Masked construction workers are pictured at a building site on the first day of the easing of restrictions in Wellington on April 28, 2020, following the coronavirus outbreak. (PHOTO / AFP)

TOKYO / SYDNEY / SINGAPORE / RIYADH / AMMAN / JERUSALEM / MUSCAT / BAGHDAD / ANKARA / COLOMBO / BANGKOK — New Zealand businesses including malls, cinemas, cafes and gyms will reopen on Thursday after some of the tightest restrictions in the world to stop the spread of the coronavirus were further loosened on Monday.

The Pacific nation was locked down for more than month under “level 4” restrictions that were eased by a notch in late April. It has continued to enforce strict social measures on many of its citizens and businesses, helping prevent widespread community spread of the virus.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the staggered move to “level 2” restrictions will mean retail, restaurants and other public spaces including playgrounds can reopen from Thursday.

Schools can open from next Monday while bars can only reopen from May 21, Ardern said. Gatherings would be limited to 10 people.

 “The upshot is that in 10 days’ time we will have reopened most businesses in New Zealand, and sooner than many other countries around the world,” Ardern told a news conference.

Air New Zealand announced it would resume seven more domestic routes when the country enters alert level 2.

International travel, however, would not be possible as borders will remain closed except for returning New Zealanders.

The measures would be reviewed again in two weeks, Ardern said.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Public Health Ministry has registered 285 new COVID-19 positive cases over the past 24 hours, raising the number of patients infected with the virus to 4,687 in the country, deputy to the spokesman for the ministry Tawhid Shakohmand said Monday.

Two patients have died due to the virus over the past 24 hours, Shakohmand told Xinhua, adding the number of deaths climbed to 122 since the outbreak of the pandemic in February in Afghanistan.

Bhutan

Two Bhutanese who returned from the Middle East have tested positive for COVID-19, the Health Ministry of Bhutan announced on May 11.

This makes the total positive case in Bhutan to nine, of which five were reported to have recovered.

South Korea

South Korean officials scrambled on Monday to contain a new coronavirus outbreak that is threatening to spread throughout the densely populated capital city of Seoul, leading the country to reconsider plans to reopen schools.

Officials reported 35 new infections across the country as of midnight on Sunday, the second consecutive day of new cases of that magnitude and the highest numbers in more than a month, reinforcing fears the country could be entering a second wave outbreak.

The 69 cases reported by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) over the past 48 hours were equivalent to the number of cases it recorded over the entire previous week.

Most of the new cases were linked to an outbreak at several Seoul nightclubs and bars. Authorities had tested 4,000 people who had patronised the night spots, but were still trying to track down around 3,000 more.

“Our top priority is to minimise the spread of the infections in the greater Seoul area,” South Korea’s Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun told a meeting with government officials on Monday.

Chung called for local governments to mobilise as many personnel as available and work with police to track down the missing patrons, some of whom authorities suspect of intentionally avoiding being tested.

“We should quickly find and test them, and speed is key,” he said.

The spike in cases comes just as the South Korean government was easing some social distancing restrictions and moving to fully reopen schools and businesses, in a transition from intensive social distancing to “distancing in daily life.”

South Korea decided Monday to delay offline school classes for one more week on rising worry about a cluster infection from clubs at a multicultural neighborhood of Itaewon in the capital Seoul. 

People wearing face masks walk in a street amid the coronavirus outbreak in Tokyo on May 10, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)

Japan

The Japanese government will consider lifting the state of emergency on many of the 34 prefectures that are not among the hardest-hit by the coronavirus epidemic before the nationwide deadline of May 31, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said.

Tokyo, Osaka and 11 other prefectures are not among the regions that could see an earlier easing of restrictions.

“As for the 34 prefectures ... if we can confirm the number of new infections remains stable, lifting (of the state of emergency) will be in sight for many of those prefectures,” Nishimura told a parliament session on Monday.

He added that the emergency could be re-implemented if there were signs of an overshoot after the lifting.

Japan last week extended the nationwide state of emergency to the end of May, saying it would reassess the situation on May 14 and possibly lift the measures earlier for some prefectures.

The confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan increased by 70 to reach 15,847, according to the latest figures from the health ministry and local authorities on Sunday.

