Cham Province, Cambodia on the 7th.

Earlier, Cambodia attracted attention by suddenly allowing the American cruise ship 'Westerdam,' carrying 1,257 passengers and crew, to dock at Sihanoukville Port on the 13th of last month. This cruise ship, which departed from Hong Kong on the 1st of the same month, had been repeatedly rejected by Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan, and even the U.S. territory of Guam due to concerns over COVID-19 spread, drifting at sea for about two weeks.

No COVID-19 infections were reported on this cruise ship. Although Malaysian authorities announced that one American woman who disembarked from the cruise ship and traveled to Malaysia tested positive for COVID-19, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that this was not true.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.