Hindu devotees hold rosaries as they pray outside of their home in Amritsar on April 24, 2020. (NARINDER NANU / AFP)

WELLINGTON / YANGON / BANGKOK / NEW DELHI / ISLAMABAD — The Indian government allowed a limited reopening of shops in neighborhoods and residential areas from Saturday, more than a month after the nation went into a lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus, officials said.

Late on Friday the federal home ministry said retail shops could start operations with the staff number reduced by 50 percent, while also requiring appropriate social distancing, wearing of masks and gloves during work.

The sale of liquor and other non-essential items will continue to be prohibited, and no shops in large market places, multi-brand and single-brand malls will be allowed to open for business till May 3.

India has reported 24,506 cases of the coronavirus and 775 deaths, with authorities setting up new teams to focus on compliance and implementation of lockdown measures.

Pakistan

In neighboring Pakistan, the government extended the nationwide lockdown till May 9. However, it is switching to a so-called “smart lockdown” from Saturday for targeted tracking and tracing of cases while allowing some industrial and commercial activities to begin under safety guidelines.

“Isolating these cases and their contacts will improve our ability to contain the disease alongside allowing the economy to function and people to get employment,” said Asad Umar, Pakistan’s planning minister, who also oversees the coronavirus national response body.

 “This upcoming month of Ramadan will be decisive,” he said, emphasizing that adhering to the government’s virus containment measures will enable the further re-starting of parts of the economy.

Prayer congregations for Ramadan have also been allowed in Pakistan with the exception of the southern province of Sindh, where doctors have warned the virus could spread rapidly.

In Karachi, the capital of Sindh and Pakistan’s largest city, most mosques were closed to the public for the Ramadan evening prayer gatherings, which began on Friday.

As of Saturday, Pakistan reported 11,940 cases of infections, including 253 deaths.

In this file photo, passengers take photo of the Costa Atlantica at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore in Singapore. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG)

Japan

Coronavirus cases are mounting among crew on a passenger-less cruise ship docked in Nagasaki, Japan, raising alarm among local health officials just months after another large outbreak in their waters.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 infections on the Costa Atlantica had climbed to 91 as of Thursday from 48 a day earlier, the Nagasaki prefecture said. About 60 more were found positive after the testing of 290 crew members, NHK reported on Saturday, citing local officials.

The Atlantica is operated by CSSC Carnival Cruise Shipping, a partnership between Carnival Corp. and state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corp. The Chinese entity is the majority owner.

Coronavirus cases at sea forced the industry to suspend new sailings in mid-March. Many ships were caught mid-voyage, leading to weeks of drama as companies hustled to get passengers to ports.

Even now, ships around the world still have crew on board.

New Zealand

New Zealand reported one more death of COVID-19, adding the death toll to 18 in the country, the Ministry of Health said on Saturday.

A woman in her 70s with underlying health conditions passed away in Waitakere hospital in Auckland overnight. She is the second resident transferred from CHT St Margarets Hospital and Rest Home to Waitakere hospital to pass away, the ministry said in a statement.

Meanwhile, New Zealand reported three new confirmed cases and two new probable cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, making the total case number to 1,461 in the country.

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Singapore

Singapore recorded 897 new COVID-19 cases by Friday noon, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in its daily preliminary update.

The total number of the COVID-19 cases in Singapore now stands at 12,075.

Foreign workers holding work permits and living in dormitories continue to make up the bulk of the increase, with Singaporeans and permanent residents making up just 13 of the new cases, MOH said.

Myanmar

The total number of COVID-19 infections in Myanmar has risen to 144 cases, with five more confirmed cases reported late Friday, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health and Sports.

Of the newly confirmed cases, three patients were reported from Yangon region while one each from Shan and Kachin states.

Thailand

Thailand on Saturday saw a sudden spurt in COVID-19 patients with 53 new cases reported.

The number was the highest since April 9 when there were 54 new cases, said Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman of the government's Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

One new death was reported, with total fatalities standing at 51.

The total number of COVID-19 patients rose to 2,907, among which 2,547 have recovered.

Turkey

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Turkey on Friday increased to 104,912.

Turkey, the new epicenter of the outbreak in the Middle East, on Friday confirmed 3,122 new COVID-19 cases. The death toll in the country surged to 2,600 after 109 more deaths were reported.

In addition, 21,737 patients have recovered from COVID-19 so far, while 1,790 are being treated at intensive care units and 929 intubated.

