On 16 July 2021, H.E Aun Pornmoniroth, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Ministry of Economy and Finance, and as President of the National Committee for Combating COVID-19, issued Letter No. 5764 សហវ. in response to the request from GMAC*, CAMFEBA*, CFA*, and JBAC* concerning COVID-19 Measures. The Letter laid out five significant points in relation to restructured COVID-19 measures for employers and business associations as follows:

1. Reduction of quarantine period of fully vaccinated employees/workers:

Indirect contact incidents

• Quarantine requirements for workers/employees who indirectly come in contact with COVID-19 patients are waived, so long as they are fully vaccinated and do not exhibit any symptoms.

Close contact incidents

• Quarantine period of any person involved in close contact incidents will remain in place not withstanding their fully vaccinated status.

2. Definition of close contact person

• Close contact person is defined in accordance with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

3. COVID-19 Rapid Test expenditures

• The Government will continue to cover costs of COVID-19 rapid antigen tests for incidents of COVID-19 outbreak in factories.
• The definition of “COVID-19 Outbreak” will be defined at a later stage.
• Factories/enterprises will be solely responsible for costs arising from internal use of COVID-19 Rapid Testing in their facilities.

4. Factory site COVID-19 care & treatment expenditures

• The Government agrees that the care and treatment of COVID-19 patients is the sole responsibility of the State.
• The Government encourages homecare treatment of COVID-19 patients with asymptomatic or mild symptoms.

5. Revision of Joint Instruction No. 045/21 ក.ប/ស. ណ ន .ខ.ល dated 6 May 2021

• The Government will adjust its goals and measures for closing and reopening factories-enterprises based on current and future progress in combatting COVID-19.

*GMAC:  Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia.
*CAMFEBA: Cambodian Federation of Employers and Business Associations.
*CFA: Cambodian Footwear Association.
*JBAC: Japanese Business Association of Cambodia.

If you need any assistance or require further information, please contact Matthew Rendall, Phirum Ol, or Shan Berg Liew of SokSiphana&associates (a member of ZICO Law).

This alert is for general information only and is not a substitute for legal advice.