Reuters
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen Friday sealed off the capital Phnom Penh and nearby Takhmao city in Kandal province after residents mostly ignored his recent lockdown order in the two cities.
Hun Sen on Wednesday ordered a lockdown to go into effect Thursday. But in a statement Friday, he said people continued to travel outside their homes in disregard of public health.
The two cities, home to about 2.3 million people, are now isolated from the rest of the country for a 14-day period that started Friday.
“I urged Phnom Penh and Kandal authorities to strictly implement the lockdown. Please declare those areas as lockdown areas. We must implement the law without exception,” Hun Sen said, warning that the lockdown and isolation could even last 28 days or more.