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 reached a total of 646, including 13 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

India

India announced a limited re-opening of its giant rail network beginning on Tuesday after a nearly seven-week lockdown, despite also reporting its biggest single-day jump in coronavirus cases.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has faced increasing calls to end his government’s stringent lockdown of the nation’s 1.3 billion population, with political parties, businesses and citizens saying the containment measures have destroyed the livelihoods of millions that rely on daily wages for sustenance.

The shutdown, which has been repeatedly extended to stave off a surge in infections, is in force until May 17. Ahead of that, though, the railway ministry said it would gradually restart passenger services with 15 trains from Tuesday, connecting Delhi to Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and other big cities.

“Thereafter, Indian Railways shall start more special services on new routes,” the government said in a statement. The rail network, among the world’s largest, carries over 20 million people each day and is the lifeline for people living in far flung corners of the country.

The announcement late on Sunday of the restart of some train service came on the same day India’s coronavirus infections jumped by 4,214, the most ever, to 67,152.

Australia

Children in some Australian states began returning to school on Monday after an extended break due to the new coronavirus, as the country’s rate of new infections continued to slow.

Students of New South Wales, the most populous state, and the northern state of Queensland began going back to school on a limited basis to lessen the risk of spreading the illness, state leaders said.

The NSW government said it has delivered thousands of liters of soap and hand sanitizer to schools, as well as personal protective equipment and temperature monitors. Class sizes will be reduced and activities will involve minimal physical contact between the students, many of whom have not attended school since mid-March.

Final year students, whose exams were interrupted by the virus response, would attend at least three days per week in class, Berejiklian said, with the plan to return to full-time class attendance for all students by the end of May.

NSW has suffered about 45 percent of the country’s 6,941 confirmed cases and 97 deaths. But it has said it will begin easing some restrictions on personal movement later this week as the rate of new infections remains low.

The state recorded just one new case in the 24 hours to Monday morning, out of 13 new cases nationally.

Australia’s second-most populous state on Monday relaxed bans on social visits, religious gatherings and community sports, joining other states which have begun to ease measures intended to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.

From Tuesday, the 6.3 million residents of Victoria, which includes the city of Melbourne, will be allowed to visit friends and family in groups of up to five, while groups of 10 could participate in a host of community events, Premier Daniel Andrews said.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi king Salman ordered on Monday the distribution of “Ramadan Aid” worth 1.85 billion riyal (US$492.6 million) for social security beneficiaries, the state news agency reported.

Providers of families will get 1,000 riyals each while family members will get 500 riyals each.

Saudi Arabia's coronavirus cases rose on Sunday to 39,048 with 1,912 new infections, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Meanwhile, seven more died from the coronavirus, raising the death toll to 246, while the 143 are in critical condition, Mohammed Al Abdulaali, the health ministry spokesman, told the daily press briefing.

The health official urged people to follow certain precautionary measures even at home, including not sharing personal items and keeping the social distance between family members.

Meanwhile, Yassir Al Musfir, spokesman of the transportation ministry, said the kingdom has allocated five airports for the return of Saudis abroad, through its cooperation with the security authorities.  

Singapore

Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 876 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 23,336.

Of the newly confirmed cases, four were cases in the community, 11 were work permit holders residing outside dormitories, and 860 were work permit holders residing in dormitories.

There was also one imported case. He is a 61-year-old Singaporean man with a travel history to Qatar who was placed on stay-home notice upon arriving in Singapore.

During the past day, 425 patients of COVID-19 infection have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 2,715 have fully recovered and been discharged.

There are currently 1,097 confirmed cases who are still in hospital. Of the hospitalized, most are stable or improving, and 22 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

So far, 20 people have died from COVID-19 complications here and six others who tested positive have died from other causes.

ALSO READ: S. Korea's Moon warns of virus second wave as cases rebound

Jordan

Jordan on Sunday confirmed 18 new cases of COVID-19, bringting the total number in the country to 540.

The new cases were 12 Jordanians as contacts with a confirmed truck driver case and six non-Jordanian drivers who tested positive at the borders, according to a statement by Health Minister Saad Jaber obtained by Xinhua.

Meanwhile, two more patients recovered from the coronavirus, while 93 were still in hospitals for treatment, Jaber said.

Jordan has so far conducted more than 115,000 coronavirus tests, according to the minister.

Earlier in the day, Jordanian Minister of State for Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh said the public sector would resume work after Eid al-Fitr, a three-day religious holiday at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Israel

The number of coronavirus cases in Israel has risen to 16,477, with 23 new cases registered on Sunday, the state's Ministry of Health reported.

