Cherry blossoms bloom over Meguro-gawa River, March 23, 2020, in Tokyo. (KIICHIRO SATO / AP)

SYDNEY / DAMASCUS / SEOUL / TOKYO / WELLINGTON / RIYADH / DUBAI / KUALA LUMPUR / NEW DELHI / JAKARTA / HANOI / PHNOM PENH / COLOMBO / KABUL / DHAKA —  Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday said that travelers arriving from the United States will be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days in an effort to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the measure becoming effective from Thursday, in-bound travelers from the United States will be required to self-isolate in their hotels or places of residence and not use public transportation systems, an official from the government said.

Similar steps by Japan to try and contain the spread of the pneumonia-causing virus have been taken with travelers from China, South Korea, Iran, Egypt and the majority of Europe

Similar steps by Japan to try and contain the spread of the pneumonia-causing virus have been taken with travelers from China, South Korea, Iran, Egypt and the majority of Europe, with the latter now regarded as the new epicenter of the virus.

Japan, for its part, has raised its warning level by one point due to the spread of the virus in the United States, with the foreign ministry urging people here to avoid all non-essential travel to the United States.

The United States has also warned its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Japan, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention there setting its COVID-19 warning at its highest level for Japan, warning of "widespread ongoing transmission".

Japan's health ministry and local governments said Monday the total number of people infected with the COVID-19 virus in Japan stood at 1,119 as of 8:30 pm local time here.

The death toll in Japan from the pneumonia-causing virus currently stands at a total of 52 people, according to the health ministry, with the figure including those from the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined in Yokohama, close to Tokyo.

Of the 1,119 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan, the majority are in Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, which has confirmed 162 cases.

Japan's capital city of Tokyo, as of 8:30 pm local time, has reported 138 cases of people infected with the COVID-19 virus.

People wearing face masks take part in a motorcade as a public awareness campaign for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 novel coronavirus in Hanoi on March 23, 2020. (NHAC NGUYEN / AFP)

Vietnam

Vietnam needs to strictly enforce restrictions on all air, sea and land movements within the country to curb the spread of coronavirus as the risk of community infection is “very high,” the Southeast Asian country’s prime minister said on Monday.

Vietnam will continue its measures to quarantine people “however much it costs”, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said in a statement on the government website.

Vietnam’s coronavirus cases rose to 121 on Monday, the health ministry said. There have been no reported deaths.

Schools have stayed shut nationwide since Lunar New Year. Authorities have ordered the closure of cinemas, clubs and bars, massage parlors, karaoke lounges and online game centers in urban areas until the end of March.

India

India said on Monday it will shut down domestic flights to halt the spread of coronavirus and imposed a curfew on a giant state as the number of people dying of the disease ticked up across densely populated south Asia.

India has reported 415 cases of the coronavirus but health experts have warned that a big jump could be imminent, which would overwhelm the underfunded and crumbling public health infrastructure.

On Monday, India confirmed its eighth death - of a 54-year-old man with no history of foreign travel, suggesting the start of community transmission of the virus, officials said.

Streets were deserted in the national capital Delhi and offices shut at the start of a lockdown to run till the end of the month.

People, some wearing facemasks as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, make their way along a street in New Delhi on March 21, 2020. (JEWEL SAMAD / AFP)

The government ordered commercial airlines to shut down domestic operations from midnight on Tuesday on top of a ban on international flights to try and contain the coronavirus. About 144 million people traveled on domestic flights last year.

New Zealand

New Zealand said on Monday it will move to its highest alert level imposing self-isolation, with all-non-essential services, schools and offices to be shut over the next 48 hours as the number of coronavirus cases more than double.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said these decisions will place the most significant restriction on New Zealanders’ movements in modern history, but it was needed to save lives and slow the virus.

“We are all now preparing to go into self isolation as a nation,” Ardern said in a news conference. She added that without these measures tens of thousands of New Zealanders could die.

New Zealand confirmed 36 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, which took the total number of cases in this country to 102, according to the Ministry of Health.

The Reserve Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided on Monday to implement a Large Scale Asset Purchase program (LSAP) of New Zealand government bonds to stabilize the market.

The program will purchase up to 30 billion NZ dollars (US$17 billion) of New Zealand government bonds, across a range of maturities, in the secondary market over the next 12 months.

The program aims to provide further support to the economy, build confidence, and keep interest rates on government bonds low, said an MPC statement.

The Philippines

The Philippine Congress held a special session over the internet on Monday to debate a push by the country’s strongman leader to adopt sweeping emergency powers, in a bid to avert chaos from a rapid spread of coronavirus.

