A woman wearing a face mask walks in front of Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 18, 2020. (VINCENT THIAN / AP)

SYDNEY / MANILA / SEOUL / AMMAN / WELLINGTON / ANKARA / BEIRUT/ JERUSALEM / RIYADH / DAMASCUS / BAGHDAD / NEW DELHI / TEHRAN / PHNOM PENH / MANAMA / COLOMBO / BISHKEK / ISLAMABAD / HANOI / BANGKOK / TOKYO / KUALA LUMPUR / DHAKA — Coronavirus infections surged across Southeast Asia on Wednesday with Indonesia’s death toll jumping from five to 19 and Malaysia warning of “a tsunami” of cases if people did not follow new restrictions on movement.

ALSO READ: Duterte declares state of calamity, India closes Taj Mahal

The number of cases across the region has risen more than 10-fold this month to at least 1,900, driven in part by hundreds of infections stemming from a mass Muslim gathering in Malaysia just over two weeks ago.

Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country with more than 260 million people, only announced its first two cases of the virus on March 2 despite widespread suspicions that a lack of testing concealed a bigger problem.

Its death toll jumped to the highest in the region on Wednesday, while the Philippines also recorded a rise of three fatalities to 17. Indonesia recorded its biggest daily jump in confirmed infections, by 55 to 227 cases.

The World Health Organization called on Southeast Asian countries on Tuesday to “urgently scale-up aggressive measures to combat COVID-19”.

Singapore, which has won global plaudits for measures to contain the virus, announced its biggest daily jump - up 47 cases, most of them people coming from abroad. All visitors will face 14 days in self-quarantine, it said.

As Malaysia imposed two-weeks of restrictions on movement, it also announced a further 117 infections. That brought it to 790 cases, although it has so far had only two deaths.

Nearly two-thirds of the infections in Malaysia stem from a mosque event in Kuala Lumpur from Feb. 27 to March 1 attended by pilgrims from Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia and elsewhere.

Thousands of Muslim pilgrims from across Asia gathered in Indonesia on Wednesday for a similar event scheduled for this week despite fears it could also spread the virus.

Malaysia has now shut its borders for travelers, restricted internal movement, closed schools and universities and ordered non-essential businesses to stay shut for two weeks.

Hours before the restrictions began in Malaysia, thousands of people queued at bus stations to return to their home towns. Hordes of Malaysians who commute daily to Singapore for work crossed the border to spend the next two weeks in Singapore.

The Malaysian restrictions are among the toughest in Southeast Asia, although the Philippines has quarantined about half its 107 million population

Thailand has announced the closure of schools, bars, cinemas, cockfighting arenas and other entertainment centers.

Indonesian police have ordered retailers to ration purchases of staple foods to contain panic buying.

Passengers arrive at Sydney's international airport on March 16, 2020. (PETER PARKS / AFP)

Australia 

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday strongly discouraged the country’s residents against all overseas travel as he declared a human biosecurity emergency and banned all non-essential indoor gatherings of more than 100 people.

The formal declaration gives the government the power to close off cities or regions, impose curfews and order people to quarantine, if deemed necessary to contain the spread of the virus.

The upgrade in official advice to an unprecedented “Level 4: Do not travel” to any country in the world, was accompanied by a ban on any non-essential indoor gatherings of more than 100 people.

Life is changing in Australia, as it is changing all around the world

Scott Morrison, Prime Minister, Australia

“Life is changing in Australia, as it is changing all around the world,” Morrison said during a televised news conference. “Life is going to continue to change, as we deal with the global coronavirus. This is a once in a hundred year type event.”

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia has continued to rise by approximately 20 percent, according to the latest data from the Department of Health.

There have been 454 confirmed cases as of Wednesday morning -- an increase of 21 percent from 375 as of Tuesday morning.

However, NSW health department announced on Wednesday afternoon that the total number of confirmed cases in the state had increased to 267 and the total number in Australia passed 500.

The government unveiled a A$715 million (US$430 million) aid package for airlines, including waivers on domestic air traffic control fees. Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd has suspended all international flights from March 30 to June 14, while Qantas Airways Ltd has cut its international capacity by 90 percent.

The widening restrictions on travel and domestic movement are expected to take a significant toll on Australia’s tourism, retail and entertainment sectors.