The death toll rose to 252, with five new death cases reported, the ministry said.

The number of patients in serious condition has dropped from 79 to 74, out of 225 patients currently hospitalized. 

Also, the number of recoveries has increased by 54 to a total of 11,430, while the number of active cases decreased to 4,795.

Earlier on Sunday, all professional soccer players in Israel began a two-month home quarantine, as teams' training resumed.

Thus, players are allowed to leave home only for training and matches.

The Israeli Premier League matches are scheduled to resume on May 30, and the second league games on June 1.

Oman

The Omani Ministry of Health announced on Sunday 175 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 3,399.

According to a statement issued by the ministry, all new cases, including 52 Omanis, are related to community contact.

The statement also said 49 patients of COVID-19 have recovered, bringing the total recovered cases to 1,117 and the death toll to 17.

The ministry called on people to observe the procedures for quarantine, avoid public places or places of worship, and ensure public hygiene.  

Iraq

Iraqi Health Ministry on Sunday confirmed two more deaths from COVID-19 and 88 new cases, as the total number of infections climbed to 2,767.

The latest cases were recorded after 2,233 test kits were used across the country during the past 24 hours, the ministry said in a statement.

The new cases included 66 in the capital Baghdad, 11 in Maysan, eight Basra, two in Dhi Qar and one in Diyala, the statement said.

So far, up to 109 have died from the disease, while 1,734 recovered, it added.

Turkey

Turkey reported 1,542 new cases of COVID-19 and 47 new deaths in the past 24 hours, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said Sunday.

Turkey's total confirmed cases stood at 138,657, and the death toll reached 3,786, the minister tweeted.

Turkey conducted 36,187 tests in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number to 1,370,598, the minister noted.

In addition, 92,691 patients have recovered from the virus after 3,211 new recoveries in the last 24 hours, while 1,154 are still being treated at the intensive care units, and 598 intubated, he said.

Turkey reported its first COVID-19 case on March 11.  

Pakistan

The tally of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Pakistan has risen to 30,334, according to latest data released on the website of the health ministry on Sunday night, as the country began easing of the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19.

A total of 11,480 cases have so far been detected in the country's southern Sindh province, 11,093 in eastern Punjab, 4,669 in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 1,935 in southwest Balochistan, 430 in northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, and 641 in capital city Islamabad.

As many as 8,063 patients have so far recovered, while the death toll stands at 659 with 20 new deaths reported during the last 24 hours.

Talking to media personnel on Sunday, Pakistani Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has expressed confidence that the decision to ease lockdown in phased manner will be implemented with the national spirit of unity.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is on the right track to contain the COVID-19 epidemic through increased tracking, testing, isolation, and treatment strategy, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement on Monday.

The number of COVID-19 cases rose to 856 in Sri Lanka on Sunday after eight new patients tested positive during the day, the Health Ministry said in a statement here.

According to official statistics, out of the total confirmed patients, 321 have recovered and while over 500 people are under medical observation in designated hospitals across the country. Nine deaths have been reported due to the virus.

Authorities on Sunday announced that a curfew in the high risk districts including capital Colombo would be relaxed on Monday since it was imposed on March 20, to restart economic activities.

Thailand

Thailand's Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA)'s spokesman Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin announced on Sunday that the kingdom will be launching a COVID-19 contact-tracing application in a bid to contain the spread of the virus.

"The Thai government will only want to monitor those who have had contact with the virus and not to pry into people's privacy," Taweesin said, responding to concerns over privacy.

"We want to urge people to download the app which the CCSA will later reveal this coming week," said Taweesin.

He also said health authorities will organize virus testing for six risk groups.

They include medical personnel, newly suspected persons or those in state quarantine, car drivers in public transport, parcel deliverers, immigrant workers and those working in pubs, bars or other entertainment venues.

The CCSA on Sunday reported five new cases, bringing the total to 3,009.

Of all, 159 remain under treatment in hospitals. Total deaths stood at 56.

Maldives

Maldives confirmed 45 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, raising the country's total to 835, data from the Health Protection Authority (HPA) showed here.

Maldives President Ibrahim Solih on Sunday ratified a special bill to postpone expected Local Council Elections to January 2021 in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Myanmar

Myanmar authorities brought back 148 nationals from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by relief flight on Sunday, according to a release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The returnees will be put under quarantine at designated facilities or hotels for 21 days on their arrival under the management by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population and the Ministry of Health and Sports and the Yangon Region Government.

