Cambodia PM orders home treatment for COVID-19 patients as hospitals strain

 Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered health officials on Tuesday to prepare to treat coronavirus patients at home, as the country's biggest COVID-19 outbreak so far tests the capacity of its fragile healthcare system

.REUTERS

Cambodia had one of the world's smallest coronavirus caseloads until six weeks ago, but an outbreak in late February has led to its first 22 COVID-19 deaths and a five-fold jump in cases to 2,824.

A total of 1,794 patients are currently being treated in hospitals that are near capacity, Hun Sen said in an audio message shared widely on Tuesday and reported by local media.

The government has restricted travels between provinces and cities, banned large gatherings and imposed a nighttime curfew in the capital Phnom Penh for two weeks from April 1.

Cambodia has passed a law that prescribe long jail terms for serious violations of health measures.