The so-called United Nations human rights experts in Geneva, which is 10,000 km away, urged Cambodia to review its approach to Covid-19 on April 12, citing its “harsh news legal and administrative measures”. Their statement does not help the Cambodian people but creates an unnecessary distraction at a time when Cambodians have to work together to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. The experts failed to weigh the dramatic increase in Covid-19 cases. Since the community spread on February 20, more than 50 people have died and over 7,300 have been infected. This caseload is 10 times higher than the total number of infections in the whole of 2020, when there were no deaths at all. Clearly, drastic measures are needed and deterrence is required: quarantine means saving lives. The experts should come to Cambodia and see for themselves how overcrowded the hospitals are and how much pressure Covid-19 puts on medical personnel. The identified cases of infection are just the tip of the iceberg with regard to the workload of medical personnel. Mitigating measures against Covid-19 are an evolving process. The human rights experts also criticised Cambodia for releasing the identities of patients. In the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, Cambodia withheld this information. But in the current situation, disclosing the information will enable patients, their close contacts and the community at large to help contain Covid-19. The UN experts suggest that Cambodia should protect the vulnerable. It is for the vulnerable population that strict legal and administrative measures are being imposed. Necessary provisions have been made for patients, their families and those in quarantine. Economic relief has also been put in place to help the poor. Kok-Thay Eng, director, Cambodian Institute for Peace and Development, Phnom Penh