According to the release, a total of 1,113 Myanmar nationals from Japan, India, South Korea, Thailand, Bangladesh, Singapore, United States, Britain, Indonesia and United Arab Emirates have arrived back home by relief flight until now.

Myanmar has reported 180 COVID-19 confirmed cases with six deaths as of Sunday since the infectious disease was first detected in the country on March 23.

Indonesia

Indonesia has been trying to scale up the COVID-19 tests and boost surveillance on tens of thousands of migrant workers who will come back home in a bid to rein the virus outbreak.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Monday that the current level of 5,000 COVID-19 tests per day is too low, ordering authorities to step up the tests to 10,000 specimens per day.

Indonesia is likely to ease partial lockdown policy after the third week of this month when the number of the confirmed COVID-19 cases is estimated to decline.

On Sunday, the government announced 387 new cases, bringing the total to 14,032.

Brunei

Brunei reported no new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, with the national tally of cases standing at 141.

According to Brunei's Ministry of Health, two new recoveries were recorded on Sunday, bringing the total number of recovered cases to 134. The number of active cases still being treated at the National Isolation Center is 6.

Two patients remain in critical condition. One of them requires Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) and respiratory assistance and one case only requires respiratory assistance. The rest are in a stable condition. There are three relapse cases in the past three days, which brings the total number of such cases to 27 individuals.

There has been one death resulting from the COVID-19 in Brunei.

The United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday announced 781 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 18,198.

UAE's Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) said in a statement the new cases include many nationalities. All are in a stable condition and receiving medical treatment.

A total of 509 more patients have made full recovery from the virus, taking the tally of the UAE's recoveries to 4,804, according to the ministry.

The ministry also confirmed 13 more deaths, pushing the country's death toll to 198.

Vietnam

Authorities at kindergartens and primary schools in Vietnam took children’s temperatures at the gates when they re-opened on Monday from a months-long closure over the coronavirus pandemic, following last week’s partial re-opening of other schools.

With just 288 infections and no deaths, the Southeast Asian nation has seen no community infections for nearly a month, putting it on course to resume activities sooner than most others in the region.

“The teachers told us to use hand sanitizer and not to touch one another at school,” a fifth grade student, Vu Tuan Phong, said outside his primary school in Hanoi.

He and his schoolmates went home at mid-day, as most schools are following a shorter day than before the pandemic.

“Parents, myself included, trust that the government, as well as the school, will take the optimal measures so kids are safe being in school and parents have peace of mind going to work,” said one mother in the capital, Ngoc Anh, 29.

The school re-opening is Vietnam’s latest step in lifting virus curbs, although international commercial flights and dance clubs and karaoke bars remain banned.

Schools for older children reopened partially last week.

READ MORE: Lockdowns: Job losses, hunger piled onto Syrian refugees' plight

Lebanon

Lebanon's number of COVID infections increased on Monday by 14 new cases to 859 while the death toll remained unchanged at 26, the National News Agency reported. 

Lebanon has witnessed a rise in new cases after reducing lockdown measures to resume economic activity in the financially deteriorating country. 

Lebanese Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad urged media outlets to help highten the awareness about the danger of the virus to encourage people to stay home.

Kuwait

Kuwait on Monday reported 598 new cases of COVID-19 and seven more deaths, bringing the total infections in the country to 9,286 and the death toll to 65, the health ministry said in a statement.

Currently, 6,314 patients are receiving treatment, including 131 in ICU, according to the statement.

Iran

Iran on Monday registered 1,683 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 109,286, according to an update by the Iranian Health Ministry.

The data showed 45 new death cases were reported over the past 24 hours, taking the tally of fatality to 6,685.

Kianush Jahanpur, head of Public Relations and Information Center of the ministry, said that a total of 87,422 patients have recovered from the infectious disease.

Yemen

Yemeni authorities declared Aden, interim seat of the Saudi-backed government, an “infested” city on Monday after the number of coronavirus cases there jumped to 35, with four deaths.

A five-year war has shattered Yemen’s health system, pushed millions to the brink of famine and divided the country between the internationally recognised government and the Houthi group that ousted it from power in the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014.

The Aden-based national coronavirus committee late on Sunday announced 17 new COVID-19 cases, 10 of them in the southern port city, to raise the total count in areas under the Saudi-backed government’s control to 51 with eight deaths.

