WHO in Cambodia has requested the Ministry of Health to consider reopening all sectors, especially businesses in the Kingdom, after observing a sustainable and well-managed response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
World Health Organization Representative to Cambodia Dr Li Ailan told Khmer Times yesterday that Safe & Sustainable reopening is possible, if well managed.
“We need to apply a good risk management approach in all the sectors, especially the business sector for business reopening. Individuals need to make right choices on Covid-19 measures. Implementation & Monitoring are key,” Dr Ailan said.
“We have indeed learned some lessons to realize the safe-reopening ambition,” she added.
She cautioned however, that if reopening is rushed without good planning and risk management in place, cases will surge, hospitals are highly likely to become overwhelmed and businesses may close again.
“I think that it is the right time to consider reopening the economy and our society safely and responsibly. The current Covid-19 response strategies need to be adjusted towards the New Normal and relevant policies must support all sectors to invest in balanced, risk-based public health and social measures,” she said.
Dr Ailan added that it is crucial to have functional monitoring of implementation and compliance. Policies should support the health sector to shift toward less intensive, more sustainable Covid-19 operations and improving health care and public health surveillance systems for early detection and rapid response to any future outbreaks.
She noted that the virus, especially the Delta variant, is circulating in the community and can still cause a surge in Covid-19 cases to overwhelm health care, even if the vaccination coverage is high, if reopening of businesses is not well managed.
Dr Ailan said WHO advises and encourages the application of a risk-based approach in reopening all the sectors as well as to shift mindsets and efforts in “learning, adjusting and sustaining” to a new way of working and living.
She also said that Cambodia’s high vaccination coverage provides a good basis for reopening the economy and society safely and responsibly. However, vaccination alone is not enough.
“We are working to provide our policy advice and technical support in moving towards “living with Covid-19” as an endemic disease in the future,” she said.
“We need a good combination of “vaccination”, “public health & social measures (PHSM)” and “health care capacity,” she said. “As we move forward in this situation of higher vaccination coverage, we will have to test our new ways of living. We must try, learn, adjust, and sustain new measures and behavior.”
She said each sector can open safely and responsibly with balanced, risk-based policies on public health and social measures that incorporate guidance from the health sector, monitoring of implementation and compliance with the measures, and engagement and communication with the members of the sector.
Investments in these measures are investments in the lives and livelihoods of the people of that sector, Dr Ailan noted.
“I regret that there are some who were not taking this responsibility seriously. We have seen images in some places and social media of crowding and maskless gatherings. These are the kinds of situations that can send Cambodia over the Red Line and back into prolonged social disruptions,” Dr Ailan said.
“We should not revert the progress made so far in Cambodia. WHO is grateful to those who are working hard and who are monitoring the situation during their holidays? We thank the local authorities for taking some quick action to prevent a tragedy. This kind of monitoring and quick response, not waiting for cases to occur, is exactly the kind of try, learn, adjust, and sustain approach that Cambodia needs,” she added.
Ministry of Health spokeswoman Or Vandine said yesterday that she is hoping to get out from the Covid-19 box as soon as possible, if people continue to practice the 3 Do’s and 3 Don’ts correctly and regularly.
“Learning to carefully exercise necessary preventive measures allows us to live with a new normal when reopening businesses safely,” Vandine said.
On Friday, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced that Cambodia will be capable of reopening its economy across all sectors if the Covid-19 situation post Pchum Ben remains stable at current levels for at least 10 consecutive days.
“If the situation remains as it is for the next 10 to 15 days, then I think it is time to reopen the economy, and society, across all sectors under the new normal concept,” Mr Hun Sen said.
In another development, Hem Sinareth, the capital’s director of the Department of Education, said on Saturday evening that from October 8 to October 9, 6,000 teachers were tested for Covid-19 and 11 were found positive.
He said the remaining 1,000 teachers in the capital will be tested today.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health yesterday reported 239 new cases of Covid-19 using PCR testing, bringing the total number in the country to 107,857. Of the new cases, 25 are imported and the rest are linked to the February 20 Community Event.
The ministry also announced 24 new deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities to 2,506.
At the same time, it also recorded 481 new recoveries, bringing the total number to 107,857.
Source - Khmer Post
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