The General Department of Prisons under the Ministry of Interior has kicked off its Covid-19 vaccination drive for over 11,000 detainees, starting in Phnom Penh before expanding it to other provinces.
The general department spokesman, Nouth Savna, said the immunisation campaign in Phnom Penh started on May 7 after Prime Minister Hun Sen granted the request of prison director-general Chem Savuth.
“We start inoculating more than 11,000 detainees in Phnom Penh and are accelerating our work to wrap it up in two days,” Savna said, adding that the next targets would be Kandal, Preah Sihanouk, and Siem Reap – the country's main Covid-19 hotspots after Phnom Penh.
“I think there are not many governments around the world that vaccinate detainees like what Cambodia is doing,” he said.
There are currently more than 40,000 prisoners across the country, according to Savna.