Cambodia asks tourists to pay $3,000 coronavirus deposit
As tourism slowly resumes around the world after suffering months of lockdown in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and many nations are still reluctant to open their borders entirely. However, Cambodia has imposed perhaps the strictest entry requirements of any country. The south-east Asian country is one of the most popular tourist sites, renowned for the UNESCO-listed temple complex at Angkor Wat.
In its latest bulletin, the Foreign Office of Cambodia (FCO) stated that foreign travelers must pay a $3,000 deposit as “COVID-19 service charges” at the airport upon their arrival. This “coronavirus deposit” can be paid in cash or by credit card.
Mandatory fees begin with a $5 charge for transport from the airport to a testing center. The COVID-19 test itself costs $100. The traveler must then pay $30 for an overnight stay at the specified hotel or ‘waiting for a center,’ and the same again for three meals a day while waiting for the test results.
In case a passenger on their flight tests positive for coronavirus, everyone on that flight will be quarantined in government-approved accommodation for two weeks. It would cost the traveler $1,176, including meals, laundry, and sanitary services. They must also pay $100 more for a second COVID-19 test, taking the total expenditure to $1,283.
If the unfortunate traveler passes away, the Foreign Office said that the cremation service charge is $1,500.