PHNOM PENH: Cambodia has decided to extend its schools' closure until the next academic year that starts in November.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said he had agreed to this following a request by the Education Ministry to ensure teachers and students were safe from Covid-19.
He stressed that students and teachers were in a vulnerable group, which could easily be affected by the virus.
He also urged the public to remain cautious about the coronavirus despite no new cases reported for 32 days in a row.
Hun Sen said a second wave of Covid-19 infections was still a concern for the nation.
According to the Phnom Penh Post, Education Minister Hang Chuon Naron had requested a delay of school reopening across the country until November, when the new academic year begins.
He said despite the relatively low number of infections in Cambodia, Covid-19 was still spreading all over the world.
In Southeast Asia alone, he said, nearly 60,000 had contracted the disease and some 2,000 had lost their lives.
Chuon Naron said Cambodia was not alone in implementing precautionary measures, including temporary school closures.
He added that the country was not ready to follow other countries that have reopened schools under certain conditions.
The Health Ministry recently said Cambodia could not rule out a second wave of infections and warned the public to remain vigilant.
Chuon Naron said the delay in reopening school was due to both political and technical aspects. Technically, he said the number of students in a classroom ranged from 50 to 60 — far beyond the World Health Organisation's guideline which recommended a maximum of 20 per class.
He cautioned that reopening schools too soon would put students at risk and could turn them into sources of infections.
