As coronavirus infections continue to rise and countries place restrictions on travel to and from China, Cambodia stands out for refusing to evacuate its citizens from Wuhan – the city at the epicentre of the outbreak – or take any measures against Chinese travellers.
There has been much online criticism of Cambodia’s decision – mostly from critics of Prime Minister Hun Sen – given that there are now more than 23,400 confirmed cases worldwide, exceeding 2003’s Sars epidemic.
Other Asean member states have moved to restrict travellers from Hubei province entering their countries, while some such as Singapore and Indonesia have joined the United States and Australia in barring from their shores all foreigners who have passed through China in the last two weeks.