With borders closed to foreigners and tens of millions of people on home quarantine, President Rodrigo Duterte wants the power to - where necessary - control supplies and public utilities, order businesses to help government, and pull funds from state enterprises and departmental budgets to redirect into emergency health needs.

If approved, the granting of the powers would be one of the most aggressive steps to tackle coronavirus as governments worldwide roll out stricter measures, including across Southeast Asia, which saw a more than doubling of cases in the past week to nearly 3,700, from 166 a month ago.

The Philippines has confirmed 462 cases and 33 deaths, but health officials acknowledge limited testing for the coronavirus means its already overstretched health system could be facing far more infections than the numbers indicate.

“It is a step we were reluctant to take, but the circumstances and the experience of nations worldwide convinced us that we have no other choice,” Duterte’s Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea told a near-empty Congress, with most lawmakers streaming the session at home.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh health authorities reported one more death from the COVID-19 on Monday, taking the country's death toll from the disease to three.

The number of confirmed cases of the COVID-19 rose to 33.

"There has been another death associated with the COVID-19 in the country," Professor Meerjady Sabrina Flora, head of the country's Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) under the Health Ministry, said at a press conference.

She said there were six new cases of the COVID-19 in the country in the last 24 hours. 

No further details were released about the existing patients.

Bangladesh announced the country's second death related to the COVID-19 last Saturday.

Indonesia

Indonesia’s capital Jakarta shut cinemas and other public entertainment on Monday at the start of a two-week emergency period to try to slow the accelerating spread of the coronavirus.

The new measures, which include urging people to work from home, still fall short of the tougher lockdowns imposed by neighbors amid concerns among some experts that the archipelago of 260 million people is not doing enough to contain the virus.

National police spokesman Muhammad Iqbal said 465,000 police across Indonesia would disperse any public gatherings “for the sake of public safety” though a photograph posted on social media of a packed commuter train in Jakarta quickly went viral.

President Joko Widodo on Monday offered his condolences after a medical association said six doctors and nurses had died after contracting the virus.

Indonesia has confirmed 579 cases of the virus and 49 deaths, mainly concentrated in Jakarta, whose governor on Friday admitted medical staff were already getting over-stretched.

Widodo said doctors and other medical staff would receive bonuses ranging from 5 million rupiah to 15 million rupiah (US$300-US$900) per month in regions that have declared an emergency. Aside from Jakarta, the East Java region has also declared an emergency.

A special hospital for COVID-19 patients is expected to be operational on March 28 in Riau province's Galang Island, said the province's acting governor Isdianto.

In addition, the government is also preparing a makeshift hospital with 2,500 rooms in Jakarta, which is expected to attend patients infected by the virus on Monday.

A member of the orchestra of Opera Australia performs in Sydney on March 19, 2020. (SAEED KHAN / AFP)

Australia 

Australia began living under strict new lockdown rules on Monday as coronavirus cases topped 1,600 and authorities denied entry to a cruise ship carrying hundreds on board complaining of respiratory illnesses

As new restrictions closing non-essential services came into effect, there were clear signs of economic and social stress with long queues forming outside offices of the main welfare agency across the country.

Most states have now closed their borders to travelers from other parts of the country and effected their own lockdown laws, in addition to the national curbs announced on Sunday.

ALSO READ: Australia closes pubs, restaurants, casinos as infections soar

Western Australia on Monday banned passengers on board the Swiss-owned MSC Magnifica cruise ship from disembarking.

Of 1,700 passengers on board the ship, more than 250 have complained of respiratory illnesses. It was due to dock at Fremantle port as early as Monday evening.

New measures designed to minimize the spread of the virus mean many non-essential services, including pubs, clubs, cinemas, gyms and houses of worship, were closed on Monday.

Morrison said the immense health and economic challenges of the global pandemic would be the “toughest year of our lives” and warned Australians to prepare for shutdowns that could last six months.

The economic fallout of the crisis was visible on the streets on Monday with hundreds of Australians lining up outside government offices in Sydney and Melbourne to register for social security payments. Many tried to practice social distancing as lines stretched around the block.

The benchmark index fell more than 4 percent on Monday, a day after the government pledged an extra A$66.4 billion (US$38.06 billion) to combat the impact of the disease.

The economic stimulus package was passed by Australia’s lower house of parliament on Monday. It now just requires the approval of Australia’s senate.

Meanwhile, Rex Patrick, an independent senator, said he has been diagnosed with coronavirus, becoming the fourth federal lawmaker to become infected.

