Multiple venues in the Cambodia border town of Bavet, including a number of casinos, have been ordered closed by Svay Rieng provincial governor Men Vibol as the region looks to contain an outbreak of COVID-19.
According to The Phnom Penh Post, the locations include Bavet-Mok Bay International Entertainment, New World Casino and Good Luck Casino, and have been ordered closed as part of broader restrictions that limit travel throughout the province to cases of emergency.
According to the Ministry of Health, Svay Rieng has recorded a total of 304 cases of COVID-19 of which 230 were active as of 19 April.
Restrictions continue to spread across Cambodia with the capital city of Phnom Penh currently in the midst of a two-week lockdown until 28 April.
The nation’s COVID-19 outbreak stems from an incident on 20 February 2021 when four Chinese nationals bribed their way out of a quarantine hotel and visited a series of nightclubs. Two of those Chinese nationals later tested positive for COVID-19, setting in motion Cambodia’s first major outbreak.
There were 624 new cases reported across the country on Monday, pushing the national tally since the start of the pandemic above 7,000.
Phnom Penh is home to Cambodia’s only integrated resort, NagaWorld, which suspended operations on 1 March after 11 staff members tested positive to COVID-19. Operator NagaCorp said at the time that the closure would allow NagaWorld to conduct “a more thorough review of its precautionary and preventive measures already undertaken while running in parallel a wholesome cleansing of the entire property to further protect all of its employees and visitors alike.”
Sihanoukville also shut down its borders in early March to prevent non-essential travel into or out of the coastal city.
Located on the border with Vietnam, Bavet has long been a popular destination for Vietnamese who have traditionally been unable to play in casinos in their own country due to the Vietnamese ban on casino play by locals.
