Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen has given a 14-point recommendation to prepare for possible large-scale community transmission of COVID-19 in 2021.

“It does not mean we are going to have large-scale community transmission, but we cannot underestimate, we need to get prepared in advance to be able to respond to such thing if it happens,” he said in his address to his compatriots on the COVID-19 situation in the country, at his residence in Takhmao town, Kandal province this morning.

Adjusting to the New Normal life; enhancing local health services; strengthening contact tracing; training more medical practitioners; expanding the capacity of laboratories at Phnom Penh capital, and Siem Reap, Preah Sihanouk; and Battambang provinces; supplying enough medical materials and equipment to hospitals; and reinforcing referral system to prevent transmission are the key points of the recommendation.

Moreover, the Premier urged for the expansion of rapid response team, on-site treatment team and mobile team; strengthening of quarantine centres and their management; promotion of community participation, especially that of women in preventing the transmission; continued dissemination of health preventive measures at local level; enhancement of contact monitoring and reporting system; and honesty in self-reporting.

Besides, the Prime Minister instructed the Ministries of Economy and Finance, Civil Service, and Health to discuss over the recruitment of more medical practitioners.

Samdech Techo Hun Sen also took the opportunities to express his gratitude to the Pasteur Institute of Cambodia, U.S. CDC, WHO for partnering with Cambodia to fight against this deadly disease.