International visitors will not be required to stay within certain areas of the Southeast Asian country.

A covered gallery at Angkor Wat. (Photo: Alexander/Unsplash)
Heritage enthusiasts, rejoice — you’ll be able to visit the fabled temples of Angkor much sooner than expected. Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen made a surprise announcement on Sunday to end quarantines for all arrivals who have been fully inoculated against Covid-19. The top official said restrictions would be eased from today (November 15), with double-jabbed foreign nationals and returning Cambodians currently in isolation now able to leave their quarantine facilities.
“This is a quick way to re-open the country and facilitate travel for our people,” he said by voice message on social media. “I know some of our citizens want to go abroad but are worried about coming back with quarantine required.” Hun Sen then explained that the decision was made as almost 88 percent of the country’s population of 16 million had received both doses of a coronavirus vaccine.
International travelers flying into Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Sihanoukville will be required to test negative for the virus within 72 hours of departure and present their vaccination certificates at immigration. On-arrival PCR tests are also a must; foreign tourists can wait for their results at a hotel instead of the airport. Once the result comes back negative, visitors will be free to travel around the country without restriction, but those who are unvaccinated must still undergo 14 days of mandatory quarantine.
With the snap announcement, Hun Sen has effectively brought forward Cambodia’s planned reopening by two weeks. Authorities had previously said the country would first welcome double-vaccinated visitors to the beach destinations of Sihanoukville, Koh Rong, and Dara Sakor from November 30, before allowing quarantine-free entry to Siem Reap province in January 2022.