A man pulls a hand cart as he sells eggs outside the entrance of a residential area declared as a Red Zone for coronavirus by authorities during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, on the outskirts of Srinagar on April 14, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)
SINGAPORE / ISTANBUL / DUBAI / SYDNEY - India on Tuesday extended until May 3 a nationwide lockdown for its 1.3 billion people as the number of coronavirus cases crossed 10,000 despite a three-week shutdown.
Sharp downward revisions to economic growth forecasts in the wake of the pandemic point toward sickening levels of unemployment, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Indians to maintain the discipline shown in the first three weeks of the country’s lockdown.
Modi offered no immediate relief to the millions of people who have lost their jobs because of the shutdown of the 2.9 trillion economy, but said he felt their pain, with poor families struggling to afford food, and many migrant workers unable to reach their villages.
India's federal health ministry said Tuesday morning the death toll due to the COVID-19 in India rose to 339 and the total number of confirmed cases in the country reached 10,363.
Australia
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Tuesday morning that measures introduced to slow the spread of the virus, including mandatory quarantine periods, social distancing rules and business closures, would not be repealed for "many weeks."
"You've seen in places like Singapore and Sweden and other parts of the world where the virus has just taken off again. We can't have those sort of things happen here in Australia, " the prime minister said as the spread of the COVID-19 in Australia has slowed significantly in April.
Seperately, Australian officials are investigating whether an illegal social gathering of health workers is behind a spike in coronavirus cases in the island state of Tasmania, as the government forecast national unemployment to hit 10 percent by mid-year.
Meanwhile, Australia's leading airline has been accused of "knowingly" exposing baggage handlers to the COVID-19 as a criminal investigation into the cruise liner Ruby Princess could take up to six months.
Afghanistan
Forty-nine more confirmed COVID-19 cases had been reported in Afghanistan, bringing the total number in the country to 714 as of Tuesday morning, the Ministry of Public Health confirmed Tuesday.
"The COVID-19 cases are expected to increase rapidly over the weeks ahead as community transmission escalates," the ministry said in a statement.
A total of 23 patients have died and 40 others have recovered since the outbreak in mid February, according to the statement.
Bangladesh
The Bangladeshi government has unveiled a special insurance scheme and allowance for health professionals and other COVID-19 frontline fighters including law enforcement officials.
Bangladesh health officials Monday confirmed another five deaths from COVID-19, bringing the total number of fatalities in the country since last month to 39 while the ifnections stands at 803.
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Indonesia
Indonesia on Tuesday reported its biggest daily jump in coronavirus deaths with 60 new fatalities, taking the total to 459, health ministry official Achmad Yurianto said.
Yurianto confirmed 282 new coronavirus infections, taking the total in the Southeast Asian country to 4,839. A total of 426 people have recovered, he said.
Iran
Iran’s death toll from the coronavirus outbreak has risen to 4,585, with 111 more overnight, a health ministry official said on Monday, adding the total number of infected cases had reached 73,303 in the most-affected Middle Eastern country.
On Sunday, the government lifted a ban on travel between cities within Iranian provinces, while restrictions on trips between provinces will end on April 20, state media reported.
State TV showed streets packed with people, crowded buses and subway cars in several cities as so-called low-risk businesses - including many shops and workshops - re-opened across Iran from Saturday, with the exception of the capital Tehran, where they will resume activities from April 18.
This picture taken on April 12, 2020 shows a deserted street at Balat district, in Istanbul, during a two-day curfew to prevent the spread of the epidemic COVID-19. (OZAN KOSE / AFP)
Iraq
The Iraqi Health Ministry on Monday confirmed 26 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections to 1,378.
So far, 78 people have died from the coronavirus and 717 recovered in Iraq.
Ahmed al-Sahaf, spokesman of the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, said in a separate statement that the number of COVID-19 cases among Iraqis living outside the country has reached 243, of whom 26 have died and 52 recovered.
Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday the re-tightening of anti-coronavirus measures ahead of the Jewish holiday of Second Passover.
Similar to the restrictions imposed during the first Passover holiday last week, travelling between Israeli cities will be banned again starting Tuesday afternoon when Second Passover begins until Thursday morning.
The number of COVID-19 cases has risen to 11,868 in Israel after 282 new cases were added, Israeli Ministry of Health said on Tuesday.
The ministry also reported one new death, bringing the death toll from the virus to 117.
Japan
Japan will allow companies to extend the deadline for submission of securities and financial reports until the end of September, amid difficulty closing their books for the recent financial year-end due to the coronavirus pandemic, Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Tuesday.
Japan's health ministry and local governments said Tuesday afternoon the number COVID-19 cases in Japan rose by 53 to 7,744, with the latest figure coming one week after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency over the crisis for Tokyo and six other prefectures.
The death toll from the pneumonia-causing virus currently stands at a total of 158, including those from a cruise ship that was quarantined in Yokohama near Tokyo.
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Mongolia
Mongolia on Tuesday confirmed 13 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total in the country to 30.
"The NCCD tested 502 suspected cases of COVID-19 on Monday and 13 of them were positive," Dulmaa Nyamkhuu, head of the National Center for Communicable Disease (NCCD), said at a press conference.
The 13 patients are Mongolian students who have recently been evacuated from Russia on buses via Altanbulag border point amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the NCCD.
