PHNOM PENH, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Saturday confirmed a daily record of 538 COVID-19 cases, bringing the national case tally to 18,717, the Ministry of Health said in a statement.
The new infections included 537 local cases and one imported case, the statement said.
The country also reported the recovery of another 456 COVID-19 patients, taking the total number of recoveries to 7,340, the statement said, adding that the death toll remained at 114 as no new fatalities were recorded.
Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Saturday called on landlords to be sympathetic to garment workers who are late or unable to pay their rent due to lockdowns imposed in high-risk areas of infections, or Red Zones.
"I beg all landlords to understand our garment workers' hardship and to postpone collecting rent from them if they have not received their wages from their employers," he said in a voice message.
He also asked landlords to consider lowering the rent for the workers or not charging it for a few months.
"Of course, I know that some landlords have borrowed money from banks to build their rental houses, so they must also be facing difficulty ... but I hope they can understand this common hardship that we're all facing," he said.
Hun Sen also urged the Electricite du Cambodge and the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority to postpone or not to charge the workers for utilities during this difficult time.
Cambodia has been enduring the third wave of COVID-19 community transmission since Feb. 20. In a bid to flatten the infection curve, the country has closed down all schools, sports facilities, museums, cinemas, and entertainment venues nationwide and has imposed lockdowns in areas which are deemed to have a high risk of infections. Enditem