PHNOM PENH, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Tuesday reported 25 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections in the kingdom to 593, said a Ministry of Health (MoH) statement.

The new infections included 23 locally-transmitted cases, including three cases of the variant first found in Britain, and two imported cases, the statement said.

It said the two imported cases were found on Cambodian UN peacekeepers who returned to the kingdom on Sunday from the Central African Republic with a connecting flight in India.

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Monday ordered the closure of all schools in capital Phnom Penh and southern Kandal province for two weeks in a bid to curb the spread of the virus into schools.

He called on all people who had connections to the Feb. 20 community outbreak to go for COVID-19 tests and to undergo a 14-day quarantine at their houses.

"I'd like to urge people not to leave home if unnecessary; it can be said that the outbreak this time is bigger than the Nov. 3 and Nov. 28 outbreaks," he said.

The prime minister also appealed to people to wear face masks when they go out, to maintain a social distancing of at least 1.5 meters from each other, and to avoid gatherings.

The Southeast Asian nation has registered a total of 593 confirmed COVID-19 cases to date, with zero deaths and 475 recoveries, the MoH said. Enditem

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