A police personnel (center) stands guard outside a liquor shop after the government eased a nationwide lockdown imposed as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus in Gurgaon, India on May 6, 2020. (MONEY SHARMA / AFP)

JERUSALEM / AMMAN / KUWAIT CITY / BEIRUT / SYDNEY / BEIRUT / TOKYO / KATHMANDU / MUMBAI / DUBAI - Hundreds of Indian police have tested positive for the coronavirus in recent days, raising alarm among an over-stretched force as it attempts to enforce the world’s largest lockdown.

Some 3 million police are trying to ensure that the vast majority of India’s 1.3 billion people stay home, with TV footage early in the crisis showing police beating back migrant workers as they tried to board city buses to reach their villages, making a mockery of social distancing.

India has been under lockdown since March 25 and has confirmed nearly 50,000 coronavirus cases and some 1,694 deaths.

Iran

The death toll from the new coronavirus outbreak in Iran rose by 78 in the past 24 hours to 6,418,

Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said in a statement on state TV on Wednesday.

The total number of diagnosed cases of new coronavirus in Iran, one of the countries hardest hit by the outbreak in the Middle East, has reached 101,650, he said.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the US should lift the "unlawful" sanctions against Iran to prove that it is sincere in offering help in the battle against the coronavirus. 

Bangladesh 

The number of new infections in Bangladesh with the COVID-19 rose by 790 on Wednesday, the highest daily increase since March 8.

Nasima Sultana, a senior Health Ministry official, told an online press conference that  the number of confirmed infections in the country totalled 11,719 while fatalities stood at 186.

According to the official, 6,241 samples were tested in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh.

Bahrain

Shops and industrial enterprises in Bahrain can open from Thursday while restaurants will stay closed to in-house diners, the Health Ministry said, as the Gulf state eases restrictions designed to stop the spread of the new coronavirus.

Bahrain shuttered non-essential shops and businesses in late March and barred entry of foreign visitors, but did not impose a curfew, unlike some other Gulf states.

Health Ministry officials told a news conference on Wednesday that employees and customers must wear face masks and practice physical distancing. Cinemas, sports facilities and salons remain closed.

The small island state has reported 3,720 infections with eight deaths from the virus. The total count in the six Gulf Arab states exceeds 76,000 with 421 deaths.

Australia

Australia will have a COVID-19 safe economy up and running by July, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday, as his government seeks to get one million unemployed people working again.

It is not clear how many businesses this would see returning to full operations, though local media reported Australia has planned for a three-stage reopening.

Cafes, restaurants and retail are expected to be among the first to be allowed to reopen, with strict social distancing rules. Pubs, where social distancing is harder, would probably be amongst the last to fully reopen.

Australia has had less than 7,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus with 96 deaths. Fewer than 1,000 people are still sick with COVID-19, though clusters at a meat processing facility and an aged-care home have contributed to a jump in new cases. 

Australia is on Friday expected to announce a loosening of social distancing restrictions with curbs on most businesses removed by July.

Afghanistan 

Afghanistan on Wednesday reported 168 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing its total tally to 3,392, according to the country's Ministry of Public Health.

 A total of 104 deaths have been recorded since the outbreak of the pandemic in February, an increase of nine over the past 24 hours, the ministry confirmed in a statement.

On Tuesday, Afghan health authorities registered 330 new COVID patients, the biggest daily jump since the spread of the disease in the country.

Fiji

Fiji said on Wednesday that the country has done more than 1,300 COVID-19 tests so far and the positive rate is 1.4 percent.

Currently, Fiji, with a population of around 900,000, has reported 18 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since March 19, of which, 14 have fully recovered and the remaining patients, all in stable condition, are still quarantined in medical facilities.

Indonesia

Indonesian President Joko Widodo ordered ministers in his cabinet on Wednesday to use “whatever means” necessary to ensure the country’s infection curve of the coronavirus outbreak goes down in May, to reach a low in cases by July.

Widodo also ordered ministers to ensure economic stimulus went to sectors that had suffered the greatest contraction, based on first-quarter data on the gross domestic product.

Indonesia has reported 367 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 12,438, the government's spokesperson for the COVID-19-related matters Achmad Yurianto said at a press conference here on Wednesday afternoon.

Iraq

The Iraqi Health Ministry on Tuesday confirmed four more deaths and 85 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections to 2,431 in the country.

So far, Iraq has reported 2,431 COVID-19 cases, out of whom 102 have died while 1,571 others recovered, the ministry said in a statement.

The 85 new cases included 34 in the capital Baghdad, 19 in Basra, 13 in Karbala, 12 in Kirkuk, three in Muthanna, two in Najaf and one each in Maysan and Erbil, said the statement.

Isarel

The number of coronavirus infections in Israel surged to 16,289 after 43 new cases were reported, the state's Ministry of Health said Tuesday.

The death toll from the COVID-19 rose to 238, after three new deaths were added, while the number of patients in serious condition rose from 90 to 91.

The number of recoveries increased by 401 to 10,465, while the number of active cases dropped to 5,586.

READ MORE: Police clash with crowds as India eases coronavirus curbs

A woman wearing mask and gloves, prays at the grave of her mother who died from the coronavirus, at a cemetery in the outskirts of the city of Babol, in north of Iran, April 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Japan

The confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan increased by 102 to reach 15,474, according to the latest figures from the health ministry and local authorities on Wednesday.

The number excludes the 712 cases from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined in Yokohama near Tokyo.

The nationwide death toll from the virus has now reached a total of 584, including 13 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

Kuwait

Kuwait on Wednesday reported 485 new cases of COVID-19 and two more deaths, bringing the total infections in the country to 6,289 and the death toll to 42, the health ministry said in a statement.

