A Mongolian citizen gets off a plane for their evacuation from the Chinese city of Wuhan in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia on February 1, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)

ULAANBATAAR / TOKYO / SEOUL / DUBAI / SYDNEY / CAIRO -  Japan's Cabinet on Tuesday approved a special bill to enable better provisions to be made to combat the COVID-19 outbreak and empowering Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to declare a state of emergency if necessary as the infections continue to rise.

The bill, which will be effective for a period of up to two years until Feburary 2022, is likely to clear the lower house of parliament on Thursday and the upper house a day later.

Japan unveiled on Tuesday a second package of measures worth about US$4 billion in spending to cope with the fallout of the coronavirus outbreak, focusing on support to small and mid-sized firms. 

To help fund the package, the government will tap the rest of this fiscal year’s budget reserve of about 270 billion yen, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.

Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Tuesday there was no need yet for a bigger extra budget.

Japan's health ministry and local governments said that the number of the coronavirus infections increased by 24 on Tuesday to stand at a total of 554. The figure does not include those related to the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship. 

The death toll in Japan from the virus currently stands at 27.

Singapore charges visitors for coronavirus treatment

Singapore has started charging visitors for coronavirus treatment, the city-state said as it reported three new imported infections, two of which involved Indonesians who had reported symptoms before arriving in Singapore. 

Singapore’s new measures announced late Monday came into effect on March 7. Indonesia reported its first virus case earlier this month and officially has just 27 infections compared to 166 in Singapore. 

Singapore health-care officials conducted coronavirus screenings on passengers from the Costa Fortuna cruise ship that was prevented from docking in Thailand and Malaysia, the city-state’s government agencies said in a joint statement.

The cruise ship, which made a scheduled return call to Singapore on Tuesday, had declared that none of the passengers and its crew have exhibited symptoms of respiratory illness. The penalty for false declaration on symptoms includes as long as six months’ imprisonment, the agencies said. The cruise had left Singapore on March 3.

Malaysia records 12 cases

Malaysia on Tuesday announced 12 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases to 129.   Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin chaired a meeting on the outbreak with Health Ministry officials on Tuesday, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

Mongolia tightens traffic control, president resumes work

Mongolia is restricting traffic in the capital city and all 21 provinces until March 16 after the country reported its first case of COVID-19, the State Emergency Commission (SEC) said on Tuesday.

The move came after a 57-year-old French national working in the country has been confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus, marking the country’s first case.

Also on Tuesday, Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga has resumed work after a 14-day quarantine was lifted by the State Emergency Commission, the presidential press office said.

Thailand unveils US$12.7 billion stimulus package

Thailand’s cabinet approved a stimulus package on Tuesday worth an estimated US$12.7 billion to help alleviate the impact of the coronavirus epidemic on already-faltering domestic activity.

The package includes soft loans, a fund, and tax benefits for those affected by the outbreak. But there were no cash handouts for low-income earners and independent workers as previously announced.

Fifty-three coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Thailand and one person has died.

The world-renowned Songkran water-splashing festival, earlier scheduled for the middle of next month at Bangkok's major tourist spots, will be called off for fear of a COVID-19 pandemic, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) spokesperson Phongsakorn Kwanmuang confirmed on Tuesday.

Travellers, wearing protective facemasks amid fears about the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, wait at the departure hall of Changi International Airport in Singapore on Feb 27, 2020. (ROALAN RAHMAN / AFP)

India's Maharashtra reports first 2 cases of COVID-19

India's Health Ministry said on Tuesday that total number of the COVID-19 cases in the country had risen to 47.

India's western state of Maharashtra has reported first time two cases of COVID-19 after a couple from Pune, 150 km from Mumbai testing positive on Monday evening.

The two patients, husband and wife aged 53 years and 45 years, respectively, returned to India from Dubai on March 1 and reported to the hospital on Monday after developing mild symptoms, state health officials said.

Australian COVID-19 cases hit 100, will announce stimulus package soon

The Department of Health revealed that as of Tuesday morning at 11:00 am, there have been 100 diagnosed cases of COVID-19, including three deaths, in Australia -- up from 80 confirmed cases on Monday.

Of those 100 cases, 22 are reported to have recovered from the virus.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Tuesday the government would soon announce a package to stimulate an economy hammered by the effects of the coronavirus outbreak, but did not give financial details of the plan.

He added that following sluggish world economic growth last year, the Australian economy could be hit harder in 2020 due to COVID-19.

READ MORE: S. Korea urges cooperation as epidemic rages across region

S. Korea reports 35 new virus cases, total at 7,513

South Korea reported 35 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, bringing total infections to 7,513.