Iran

Iranian health ministry on Saturday reported 76 new COVID-19 death cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 5,650 in the country, official IRNA news agency reported.

Also, 1,134 new infection cases were registered overnight, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 89,328, said Kianush Jahanpur, head of Public Relations and Information Center of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education.

Jahanpur said that a total of 68,193 cases have recovered and left hospitals, with 3,096 still in critical condition and under treatment.

Israel

Israeli Ministry of Health reported on Saturday 90 new cases of COVID-19 and four new deaths, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 15,148 and the death toll to 198.

The number of patients in serious condition decreased from 137 to 130, out of 413 patients currently hospitalized.

The number of recoveries increased by 156 to 6,159, reducing the number of active cases to 8,791, the lowest recorded active cases in Israel since April 15.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia announced on Friday 1,172 new cases of the coronavirus and six new deaths, raising the total to 15,102 and the death toll to 127.

The tally of recoveries in the kingdom increased to 2,049 after 124 more patients were cured.

The United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates on Friday recorded 525 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 9,281, and 8 more deaths, pushing the country's death toll to 64.

Qatar

In Qatar, 761 new infections of the novel coronavirus were announced on Friday, increasing the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 8,525.

Kuwait

Kuwait on Friday reported 215 new cases of COVID-19 and one more death, bringing the total infections to 2,614 and death toll to 15.

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Oman

In Oman, 74 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported on Friday, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 1,790.

Iraq

Iraq on Friday said that a total of 1,708 COVID-19 cases were confirmed and 86 deaths were recorded in the country.

Lebanon

In Lebanon, the COVID-19 infections increased on Friday by eight cases to 696 while the death toll remained unchanged at 22.

Palestine

Palestine on Friday reported four new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed infections in its territories to 484.  

Bangladesh 

Bangladesh reported 309 new COVID-19 cases Saturday, dipping slightly from Friday's high of 503, bringing the total number of cases in country to 4,998.

Senior health ministry official Professor Nasima Sultana told a press conference broadcast by television channels on Saturday afternoon that "309 new COVID-19 positive cases and nine deaths were reported in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh."

"The total number of positive cases is now 4,998 and death toll stands currently at 140," she added.

Indonesia

The Indonesian government reported that 31 new deaths of COVID-19 were registered on Saturday, raising the total fatalities in the archipelagic country to 720, the highest in Southeast Asia.

At a press conference, the government's spokesperson for the COVID-19-related matters Achmad Yurianto said that there were 396 new confirmed cases, bringing the total number of infections to 8,607.

Meanwhile, 40 more people have been discharged from hospitals, making the total number of recovered patients stand at 1,042, he said.

According to data provided by Yurianto, the number of suspected COVID-19 cases is 19,084.

The Philippines

COVID-19 infections in the Philippines continued its steady rise on Saturday, hitting 7,294 since the first confirmed COVID-19 case was reported on Jan. 30 in the country.

The Department of Health (DOH) reported an additional 102 COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country to 7,294.

According to the DOH, 30 more patients have recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 792. However, it said 17 more patients have also died, bringing the death toll to 494.  

Mongolia 

Mongolia will not ease restrictive measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 until the pandemic situation significantly improves across the world, Prime Minister Ukhnaa Khurelsukh has said.

Khurelsukh made the remarks during a recent inspection tour to a hospital and a pharmaceutical industrial enterprise to examine their preparedness and readiness for the COVID-19 pandemic, the government's press office said Saturday.

Khurelsukh said his country can loosen restrictive measures only after the epidemic situation will fundamentally improve across the world. "Otherwise, we will not lift the heightened state of readiness and restrictions for international passengers and open borders." 

As of Saturday, Mongolia has confirmed 37 COVID-19 infections, including four foreigners. All the confirmed cases are imported ones.

Australia

There had been 6,687 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia as of Saturday morning, an increase of 20 since Friday morning. The death toll stood at 80.

South Korea

South Korea reported 10 more cases of the COVID-19 compared to 24 hours ago as of midnight Saturday local time, raising the total number of infections to 10,718.

The daily caseload hovered around 10 for the seventh consecutive day. Of the new cases, four were imported from overseas, lifting the combined number to 1,027.

No death was confirmed for two straight days. The death toll was 240, and the total fatality rate came in at 2.24 percent.

A total of 134 more patients were discharged from quarantine after making full recovery, pulling up the combined number to 8,635. The total recovery rate was 80.6 percent.