Economists are predicting the country will slip into its first recession in nearly three decades in the first half of 2020, prompting a rapid jump in unemployment.

Morrison has already flagged a stimulus package worth around A$17 billion (US$10.2 billion) and said on Wednesday the government was “considering quite extensive further economic measures” to dull the impact on the economy.

Brunei 

Brunei reported 12 new cases of the COVID-19 on Wednesday following preliminary tests, bringing the country's total to 68 cases.

Its health ministry stated that there is "limited transmission" of the COVID-19 in Brunei following the first reported third-generation case from the first cluster on Wednesday, but there is no evidence to show widespread transmission.

India

India's iconic monument of love - Taj Mahal was closed down Tuesday amid COVID-19 scare, officials said.

"As a precautionary measure in wake of outbreak of novel coronavirus, the world-famous tourist attraction Taj Mahal at Agra has been closed for tourists until the end of this month," a local government official said.

A total of 276 Indians have tested positive for coronavirus overseas to date, an Indian government minister said on Wednesday.

So far three people have died because of the disease in India. The third death was reported Tuesday morning from the southwestern state of Maharashtra.

Indian-controlled Kashmir bans entry of foreign tourists on Wednesday as a precautionary measure over the spread of COVID-19 in the region.

A worker wearing protective gear sprays disinfectant next to a building housing the Grace River Church in Seongnam, South Korea on March 16, 2020. (JUNG YEON-JE / AFP)

South Korea

South Korea said on Wednesday it would inject more dollars into its banking system to ensure businesses have enough funding, amid concerns about the deepening global economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The finance ministry and the Bank of Korea announced moves that are expected to beef up dollar supply in the market by US$5 billion to US$10 billion, as the coronavirus causes chaos in global financial markets and a scramble for US dollars.

Authorities will raise a cap on foreign currency forward positions for local banks to 50 percent of their equity capital from the current 40 percent starting on Thursday. For foreign banks, the ceiling will be relaxed to 250 percent from 200 percent.

South Korea reported 93 more cases of the COVID-19 compared to 24 hours ago as of midnight Wednesday local time, raising the total number of infections to 8,413.

The newly confirmed cases stayed below 100 for the fourth consecutive day, after recording the first double-digit growth in 23 days on Sunday.

Three more deaths were confirmed, lifting the death toll to 84. The total fatality rate came in at 1 percent.

A total of 139 more patients were discharged from quarantine after making full recovery, pulling up the combined number to 1,540. The number of recoveries kept surpassing new infections.

Since Jan 3, the country has tested more than 295,000 people, among whom 270,888 tested negative for the virus and 16,346 were being checked.

Japan

Japan will ask a 14-day self-quarantine for travelers from 38 European and other countries, including Egypt and Iran, from Saturday to the end of April, in an attempt to curb the spread of the COVID-19, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday.

Japan is only using a sixth of its capacity to test for the coronavirus even as it is increasing its ability to do so, government data shows, adding to concern it is understating its outbreak and not doing enough to contain it.

Nationwide capacity for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test has grown to 7,500 a day, on track to reach 8,000 a day target by the end of the month.

But the number of tests conducted has been on average 1,190 a day over the past month, for a total of 32,125, according to health ministry data.

That compares with more than the 200,000 tests conducted in South Korea and the 80,000 in Italy.

Japan has had 876 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 29 related deaths as of local time 6:30 pm Wednesday, not including cases from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, health authorities said.

While Japanese doctors have carried out more than 32,000 tests, only 16,484 people have actually been tested, given that many are often tested multiple times.

Iran

Iran’s death toll from the coronavirus climbed to 1,135 with 147 new deaths in the past 24 hours, a health ministry official told state TV on Wednesday, adding that the total number of infected people across the country had reached 17,361.

An Iranian health official said on Tuesday that the researchers of the country have produced a complex to heal the lesions in the lungs of the patients affected with the novel coronavirus, official IRNA news agency reported.

Mostafa Qanei, head of the scientific committee to combat COVID-19, said the complex is the combination of three medicines which could reduce the period of hospitalization of the patients.

Jordan

A royal decree was issued in Jordan on Tuesday imposing the defense law to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, the state-run Petra news agency reported.

The defense law gives authorities the power to impose curfews, ban gatherings and inspect anyone as parts of the country's efforts to combat the coronavirus.

