Countries all around the world are slowly opening up again in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and each one is imposing its own rules to ensure the safety of locals and visitors. Cambodia is imposing a condition that has raised eyebrows, as it requires visitors to pay a $3000 (£2400) deposit by cash or credit card for “COVID-19 service charges” at the airport upon arrival, and have $50,000 (£40,000) of travel insurance cover.
Popular with backpackers, Cambodia is home to the Unesco-listed temples of Angkor Wat, and the country's buzzy capital of Phnom Penh.
Upon arrival at the airport, travellers will have to pay a $5 (£4) charge for transport to a testing centre, followed by $100 (£80) for a COVID-19 test. An overnight stay at a stipulated hotel or “waiting centre” while waiting for results costs $30 (£24), and it's a further $30 (£24) per day for three meals. The remainder of the deposit will be returned provided the passenger, and the rest of the people on their flight, have a negative test result. Even so, they must self-isolate for 14 days after arrival in their chosen accommodation.
However, if the traveller tests positive for COVID-19, they will have to pay $3150 (£2500) for treatment at the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital in Phnom Penh and will be required to take up to four tests at another $100 (£80) each. If they succumb to the illness, the cremation service charge is $1500 (£1200). If any passenger on their flight tests positive for COVID-19, everyone on the flight will have to undergo a two-week quarantine period in approved accommodation, at a cost of $1176 (£939), and must undertake a second test at a cost of $100 (£80).
To date, Cambodia has recorded just 128 confirmed cases of the virus and zero deaths, and by imposing such stringent conditions on travellers entering the country, it is clear that it intends to keep the virus out going forward.
Lockdowns are easing globally as the planet adjusts to a new normal. Find out how COVID-19 is changing travel.
You might also like:
What are health passports and will they help you travel again?
'Why travelers need to rethink their attitude to travel'
Europe is starting to reopen – here's what you need to know about each country's rules
