Cambodia lifts ban on all flights from Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines

Phnom Penh: Cambodia has lifted a ban on all flights from Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines after most of the kingdom’s population have been vaccinated against the Covid-19, Health Minister Mam Bunheng said.

The decision to lift the ban was made by Prime Minister Hun Sen on Saturday and it took effect immediately, Xinhua news agency quoted Bunheng as saying.

“It’s part of the country’s move to reopen social and economic activities gradually in all areas by adapting to the new normal and to reactivate air transport services,” the Health Minister added.

Cambodia banned all flights from the three ASEAN member states in August last year in an effort to curb Covid-19 transmission.

The ban’s removal came after Cambodia had administered at least one dose of a Covid vaccine to 13.65 million people, or 85.33 per cent of its 16-million population, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said.

Of them, 12.94 million, or 80.8 per cent, have been fully vaccinated, and 1.62 million, or 10.1 per cent, have received a booster dose, it added.

The kingdom reported 144 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, pushing the national infection tally to 117,644, the MoH said, adding that 10 more fatalities have been recorded, bringing the overall death toll to 2,725.

(IANS)