By Rebecca Bolsover | Program Manager
Dear Supporters,
Covid-19, the virus that sent 2020 and the whole world into chaos. At the beginning of the year who could have ever predicted what would unfold as the months started to go by, and even now I don’t think we can really be sure of what will come. Hundreds of countries have been impacted by the virus, and unfortunately Cambodia hasn’t escaped the wave of destruction.
On the 27th January Cambodia reported its first case, followed by a 2nd on February 13th. When the 3rd case was detected on 7th March in Siem Reap, schools acted quickly with all centres closing in the province. Initially they thought the closure would only be for a couple of weeks, but March showed the true severity of the virus across the world and 11 days later across Cambodia further restrictions were in place. This included; closure of all schools, museums, cinemas, concert halls, bars, and karaoke establishments, any large religious gatherings were prohibited, and 5 countries were suspended from entry into the country. March 26th/27th saw the land borders to Vietnam, Thailand & Laos close, and with the suspension to follow of all visa free entry, e-visas and visas-on-arrival for all foreigners. The month came to an end with the total number of cases at 109.
Due to the country acting quickly, imposing additional measures such as 2 weeks of quarantining on arrival, and also testing upon arrival, Cambodia has been successful in keeping the cases relatively low with no fatalities. Today there are 273 cases, with the majority being from people arriving into the country and so are being automatically quarantined anyway. The great news is that 225 have made a full recovery, but the country knows it has to tread carefully in order to successfully beat this virus.
On the week we were meant to be moving to Siem Reap, covid instead had other plans for us and by the end of the week the decision was made to put our hub into hibernation. We had already started working with our new partners in Siem Reap who had been incredibly welcoming to us, and were so excited to see our projects really come to life with our volunteers. Now with the school centres being forced to close, and health and safety restrictions in place preventing our partners from supporting their communities in their usual manner, a lot of people are struggling to gain the usual help they vitally need in day to day life.
With Siem Reap being thrown into an economic crisis, and the serious implications of an international tourism ban, people are having to do all they can to put food on the table. During a pandemic where healthcare should be at the forefront of people’s priorities, a lot of people in Siem Reap aren’t even in a position to even consider healthcare with the costs involved. The basic health care projects we have worked on within school centres on toothbrushing & hand washing are struggling to be continued in homes, with toiletries such as toothpaste being unaffordable. We know that as soon as schools are able to open again, our support to be able to continue with projects like this will be even more crucial.
Even though this past month there has been progress, Cambodia and the world has a long way to go before we are out of this very difficult time. We know Cambodia is a very resilient country but the implications of this virus will no doubt be seen for years to come. We look forward to when we can return and help our partners in their missions, but even through the coming months we know that now more than ever supporting their work is incredibly important.
We need to ensure that the healthcare projects we support are still able to transform the lives of hundreds of people across Siem Reap. We understand that it is a difficult year for a lot of people around the world, but hope that if anyone is able that they will look to make a difference in the healthcare sector, and donate to a fund to promote very high standards of healthcare within the Siem Reap community.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the generosity everyone has already given to us already, but please do continue to support us as we can make it through this difficult time together!
With Gratitude,
Cambodia Health
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