Syria

The Syrian Health Ministry on Sunday confirmed the first novel coronavirus case in the country, state TV reported. 

The person who was infected with coronavirus came from abroad, said the Health Ministry.

All needed measures to deal with the case have been adopted, it added.

Earlier on Sunday, the Syrian government suspended public transportation, the state news agency SANA reported.

The measure comes as part of a series of measures the Syrian government has taken to protect the public from the novel coronavirus.

South Korea

South Korea on Monday reported its lowest number of new coronavirus cases since the peak so far on Feb 29 and the extended downward trend in daily infections has boosted hopes that Asia’s largest outbreak outside China may be abating.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said there were 64 new cases on Monday, taking the national tally to 8,961. The death toll rose by one to 110.

South Korean exports rose 10.0 percent in the first 20 days of March year-on-year as lockdowns across the world to prevent the coronavirus fueled demand for teleconferencing technology and components.

Outbound shipments of semiconductors, the nation’s major export, jumped 20.3 percent on-year, the Korea Customs Service data showed on Monday, better than a 15.4 percent rise seen a month earlier.

Iran

The United States should lift sanctions if Washington wants to help Iran to contain the coronavirus outbreak, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday, adding that Iran had no intention of accepting Washington’s offer of humanitarian assistance.

Iran’s death toll from the new coronavirus has increased to 1,812, with 127 new deaths in the past 24 hours, a health ministry spokesman told state TV on Monday, adding that the country’s total number of infected people has reached 23,049.

Kianush Jahanpur said that in the past 24 hours, some 1,411 Iranians had been infected with the virus across the Islamic Republic, which has the worst outbreak in the Middle East.

Earlier Sunday, the Iranian authorities ordered the closure of commercial centers, excluding convenience stores and pharmacies, in the capital Tehran amid the COVID-19 spread.

Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Hossein Baqeri said Sunday that 52 of 58 military hospitals across the country have begun receiving the coronavirus patients.

Turkey

In Turkey, the death toll from COVID-19 rose to 30 on Sunday, after nine more deaths were recorded, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said in a tweet.

A total of 289 COVID-19 new cases were diagnosed on Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Turkey to 1,236. Turkey has now become the second hardest-hit country in the Middle East following Iran.   

Israel

In Israel, 188 more people tested positive for the novel coronavirus, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 1,071.

Israel has launched a cellphone application for tracking anyone's contact with confirmed COVID-19 patients, the Israeli Ministry of Health said.

At the same time, Israel's Ministry of Science and Technology announced the launch of a coronavirus research database. It called on doctors, scientists, technologists and others to submit proposals for researches that could be carried out soon.   

Israel has decided to transfer around US$33 million to the Palestinian Authority to stem the COVID-19 outbreak, Palestinian sources said Sunday.

The decision came following a meeting between Palestinian and Israeli finance ministers last week over the means to fight COVID-19, according to the sources.

Palestine

Palestine on Sunday reported four new coronavirus cases in the West Bank city of Ramallah, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 59.  

Iraq

In Iraq, the Health Ministry confirmed three more deaths from COVID-19 and 19 new cases, bringing the total number of the infected to 233, of whom 20 have died and 57 have recovered.

Iraqi Health Minister Jaafar Sadiq Allawi said that Iraq decided to extend the curfew across the country until March 28 at 11:00 pm (2000 GMT). The suspension of schools and universities as well as international flights will be extended until March 28.

Lebanon

In Beirut, Lebanon's Interior Minister Mohammad Fahmi said that 18 more COVID-19 cases were recorded, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 248.

Fahmi warned that the situation in Lebanon could be out of control and the nation "should be prepared for the worst scenarios." 

Lebanon on Sunday received at least 22 billion Lebanese pounds (about US$4.5 million) donated by citizens, expatriates and officials to combat COVID-19, according to the local media.

Kuwait

Kuwait reported 12 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of the confirmed cases to 188.

The Kuwaiti government decided to impose a nationwide curfew from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. starting Sunday to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The suspension of work in all ministries and state agencies will also be extended by two additional weeks. 

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia will impose a nationwide curfew starting on Monday after reporting a jump of almost a quarter in coronavirus cases, while the United Arab Emirates will suspend all passenger and transit flights to and from the country.

Saudi King Salman ordered a curfew - from 7 pm to 6 am for 21 days - to slow the spread of the coronavirus, state news agency SPA reported on Monday. The curfew will take effect on Monday evening.