King Abdullah II of Jordan said that imposing the law is meant to protect the health of Jordanians and preserve their safety, adding that implementing the law should not affect the basic rights of Jordanians.

Turkey

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will convene officials to decide on new steps to prevent the coronavirus outbreak from spreading, a day after the country reported its first death from the disease.

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca on Tuesday reported Turkey's first death from COVID-19.

In our struggle, today I lost one patient

Fahrettin Koca, Health Minister, Turkey

"In our struggle, today I lost one patient," the minister told reporters.

Turkey detected 51 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 98. 

Lebanon

Lebanon has announced on Tuesday the creation of a fund to receive donations of Lebanese and foreigners aimed at assisting the country in its fight against COVID-19, the National News Agency reported.

The government will also help the vulnerable segments of the society who rely on their daily work to make a living.

Lebanon's numbers of COVID-19 infections has reached 120 so far while the virus claimed the lives of three people and three other people succeeded to heal.

Israel

Confirmed coronavirus cases in Israel have jumped by 40 percent to 427 in the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday, predicting a steeper rise as mass-testing is implemented.

Having urged Israelis to stay home and approved cyber-monitoring of their movements to reduce infection risks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at least 3,000 coronavirus tests would be conducted daily, including at new drive-through stations.

Up from the 304 confirmed cases reported on Tuesday morning, five of the 427 patients were in a critical condition, the ministry said.

ALSO READ: Saudis told to stay home as Bahrain reports Gulf's first death

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday that mosques would no longer be open for the customary five daily prayers or Friday congregations, an exceptional move to limit the spread of the coronavirus which has infected 171 people in the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia, which chairs the Group of 20 major economies, announced an extraordinary virtual leaders summit next week “to put forward a coordinated set of policies to protect people and safeguard the global economy.”

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud highlighted on Tuesday the importance of coordinating global efforts to combat the coronavirus epidemic.

Saudi Arabia has taken drastic steps to try and slow down the spread of the virus, including suspending the Umrah pilgrimage, halting international flights, and closing schools and most public establishments.

The central bank said it had activated business continuity plans and work-from-home measures for financial institutions. The Council of Ministers postponed its regular meetings for two weeks, media reported.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) registered 15 new cases, raising its total to 113.

Amid volatility in regional markets and plunging oil prices, the UAE announced that shares would be allowed to drop a daily maximum of 5 percent from their previous day closing price, instead of 10 percent.

Bahrain, with 227 cases and the only death so far in the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, said it would cover some utility payments, exempt tourist facilities from taxes, double the size of its liquidity fund, and raise banks’ lending capacity.

Oman, which reported nine new cases for a total of 33, is closing mosques, restaurants, coffee shops, tourist sites and traditional markets and malls, except groceries and pharmacies, starting Wednesday at midday. It will bar foreigners from entering and nationals from leaving, state TV said.

Qatar, with three new cases bringing its total to 442, likewise shuttered mall shops not selling food or pharmaceuticals, and closed part of an industrial zone for at least two weeks, a government spokeswoman said.

Yemen's Houthi militia ordered local travel agencies in cities under its control to stop domestic bus tours between provinces for two weeks over concerns about COVID-19. 

Syria

Syrian Health Ministry on Tuesday ordered the closure of cafes, restaurants, and cinemas as part of the measures against the novel coronavirus, the state news agency SANA reported.

No coronavirus cases have been reported in Syria yet, the minister noted.

A total of 134 passengers who flew to Syria from coronavirus-hit countries were taken on Monday to a center for 14-day quarantine.

Iraq

Iraq's Health Ministry on Tuesday confirmed one more death from COVID-19 and 21 new cases, bringing the total number of the infected in the country to 154.

Of the 154 confirmed cases of coronavirus, 11 have died while 41 others have recovered, according to the statement.

To help Iraq cope with the coronavirus spread, a Chinese team of seven experts arrived in Baghdad on March 7. They are working with Iraqi counterparts in the fight against the viral respiratory disease. 

Cambodia

The Cambodian government on Wednesday established a national committee for combating the COVID-19, according to a decision signed by Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen.

Cambodia confirmed Wednesday that two more Malaysian men were tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of the confirmed cases in the kingdom to 35.

"The lab results showed that two more Malaysian nationals were positive for the COVID-19, bringing the total tally of the confirmed cases in Cambodia to 35 by this morning (March 18)," Health Ministry secretary of state and spokeswoman Or Vandine said in a press conference here, adding that the patients had come to Cambodia from Malaysia.