The death toll rose by three to 54, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. 

South Korea planned to restrict stock short-selling for the next three months to stabilize the local stock market, which showed an increased volatility in recent days, its finance ministry said Tuesday.

Iran supreme leader cancels Persian new year speech

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei canceled his speech in the city of Mashhad for Persian new year, which is on March 20, to prevent further infections of coronavirus, according to a statement on his official site.

It was noted in the statement that the decision was based on the recommendation of health officials to minimize travel and attending gatherings to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Iran’s death toll from coronavirus infections jumped on Tuesday to 291 and the total number of infections rose to more than 8,000, the health ministry said.

A nurse wears protective gear in a ward dedicated for people infected with the new coronavirus, at a hospital in Tehran, Iran, March 8, 2020. (PHOTO / AP)

Israel travel restrictions could ease when virus spreads locally

Orders for all visitors arriving in Israel to self-isolate for two weeks could be eased if the coronavirus outbreak begins to spread locally en masse, one of the country’s epidemic management team said on Tuesday.

They may need to be replaced by other measures such as changing practices at schools and workplaces, said Ran Balicer, chief innovation officer for Clalit Health Services, Israel’s biggest healthcare provider.

Israel on Tuesday said that eight more Israelis were diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of COVID-19 patients in the country to 58.

Kazakhstan adds Italy, France, Germany, Spain to travel ban list

Kazakhstan has barred entry to travelers from Italy over coronavirus and is adding France, Germany, and Spain to the list from March 12, chief sanitary doctor Zhandarbek Bekshin said on Tuesday.

Lebanon records first death from coronavirus

Lebanon recorded its first death from coronavirus on Tuesday, local broadcasters said, adding that the patient had been in quarantine since returning from Egypt.

The government has halted flights for non-residents from Iran, shut schools and warned against public gatherings as the total number of cases rose to 41 this week.

Infections in Vietnam rise to 32

Vietnam confirmed a new COVID-19 infection in southern Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday, bringing the total infected cases to 32, according to the country's Ministry of Health.

The new patient is a 24-year-old Vietnamese girl returning to the country from Britain on Monday. She was reportedly in contact with a 26-year-old Vietnamese girl confirmed to be the 17th case to contract the virus on Friday.

Nepal suspends visa-on-arrival facilities for three more countries

France, Germany and Spain have been added to the list of the countries whose nationals would not get visa-on-arrival facility amid the coronavirus epidemic, Nepal's Department of Immigration said on Monday.

The new measure comes into effect from Tuesday till the date of further notice.

Iraq orders closure of holy city of Najaf

Iraqi authorities have ordered the closure of the Najaf province, home to holy Muslim Shi’ites sites, for non-residents starting on Wednesday for a week to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the state news agency said on Monday.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus kills 237 in Iran, 7,161 infected

Saudi Arabia detects another five cases of coronavirus

Saudi Arabia’s health ministry said on Monday it has detected five new cases of the new coronavirus, state TV reported.

Four Saudi citizens were diagnosed with the disease, three of whom had arrived from Iran and Iraq. The fifth case is of an Egyptian man who arrived from Egypt to the kingdom, the ministry added.

Army soldiers spray disinfectant as a precaution against a new coronavirus at an apartment building in Daegu, South Korea, March 9, 2020. (KIM JU-SUNG / AP)

Philippines reports 11 more new COVID-19 cases

The Philippines reported on Tuesday 11 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 35.

Cyprus' largest hospital suspends admissions 

Cyprus’ largest medical facility suspended admissions on Tuesday after a heart surgeon tested positive for coronavirus.

The 64-year-old surgeon, who headed up the cardiology ward at Nicosia General hospital, was one of the first two coronavirus cases diagnosed in Cyprus on Monday. He had recently returned from Britain.

Number of COVID-19 cases rises to 6 in Maldives

The Maldives Health Protection Agency said on Tuesday that two new cases of the COVID-19 were detected at the Kuredu Island resort, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the island country to six.

Local media quoted government spokesperson Mabrook Abdul Azeez as reporting that all the six positive cases were foreign nationals and strict quarantine measures were in place to prevent the virus from spreading further.

Qantas cuts international capacity

Qantas Airways Ltd will cut its international capacity by nearly 25% over the next six months and delay an order for Airbus A350 planes as part of sweeping changes in response to a coronavirus-led plunge in passenger demand.

Samsung Display asks Vietnam not to quarantine engineers 

 Samsung Display, a supplier for Samsung Electronics and Apple, has asked Vietnam to exempt 700 engineers from coronavirus-hit South Korea from a mandatory quarantine, saying they need to prepare for the production of screens for new smartphones.

With Xinhua inputs