The UAE said it will suspend all passenger and transit flights to and from the country for two weeks over coronavirus fears, state news agency WAM said on Monday. Cargo operations will continue.

On Sunday, Saudi Arabia recorded 119 new cases of the virus for a total of 511, highest in the Gulf Arab region, the Health Ministry said.

The tally of cases in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council now stands at more than 1,700. Bahrain reported a second death on Sunday, a citizen evacuated from Iran, taking the GCC’s total deaths to four.

The UAE, the region’s tourism and business hub, approved an additional 16 billion dirhams (US$4.4 billion) on Sunday for a total stimulus package of 126 billion dirhams, according to a tweet from its vice-president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai.

Singapore

Singapore confirmed 23 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, of which 18 are imported and five are local cases.

This brings the national total to 455 cases, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in its daily update.

In all, 144 people have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospital. Of the 309 confirmed cases who are still in hospital, most are stable or improving. Fourteen are in critical condition in the intensive care unit. 

The first two deaths were reported Saturday morning.

On Sunday, the city state also announced tighter border controls, in a bid to reduce further imported COVID-19 cases.

Singapore will bar all entry and transit to all short-term visitors starting from 11:59 pm Monday, the MOH said in a statement.

Singapore Airlines Ltd announced on Monday that it would cut capacity by 96 percent and ground almost all of its fleet in response to coronavirus travel restrictions that the carrier said was “the greatest challenge” it had ever faced.

The airline said its low-cost carrier Scoot will also suspend most of its network, resulting in the grounding of 47 of its fleet of 49 aircraft.

Malaysia

A total of 14 individuals have died of the COVID-19 in Malaysia as of Monday with 212 newly confirmed cases, and the total cases of the COVID-19 in the country now stand at 1,518, according to the Health Ministry.

This marked the first time that Malaysia recorded a daily increase of newly confirmed case of more than 200.

Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah told a press briefing that among the new cases, at least 123 were traced to a large-scale religious event held near the capital of Kuala Lumpur from late February to early March. The number of cases in the country has spiked following the event.

Out of the total cases, 159 have been cured and discharged from hospital, while 57 are currently being held in intensive care and 27 of those are in need of assisted breathing.

Malaysia is implementing a two-week "movement control order" including closing shops and schools as well as imposing travel bans. It called for residents to stay at home in an effort to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said earlier on Monday that the government may consider extending the comprehensive restrictive measures by up to another two weeks with the announcement expected by the end of the month.

He also announced an additional allocation for the health ministry to purchase medical equipment, including ventilators, lab apparatus, personal protective equipment (PPE) and intensive care unit (ICU) equipment as well as increase manpower to fight the outbreak. 

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Cambodia 

Cambodia reported two new coronavirus cases on Monday, bringing the total to 86, health authorities said.

“We have not yet found evidence of community outbreaks, but there is a possibility,” Cambodia’s Communicable Disease Control department said in a Facebook post on Monday.

Thailand

Tens of thousands of migrant workers left Thailand for neigbouring countries after new restrictions were announced at the weekend and the country prepared to close many land border crossings late on Monday to curb the coronavirus outbreak.

At the same time, Thai workers from the countryside were also fleeing Bangkok after department stores, malls, dine-in restaurants, salons and other public places were ordered closed over the weekend.

Thai authorities have urged workers not to rush out of the cities in large numbers and to stay put in order to curb the spread of the disease.

“The mass traveling will increase the spread of the virus,” said Tawee Chotpitayasunondh, a senior advisor to the Thai Health Ministry.

Many land border crossings between Thailand and neighbouring countries will be open until late on Monday, allowing migrant workers to leave the country, a Thai interior ministry official said.

Authorities in Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia have told returning workers to self-isolate for 14 days.

Thailand now has 721 coronavirus cases after recording 122 new cases on Monday. One has died since the start of the outbreak.

Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, police arrested over 110 people for violating a curfew. 

Four more people tested positive for the COVID-19 virus in Sri Lanka on Sunday, bringing the total number of cases to 81, the Health Ministry said.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Public Health Ministry on Monday reported six more confirmed cases of coronavirus, bringing the total to 40 since the outbreak of the disease on February in the war-suffered country.

Earlier, Afghan Public Health Minister Firuzuddin Firuz demanded the government to declare a complete lockdown in Herat province bordering Iran.

Mayar also confirmed the first death from COVID-19, saying a 40-year old patient has succumbed to the virus in the northern Balkh province.

As precautionary measures, the government in Afghanistan has banned wedding halls, restaurants, swimming pools, public baths and also closed down schools and educational centers for one month.