Schools in Cambodia reopen after COVID-19 situation eases

PHNOM PENH - Schools in Cambodia reopened on Monday after a six-month closure due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Education Minister Hang Chuon Naron said in an earlier statement that schools must strictly adhere to the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health to curb the virus spread.

He said teachers and students must wear face masks, have their body temperature checked, regularly wash hands with soap or alcohol- and gel- based sanitizers, and keep social distancing of 1.5 meters in classrooms.

The minister said that anyone whose body temperature is higher than 37.5 degrees Celsius is not allowed to enter the school.

"The number of students in a classroom must not be more than 20 to 25," Chuon Naron said, adding that the schools can arrange students to attend school two or three days a week and to do the rest of their learning at home.

Cambodia has seen success in controlling the spread of COVID-19. The Southeast Asian country has recorded a total of 274 confirmed COVID-19 cases to date, said a Ministry of Health's statement on Monday, adding that none have died and 272 have recovered.