Health

Cambodia latest Southeast Asian country to ease Covid-19 travel measures

Bangkok, March 17 (EFE).- Cambodia announced Thursday it was removing PCR test requirements to enter the country; following a trend seen earlier this week in other Southeast Asian nations.

Authorities in the kingdom, one of the countries in the region with the highest Covid-19 vaccination rate, will also exempt travelers from abroad from undergoing a rapid antigen or ATK test upon arrival, according to the Health Ministry.

However, authorities asked travelers to test themselves for the virus before entering the country.

New regulations exempt people who have received the complete vaccination schedule from quarantine, while those with one or no doses must quarantine for two weeks.

The measure aims to revitalize the tourism sector after the abrupt drop in visitors due to the pandemic, when a strict border closure and numerous restrictions were imposed until November.

In 2019, before the pandemic, more than 6.6 million tourists visited Cambodia, where the famous Angkor temple is located, providing the country with an income of $ 4,9 billion, according to the Tourism Ministry.

Compared to the 196,495 arrivals registered in 2021, according to official data.

Cambodian health authorities have recorded some 134,000 cases of Covid-19 in the country, including 3,049 deaths, since the start of the pandemic and have inoculated at least two doses of the vaccine to 92.31 percent of the population.

Thailand said it would consider Friday whether to scrap a mandatory PCR test requirement for travelers prior to entering the country.

Kiattiphum Wongrajit, the country’s Public Health Permanent Secretary, said Wednesday that the country’s Covid-19 taskforce also looked to lower the medical insurance cap from $20,000 to $10,000.

He said travelers would still have to take the test on arrival before being allowed out as well as an ATK test on day five.

The Vietnamese government Tuesday said it would resume visa exemption for tourists from 13 countries after two years of shutting down its border due to the coronavirus.

The government waived entry requirements for citizens from Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Belarus.

Tourists from these countries can enter without applying for a visa if their stay does not exceed 15 days. EFE

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