Phnom Penh (AFP)

Track down passengers now scattered to stem possible spread: the operator of an American cruise ship on Monday tracked hundreds of travelers authorized to disembark last week in Cambodia, after one of the passengers tested positive for the new coronaviruses.

Holland America, owner of the liner Westerdam, works "in close coordination" with various governments, the World Health Organization and screening centers in the United States "to investigate and track people who may have been in contact" with the infected tourist.

More than 1,200 cruise passengers disembarked from the ship in the following days, after some underwent a quick medical examination.

Prime Minister Hun Sen had greeted the first ones in person, ironic about "the disease of fear" and ensuring that no cases had been detected on board.

Some had even been allowed to go to the beaches of Sihanoukville or to visit Phnom Penh by bus, photos published by local media showing them smiling and without masks.

But on Saturday, an 83-year-old American passenger who flew to Malaysia to return home was diagnosed positive in Kuala Lumpur.

Dozens of other travelers, like her, have already left Cambodia to take the way back, raising fears of a spread of the epidemic which has already killed nearly 1,800 people in China.

Faced with this, the Cambodian authorities have intensified controls on people still present in the country.

"I have young children at home (in the United States, note) and I would not want to risk infecting them," said Christina Kerby, who disembarked a few days ago and is currently at Phnom Penh.

- Transit ban -

All countries in the region are putting in place measures to protect themselves from the epidemic.

Thailand, which had refused to allow Westerdam to dock, plans to deny passengers on the liner entry, but a number of them have already passed through the kingdom.

Singapore has quarantined two of its nationals who were on board. The city-state has announced that it will not allow "any other cruise passengers to enter or transit".

The Westerdam passengers boarded Hong Kong on February 1, where one person died and 60 were infected. They then had to continue their trip to Japan.

But, for fear of the epidemic, the liner was forbidden to dock in the Japanese archipelago, then in Taiwan, in the Philippines, on the American island of Guam and finally in Thailand, before being accepted by Cambodia, a close ally of Beijing, which is investing billions of dollars in the kingdom.

On board the ship, there are still 233 passengers and 747 crew members.

"We will take samples from all of these people so that they can be tested," a Cambodian official told AFP, adding that they will remain confined to the liner until the results.

As for the American tourist tested positive, she is currently under observation in Malaysia. Her husband was also placed under surveillance.

To date, the new coronavirus has killed 1,775 people and infected more than 70,500 people, mainly in mainland China.

A meeting between the Chinese foreign ministers and ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) is to be held in Laos on February 20, AFP learned from concordant sources.

© 2020 AFP