Currently, 4,028 patients are receiving treatment, including 88 in ICU, according to the statement.

Kyrgyzstan 

Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday reported 28 new COVID-19 cases and one more death, bringing the total number of cases to 871 and the death toll to 12.

Deputy Health Minister Nurbolot Usenbaev said on Wednesday that currently, there are 245 hospitalized COVID-19 patients nationwide.

Among the newly infected, seven are medical workers, Usenbaev said.

Lebanon

Lebanon's prime minister said Lebanese must set aside their disputes as the country had no time to lose in tackling a financial crisis, adding that a government economic recovery plan could be amended and was not a sacred text.

Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased on Wednesday by nine cases to 750 while death toll remained unchanged at 25, the National News Agency reported. 

Malaysia 

Malaysia reported 45 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the cumulative total to 6,428 infections.

The health ministry also reported one new death, raising the total number of fatalities from the outbreak to 107.

Maldives 

A second death related to COVID-19 was reported in Maldives on Tuesday as the country's case count rose to 557, according to state media.

A Bangladeshi national who was diagnosed with COVID-19 suffered a tonic-clonic seizure and died at Maldives' main Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), state-owned Public Service media reported.

Mongolia

Mongolia's health ministry has launched a mobile app to provide Mongolian nationals abroad with necessary information and advice related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

New Zealand

New Zealand's success in curbing the coronavirus has given it a "safe haven" advantage, allowing the country to be open for investment, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Wednesday.

New Zealand reported one more COVID-19 death on Wednesday, bring the death toll to 21 in the country.

Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told a press conference that the death was a woman in her 60s who had underlying health conditions. The woman was from the Rosewood rest home cluster in Christchurch.

Meanwhile, one confirmed and one probable COVID-19 cases were reported on Wednesday after no new cases for two consecutive days, bringing the total number of cases to 1,488, Bloomfield said.

Nepal

The Nepali government on Wednesday decided to extend the ongoing nationwide lockdown and continue suspension of international flights on its sky as the number of COVID-19 cases continue to grow in the Himalayan country, a cabinet minister said.

Hridayesh Tripathi, Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration, told Xinhua on Wednesday that the cabinet decided to extend the deadline of the ongoing lockdown till May 18 and continue suspension of international flights till May 31.

Nepal's Ministry of Health and Population on Wednesday reported 17 new cases of the COVID-19 disease, the largest single day spike, bringing the total number of cases to 99.

The Himalayan country has been witnessing a surge in COVID-19 cases in recent days as it had earlier reported a single day spike of 16 cases on Sunday.

Oman

The Omani Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday 98 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 2,735.

According to a statement issued by the ministry, out of the 98 new cases, there are 42 Omanis, and all the new cases are related to community contact.

The statement pointed out that 42 more cases have recovered, bringing the total recoveries to 858, and the death toll hit 13.

Palestine

Palestine in Tuesday night said that five more COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the West Bank, which brings up the tally of cases infected with the deadly disease to 543.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Ishtaye said that the restriction measures to prevent the spread of the deadly virus will begin to ease starting from Tuesday, despite Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' declaration of a state of emergency for one month, for the third time late on Monday.

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A couple wearing protective masks exercises outdoors at Dubai Marina on May 5, 2020, after authorities of the United Arab Emirates started to ease a national lockdown put in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. (KARIM SAHIB / AFP)

Qatar

Qatar's Health Ministry on Tuesday announced 951 new infections of COVID-19, increasing the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 17,142, of which 15,206 persons are under treatment.

"114 people have recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 1,924, while the fatalities remain 12," the official Qatar News Agency reported, quoting a ministry statement.

Most of the new cases are of expatriate workers who have been subject to quarantine after they were found to have been in contact with confirmed cases.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia reported 1,595 new cases of coronavirus infection and nine more deaths, raising the tally of confirmed cases to 30,251 and the death toll to 200. The total recoveries rose to 5,431 after 955 more patients were cured of the disease.

South Korea

South Korea reported two more cases of the COVID-19 compared to 24 hours ago as of 0:00 a.m. Wednesday local time, raising the total number of infections to 10,806.

It was the lowest daily increase since Feb 18. The daily caseload hovered below 20 for 19 straight days.

All the new cases were imported from overseas, lifting the combined figure to 1,104. The domestic infection logged zero for the third consecutive day.

One more death was confirmed, leaving the death toll at 255. The total fatality rate stood at 2.36 percent.

Singapore

Singapore’s health ministry on Wednesday confirmed 788 new coronavirus cases, taking the city-state’s tally to 20,198.

Sri Lanka 

Sri Lanka's Tourism Ministry on Wednesday said efforts were ongoing to assist over 11,000 tourists who were stranded in the country due to the closure of airports globally following the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

Thailand

Thailand on Wednesday reported one new coronavirus case and one new death, a senior health official said.

Thailand has reported a total of 2,989 cases and 55 fatalities since the outbreak began in January.

There are 173 patients being treated at hospital and a total 2,761 patients have recovered.

The Philippines

The Philippines’ coronavirus infections have broken past the 10,000 mark, the health ministry said on Wednesday.

In a bulletin, the health ministry reported 320 additional infections, bringing the total to 10,004. It also reported 21 new deaths, bringing the toll to 658. But 98 patients have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 1,506.

Turkey

Turkey's Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted that 1,832 new COVID-19 cases were recorded, bringing the total number in the country to 129,491. 

The death toll from the coronavirus in Turkey, the hardest-hit country in the Middle East, climbed to 3,520 after 59 new fatalities were added in the past 24 hours, he said.

UAE

The United Arab Emirates announced 462 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number to 15,192, including 146 deaths and 3,153 recoveries.