READ MORE: Arrivals to NZ must self-isolate, Australia steps up lockdown

Nepal decided to shut down all the public spaces like cinema halls, cultural centers, stadiums, museums, nightclubs, health clubs and swimming pools and other places of recreational activities till April 30. So far the country recorded a single COVID-19 infection of a student, who returned from central China's Wuhan in January and has already recovered.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has formed a National Operation Center, tasked to curb the spread of COVID-19 and has appointed Sri Lanka's Army Chief Shavendra Silva to head it, local media reports said here.

The Center will coordinate preventive and management measures to ensure that healthcare and other services are well geared to serve the general public during the outbreak period, said a statement from the government quoted by media reports.

Sri Lanka's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said on Tuesday that all passenger flights arriving at the capital's Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) will be suspended from March 19 till March 25, as the COVID-19 cases rose to 43 in the island country.

Sri Lanka's Tourism Ministry, on Wednesday said it had decided to revise tourism arrivals and earnings forecast for 2020 following the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.

As a direct result of COVID-19, tourist arrivals in February declined by 17 percent to 207,507. Cumulative tourist arrivals over the first two months of the year fell 12 percent to 435,941, the ministry said. 

Sri Lanka also said its stock market would remain shut for the rest of the week as it attempts to minimize interactions and curb the disease.

New Zealand

New Zealand confirmed eight new cases of coronavirus, all related to people who had recently traveled overseas, the health ministry said in a press conference on Wednesday.

The new cases take the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country to 20.

Kyrgyzstan 

Kyrgyzstan has confirmed its first three coronavirus cases, Healthcare Minister Kosmosbek Cholponbayev said on Wednesday.

Three Kyrgyz nationals tested positive after arriving from Saudi Arabia, he told a briefing.

Pakistan

Pakistan’s prime minister has urged calm after its tally of coronavirus cases rose to 245.

Late on Tuesday, Pakistan said it would require all arriving air passengers to show they had tested negative for the disease. Land borders have already been shut.

Pakistan’s central bank cut its key interest rate by 75 bps to 12.50 percent on Tuesday, the first cut in four years, as the coronavirus roiled markets across the region.

"We are in constant contact with China since the outbreak. China is already helping us, but we need to learn from it even more," said Khan.

Vietnam

Vietnam's Ministry of Health on Wednesday confirmed that an American national currently in its central Da Nang city had been infected with COVID-19, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 68.

As of Wednesday noon, a total of 68 infection cases have been reported in Vietnam with 16 patients having been discharged after recovery. There have been no deaths in the country so far.

Vietnam has temporarily suspended visa issuance for all foreign nationals for 30 days starting from Wednesday with exception given for entrants for diplomatic or official purposes as part of the efforts to curb the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Vanuatu

The South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu which has no confirmed cases of coronavirus is set to ban travel to and from any country with more than 100 cases of COVID-19, as it prepares to go to the polls for a general election on Thursday.

Vanuatu, population 300,000, will hold a general election on March 19, with the electoral commission encouraging voters to stand two-meters apart and use hand sanitizer at polling booths.

International flights wouldn’t be stopped, but arriving passengers would need to show a medical clearance proving they had undergone 14 days of quarantine before arriving in Vanuatu.

Multiple South Pacific island nations have restricted flights and banned cruise ships from ports for 60 days, hitting crucial tourism revenues in the region, after six COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the Pacific islands.

The Pacific region has recorded three coronavirus cases in French Polynesia and three in Guam - although most island nations cannot screen for the virus onshore which is potentially masking its spread.

The Post Courier newspaper in Papua New Guinea said the health minister had confirmed a man with a history of travel to Europe was being tested for COVID-19 after developing a fever.

Vanuatu is sending COVID-19 test samples to overseas laboratories and receiving results seven days later.

Bangladesh

A patient who was suffering from COVID-19 died in Bangladesh on Wednesday, said healthcare officials, marking the first fatality from the disease in the South Asian country.

The patient, aged 70, was also suffering from diabetes, kidney ailments and hypertension, Meerjady Sabrina, director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research, told a press briefing on Wednesday.

Bangladesh also confirmed four more confirmed COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, taking the total tally in the country to 14.