The Ministry of Health on January 28 confirmed a new case of Covid-19 in a migrant worker returning from Thailand.

The latest case was recorded as five Covid-19 patients – four Cambodian migrants and one arriving foreign traveller – were discharged from hospitals the previous day.

In a press release, the ministry said the 42-year-old migrant worker from Banteay Meanchey province’s Poipet town arrived from Thailand on January 12 and was diagnosed with Covid-19 by the Institut Pasteur du Cambodge after her fourth test came back positive. She is currently being treated at the provincial referral hospital.

Banteay Meanchey deputy provincial governor Ly Sary told The Post on January 28 that Cambodian migrant workers continued to return from Thailand through his province every day. Authorities conduct health checks and quarantine them in 17 sites in the province.

“Our province has made it possible for all returning migrant workers to be checked and sent to quarantine facilities and treated when Covid-19 cases are detected, in accordance with the health ministry’s guidelines and Prime Minister Hun Sen’s recommendations. We have mobilised all of our resources for the task,” he said.

Sary also expressed praise and appreciation for all of the groups who have offered their assistance and cooperation.

He estimated that about 3,000 Cambodian migrants had returned from Thailand via Banteay Meanchey and completed a mandatory 14-day quarantine. Three thousand more were still in quarantine at facilities throughout the province.

In Battambang province, a total of 2,307 returning migrants had completed quarantine and gone home while 956 remained at quarantine centres.

Battambang province has 11 quarantine centres in total located in the districts of Kamrieng, Sampov Loun, Phnom Proek, Bavel, Thma Koul, Samlot, Ek Phnom, Banan, Ratanak Mondol, Moung Russey and the provincial referral hospital.

As of January 28, Cambodia had recorded a total of 461 Covid-19 cases with 428 recoveries.

Of the 33 still being treated, seven are at the National Centre for Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control; 16 at Banteay Meanchey Provincial Referral Hospital; five at Battambang Provincial Referral Hospital; two at Oddar Meanchey Provincial Referral Hospital; one at Pailin Provincial Referral Hospital; and one each at Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital and Chak Angre Health Centre in Phnom Penh.

Separately, the health ministry also announced on January 28 that 354 senior government officials have pledged to contribute their salaries to the fight against Covid-19, following a declaration by Hun Sen that he would donate another seven months of his salary worth over 63 million riel ($16,000).