Malaysia
Malaysian health authorities reported 170 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, raising the cumulative total to 4,987 as the country nears a full month in partial lockdown.
The health ministry also reported five new deaths, bringing the total fatalities to 82.
Residents wearing face masks walk in the Burwood suburb of Sydney on April 14, 2020, amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. (SAEED KHAN / AFP)
Myanmar
Myanmar reported 21 new COVID-19 infection cases on Monday, registering the highest surge in a day, said a release from the country's Health and Sports Ministry early Tuesday.
So far, the country has reported a total of 62 COVID-19 cases with four deaths in 23 days since the infectious disease was first detected in the country on March 23.
Nepal
Two Nepalis of a single family have been tested positive for the COVID-19 in Nepal's capital city Kathmandu on Tuesday, raising the total count of confirmed cases in the country to 16, the health ministry confirmed.
New Zealand
The state of national emergency to support the COVID-19 response will be extended a third time for a further seven days, New Zealand Minister of Civil Defense Peeni Henare said on Tuesday.
Treasury forecasts that mapped economic scenarios under different restriction levels showed that extending the current Level 4 alert, which is the highest, would increase unemployment by 17.5 percent to 26 percent.
Four more people died of COVID-19 in New Zealand over the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health said on Tuesday, taking the toll to 9.
Oman
Oman announced on Monday 128 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number in the country to 727.
All the new 128 cases are community contacts, said in a statement by the health ministry, adding the death toll remains at four.
Pakistan
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday announced a two-week extension to the nationwide shutdown to curb the COVID-19 spread, but said some industries would reopen in phases.
The first industry to reopen would be construction, Khan said in a televised address to the nation.
“That lockdown, those restrictions on gatherings will continue for another two weeks,” Khan said.
Pakistan, which has already completed a three week lockdown, has reported 5,716 cases with 96 deaths.
The World Bank has warned that Pakistan is expected to fall into recession in fiscal 2020/21. Khan has sought debt relief from international lenders to combat the pandemic.
Vehicles are parked along an empty street on the first day of Myanmar's New Year water festival, also known as Thingyan, in Yangon on April 12, 2020, amid restrictions put in place to halt the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus. (YE AUNG THU / AFP)
Palestine
A Palestinian government official announced on Tuesday that ten new cases infected with the novel coronavirus were recorded in Palestine, raising the number to 320 in total.
In Gaza, around 300 Palestinians were put under mandatory quarantine after they returned from Egypt through Rafah Crossing, according to the interior ministry.
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Saudi Arabia
The total cases of novel coronavirus increased on Monday to 4,934 in Saudi Arabia with the registration of 472 new cases, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The spokesperson of the Health Ministry Mohammed Al Abdalali told a press conference that the Kingdom registered six new deaths, bringing the total virus-related fatalities to 65.
Singapore
Singapore’s health ministry confirmed 334 more coronavirus infections on Tuesday, taking its tally to 3,252.
Most of the new cases were linked to outbreaks in migrant workers’ dormitories, the ministry said.
South Korea
South Korea’s president said on Tuesday the government will submit its supplementary budget plan to parliament soon, while stressing the need to prepare more measures to support the labour market and companies being hit by the coronavirus outbreak.
South Korea reported 27 more cases of the COVID-19 compared to 24 hours ago as of midnight Tuesday local time, raising the total number of infections to 10,564.
The daily caseload hovered below 50 for the sixth straight day. Of the new cases, 12 were imported from overseas.
Five more deaths were confirmed, lifting the death toll to 222. The total fatality rate came in at 2.10 percent.
People wearing facemasks as a preventive measure against the spread of the COVID-19 walk past closed shops in the Chinatown district of Singapore on April 13, 2020. (ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP)
Thailand
Thais will have to find another way to cool off this year after the government called off the annual water festival that celebrates the Buddhist New Year to curb the outbreak of the new coronavirus.
Thailand on Tuesday reported 34 new coronavirus cases and a death of a 52-year old Thai female bus driver in Bangkok.
Since the outbreak escalated in January, Thailand has reported a total of 2,613 cases and 41 fatalities, while 1,405 patients have recovered and gone home.
The UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday announced 398 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number in the country to 4,521.
UAE's Ministry of Health and Prevention said in a statement that the new cases of many nationalities are in stable condition and receiving medical treatment.
The ministry also confirmed three more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the UAE's death toll to 25.
The Philippines
The Philippines introduced a more aggressive testing programme for the coronavirus on Tuesday to locate as many as 15,000 unknown infections, despite having implemented some of Asia’s strictest and earliest lockdown measures.The Philippines reported on Tuesday 291 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 5,223.
The Department of Health (DOH) also reported that 20 COVID-19 patients have died, bringing the death toll to 335.
Turkey
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday announced a new two-day curfew which would be put into effect on April 17 to curb the spread of COVID-19 and that a fresh lockdown will be imposed next week.
Turkey’s parliament on Tuesday passed a law that will allow the release of tens of thousands of prisoners to ease overcrowding in jails and protect detainees from the coronavirus after three prisoners in open prisons died from COVID-19.
Turkey’s confirmed cases of the coronavirus increased by 4,093 in the past 24 hours, and 98 more people have died, taking the death toll to 1,296, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Monday. The total number of cases in the country stood at 61,049, he said.
