All Cambodian officials produced negative coronavirus tests a day after meeting the Hungarian delegation led by Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, who later tested positive for the virus, local media reported on Thursday. However, several of them entered voluntary quarantine after the visit. According to Szijjártó, Thai authorities agreed on his return to Hungary and he was flown home yesterday.
As we have also reported yesterday, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has tested positive for coronavirus during his official engagements in Asia. The minister tested positive when arriving in Bangkok, after an official visit to Cambodia.
Following the news of Szijjártó testing positive, the Cambodian government has decided to allow anyone who came in direct contact with the delegation during the visit to have a coronavirus test and be quarantined in accordance with health ministry guidelines, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. According to the Cambodian health ministry, at least 628 officials were tested after coming into contact with the Hungarian delegation. Today, they reported that all those in contact with the Hungarian delegation have tested negative.
However, several Cambodian government leaders and officials have still entered into a two-week voluntary quarantine after Szijjártó’s positive coronavirus test, the Phnom Penh Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. During his one-day visit to Cambodia, Péter Szijjártó held talks with Foreign Minister Prak Sokhon, Minister of Economy and Finance Aun Pornmoniroth – both Deputy Prime Ministers, with Minister of Commerce Pan Sorasak, Minister of Agriculture Veng Sakhon and Member of Parliament Jara Sous. In the presence of Prime Minister Hun Shen, water, agriculture and aviation agreements were signed between the two countries.
Fortunately, the Southeast Asian country has so far been avoided by the coronavirus epidemic, with authorities not registering any fatalities, only 292 infected, 286 of whom have already fully recovered.
Köszönöm az üzeneteket, az aggódást, az imákat. Maradjunk annyiban, hogy nem kívánom ezt a helyzetet senkinek. Remélem,…
Posted by Szijjártó Péter on Wednesday, 4 November 2020
Yesterday, Szijjártó thanked the messages on his official Facebook page, as well as “the worries, the prayers. Let’s say that I don’t wish this situation to anyone. I hope it won’t be longer than ten days,” he wrote.
He added that “the Thai authorities were very fair, they took care of me, the Minister of Health visited me at the hospital and we have managed to arrange a trip home, so I am already on my way to the airport, I can fly home today.”
Today, the Foreign Minister posted on his official Facebook page again “from quarantine,” announcing newer investment promotion programs, for which the government will give another HUF 155 billion to continue. According to the minister’s “quarantine diary,” he is currently on day 3 of his quarantine, as the first positive test was on Tuesday morning Hungarian time.
Featured photo illustration via Péter Szijjártó’s Facebook page