The Houthi movement, which controls Sanaa and most large urban centres, has only reported two cases, with one death. The Aden-based government has accused Houthi authorities of covering up an outbreak in Sanaa, an accusation they deny.

India

India's federal health ministry Monday morning said 97 new deaths due to COVID-19, besides fresh 4,213 positive cases, were reported since Sunday in the country, taking the number of deaths to 2,206 and total cases to 67,152.

"As on 8:00 am (local time) Monday, 2,206 deaths related to novel coronavirus have been recorded in the country," reads information released by the ministry.

According to officials, so far 20,917 people have been discharged from hospitals after showing improvement.

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan's Prime Minister Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziev announced on Sunday that the country's curfew will be lifted on May 10 at 24:00 pm.(GMT 1800) local time.

Abylgaziev stressed that quarantine will continue in Bishkek and Osh cities and some other regions.

Kyrgyzstan reported 14 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday, taking the total number to 1,016 with 688 recoveries.

4,371 people who have had contact with infected patients are under the supervision of doctors in home quarantine.

Kyrgyzstan has reported 12 COVID-19 fatalities since the outbreak in the country.

Nepal 

Nepal reported 10 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, increasing the total count of cases to 120, Nepal's Ministry of Health and Population said.

In a social media post on Monday, the ministry said 10 men from south-western Kapilvastu district were tested positive for the coronavirus during the test of their swab samples at the Kathmandu-based National Public Health Laboratory.

"All of them are the people who were staying in mandatory quarantine after coming from India," Sameer Kumar Adhikari, joint spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population told Xinhua on Monday. "The number of COVID-19 cases in the district has reached 15."

Nepal has been witnessing a surge in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks. Last Thursday, the COVID-19 cases in Nepal had crossed 100 marks.

Malaysia

Malaysian health officials reported 70 new coronavirus cases on Monday, taking the cumulative total to 6,726.

The health ministry also reported one new death, bringing total fatalities to 109.

Indonesia 

Indonesia reported on Monday 233 new coronavirus infections, taking the total of cases in the Southeast Asian country to 14,265, said health ministry official Achmad Yurianto.

Yurianto reported 18 new COVID-19 related deaths, taking the total to 991, while 2,881 have recovered.

More than 116,350 people have been tested, he said.

Kazakhstan 

Kazakhstan allowed a coronavirus state of emergency to lapse on Monday, authorising cities and provinces to begin lifting lockdown measures depending on their success in curbing the spread of the coronavirus.

Provinces and cities that record growth in COVID-19 cases lower than 7% per day for seven consecutive days will be permitted to reopen businesses such as large retailers, office buildings, outdoor markets, beauty salons and gyms, according to a decree by Kazakhstan’s chief sanitary doctor.

Kazakhstan has confirmed 5,126 COVID-19 cases with 31 deaths. It has not published province-by-province growth rates.

The government dropped a requirement that air passengers present medical certificates before flights and be seated with empty seats between them. Domestic flights resumed from May 4.

Bangladesh 

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh on Monday rose by more than 1,000 in one day for the first time since March 8, signaling the country's alarmingly-moving curve.

Nasima Sultana, a senior Health Ministry official, told an online media briefing in Dhaka that 1,034 new COVID-19 positive cases and 11 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh.

She said the number of confirmed infections in the country totaled 15,691 while fatalities stood at 239.

The Philippines

The Philippines' daily tally of new COVID-19 infections rose by 292 on Monday, increasing the total number of COVID-19 cases to 11,086, said the Philippine Department of Health (DOH).

The DOH further said deaths from the virus climbed to 726 as seven more patients have died. Seventy-five more patients have recovered from the disease, bringing the number of recoveries to 1,999.

Among all the infections, 162 cases or 56 percent of the daily cases were reported in Metro Manila.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will likely announce later Monday his decision on whether the quarantine restrictions will be eased or remain in place after May 15 when the lockdown period lapses, the country's Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque told an online media briefing on Monday.

Laos

Los reported no new case of COVID-19, with the total number in the country unchanged at 19.

Laos tested 360 more suspected cases of COVID-19, which all of them tested negative, with the total number of confirmed cases remained at 19, Lao Deputy Minister of Health Phouthone Meaungpak told a press conference in Lao capital Vientiane on Monday.

The National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on Monday announced it had been monitoring 1,616 people at 60 accommodation centers across the country.