PHNOM PENH: CAMBODIA has cancelled the annual three-day Water Festival scheduled to take place in late October as the nation tries to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
The government's decision has been conveyed to the National Committee for Organising National and International Festivals, which was supposed to organise the festival from Oct 30 to Nov 1.
According to a Khmer Times report, Ek Tha, the spokesman for the office of the Council of Ministers, said authorities were concerned about virus-transmission prevention at the event.
"At Cambodia's Water Festival, tens of thousands of people gather to enjoy the traditional event around the river fronts of Tonle Sap and the four arms of the Mekong," he said.
The highlight of the Water Festival are the traditional dragon boat races at Chaktomuk, an area in front of the Royal Palace where the Tonle Sap merges with the Mekong. The rowing regattas were re-established in 1990 after a 20-year hiatus.
The spectacle dates back centuries into Khmer history, but many are uncertain as to their origins.
Ek Tha said that although there were no community transmissions in the country, they did not want to take the risk by going ahead with the event.
However, this is not the first time it has been cancelled, as the Water Festival was also called off when King Father Norodom Sihanouk died in 2012.
The Health Ministry said that Covid-19 cases in Cambodia had increased in recent weeks.
The ministry also warned people to remain vigilant against the coronavirus due to the recent infections and said that local transmissions remained a real danger.
Meanwhile, in another development, Singapore's Silk Air, which flies to the Cambodian capital from the city state, is expected to resume flights in September.
The Khmer Times said the airline had received the approval to resume flights and had also obtained approval for passengers travelling from Cambodia to transit in Singapore.
The development comes in the wake of Cambodia banning flights from three destinations: Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.