NagaWorld temporarily closes as Covid-19 detected among staff

Tuesday 2nd of March 2021

Hong Kong-listed NagaCorp has announced the voluntary suspension of operations at its NagaWorld property in Phnom Penh after several staff were found positive for Covid-19, as well as a rise in Covid-19 community transmissions in the country.

“In response to February 2021’s community spread and detection of some Covid-19 cases in the premises of NagaWorld as reported by the Cambodian Ministry of Health, the company is acting responsibly and swiftly to volunteer to temporarily suspend its business.”

According to a filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the company offered testing to around 3,000 of their employees around February 27th, finding 11 to be positive for the virus.

The company in full consultation with the MOH immediately and voluntarily offered to temporarily suspend its business.

The company said it intends to reopen for business after achieving “some milestones of success” in the fight against Covid-19 and after consultation with the MOH.

NagaCorp said it would use the closure to conduct a more thorough review of its precautionary and preventative measures and a full cleansing of the entire property.

The latest wave of coronavirus outbreaks is believed to be caused by several Chinese nationals escaping from a designated quarantine hotel in mid-February.

The actions of the individuals have been condemned by both Cambodia and China, with the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia urging Chinese residents to obey local laws.

The country has reported 820 Covid-19 cases as of Sunday, with at least 441 reported to be imported cases, according to the Ministry of Health.

The latest outbreak has prompted the Cambodian government to impose stiffer fines for people breaking Covid-19 quarantine orders.