Buddhists bathe a Buddha statue at the Ounalom Pagoda during the first day of the three-day Khmer New Year holiday amid ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on April 14, 2021. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)

Cambodia is celebrating the Khmer New Year from April 14 to 16 amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Buddhists went to the Ounalom Pagoda in Phnom Penh on the first day of the three-day holiday.

The Ministry of Health has called on people to celebrate the New Year at home as Cambodia has seen a sharp rise in new cases.

The kingdom logged 178 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 4,874 so far, with 35 deaths.

Buddhists go to the Ounalom Pagoda during the first day of the three-day Khmer New Year holiday amid ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on April 14, 2021. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)

Buddhists go to the Ounalom Pagoda during the first day of the three-day Khmer New Year holiday amid ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on April 14, 2021. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)

Photo taken on April 14, 2021 shows a woven bamboo ox statue in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)