Cambodia's Angkor site shut for 2 weeks to curb coronavirus

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia is shutting its most popular tourist destination, the centuries-old Angkor temple complex, to visitors for two weeks to help curb the country’s coronavirus outbreak.

The closing of the world-famous site is the latest in a slew of measures the country is taking after the number of coronavirus cases surged in February.

The Apsara Authority, the government agency that oversees the archaeological site, said that temporarily stopping local and foreign tourists from visiting the temples is important to help combat the virus. It said in a statement dated Wednesday that visitors are banned from April 7 through April 20.

The Angkor site, in the northwestern province of Siem Reap, attracted 2.2 million foreign tourists in 2019, but experienced a sharp falloff last year due to disruptions caused by the pandemic. Cambodia allows in tourists, but they must undergo a quarantine.

The Health Ministry on Thursday announced 113 new local cases of the coronavirus and two deaths. Cambodia has recorded a total of 3,028 cases, including 23 deaths.

The ministry has traced the latest outbreak to a foreign resident who broke quarantine in a hotel and went to a nightclub in early February. The government on Feb. 20 announced a planned two-week closure of all public schools, cinemas, bars and entertainment venues in the capital, Phnom Penh.

As the number of cases rose, the closures were extended throughout the country for schools, gyms, concert halls, museums and other gathering places.

A defunct luxury hotel in the capital has been converted into a 500-room coronavirus hospital, and the authorities are enforcing a new law imposing criminal punishment for violating health rules.

The use of face masks was made mandatory in Phnom Penh and four of the...