Prime Minister Hun Sen on November 12 denied rumours that he will lock down the country in response to increased Covid-19 fears, referring to them as propaganda aimed at destabilising the country.

In a Facebook post, he said some people had spread rumours that the government would close the capital and ban travel between provinces.

“There will not be any closures in the country, in the capital or in the provinces. The unfortunate propaganda is aimed at stirring up chaos in the country and increasing the prices of goods,” he said, adding those spreading the rumours are doing so for their own political gains.

Hun Sen said the main priority at the moment is following the Ministry of Health guidelines. Everyone should be wearing a mask, washing their hands, avoiding gatherings and keeping a safe distance from each other.

To assist the population in preventing the spread of the virus, he ordered authorities to distribute two million masks to poor communities in Phnom Penh.

“On November 11, I ordered the release of two million masks to the Phnom Penh Municipal Hall to distribute to the poor. Traffic police will also provide masks for bicyclists and motorcyclists without them.

“Please all of you wear masks so that we can end the ‘November 3 event’ as soon as possible,” he said, referring to the November 3 visit of Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto who later tested positive for Covid-19 in the Thai capital Bangkok.

Four officials tested positive for Covid-19 and more than 1,000 people had been tested for the virus after they were in contact with Szijjarto, according to the Ministry of Health.

Hun Sen urged those self-quarantining at home to continue to do so and instructed local authorities to monitor them and aid poor families losing money while in quarantine.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn, who is also in quarantine, said on November 12 that his health was normal. He said he was tested twice for Covid-19 and received negative results.

“My body temperature is normal and I eat and sleep well . . . We are practising preventive measures seriously. We wear masks and gloves, wash hands frequently, maintain social distancing and monitor our health regularly,” he said.

The health ministry said on November 12 that as of November 12, there were 301 cases of Covid-19 in the country, with 288 recoveries and no deaths.

To prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the Kingdom, it said it had changed requirements for travellers entering the country. All foreign and Cambodian passengers on inbound flights will now be required to undergo 14-day quarantine and get tested for Covid-19 even if none of their fellow passengers tests positive.

Foreign passengers with a health insurance letter confirming a negative Covid-19 result must do the same. And those with a guarantor who submitted schedules to authorities prior to arrival in the Kingdom will be allowed to leave quarantine for certain work events if their test comes back negative.