Phnom Penh will reduce the size of areas designated as red zones to the household level and reclassify orange zones to yellow, according to the municipal administration.

The decision was made on May 17 at a virtual meeting led by municipal governor Khuong Sreng with relevant authorities.

The administration said the move would smoothen the control and implementation of the Ministry of Health’s Covid-19-related guidelines and Prime Minister Hun Sen’s recommendations.

The administration previously extended the capital’s three-colour-coded system until May 19, with each colour determining to what extent coronavirus restrictions are placed on parts of the city.

Separately, a total of 2,082,282 Cambodians have been vaccinated since the beginning of February to May 16. The figure represents 20.82 per cent of the target of 10 million people aged 18 and over nationwide.

The Ministry of National Defence said on May 17 that during the 16 days of the vaccination campaign for the people in the red zones in six districts since May 1, nearly 690,000 people had received shots. On May 16, more than 3,000 people received their second dose.

Ith Sarath – Deputy Commander-in-Chief and Joint Chief of Staff of the Royal Cambodia Armed Forces who oversees vaccinations in the red zone – said the second inoculation process was going well with vaccination groups taking great care.

Sarath also called on people in red zones who have not yet been vaccinated to urgently do so as military medics are still providing the first dose.