A ROK soldier stands at a checkpoint on the Tongil bridge, the road leading to Kaesong joint industrial complex, near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas, in Paju on June 17, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)

SYDNEY / DUBAI / BANGKOK / HANOI / SEOUL / TEHRAN / KUALA LUMPUR / MANILA / TOKYO / SINGAPORE - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday encouraged Southeast Asia to recover better from COVID-19 by addressing inequality and greening the economy.

In a statement to accompany his policy brief on the impact of COVID-19 on Southeast Asia, Guterres said four approaches will be critical in the region's plans for recovery.

The approaches include tackling inequality in income, health care and social protection; bridging the digital divide to ensure that people and communities are not left behind; greening the economy to create the jobs of the future; and upholding human rights, protecting civic space and promoting transparency.

Southeast Asia has reported significantly lower confirmed COVID-19 cases and related deaths, on a per capita basis. However, as in other parts of the world, the health, economic and political impact of COVID-19 has been significant across Southeast Asia, hitting the most vulnerable the hardest, according to the policy brief.

Australia 

Australia has suffered its worst day of coronavirus infections with Victoria state recording 723 new cases, dashing hopes that a lockdown in the city of Melbourne was bringing the outbreak under control.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters that 13 more people had died, bringing the state’s death toll to 105. Infections had gradually decreased earlier this week, with the state recording 295 new cases on Wednesday, raising hopes the six-week lockdown of the city of 5 million people was working.

“Most of today’s cases are in metro areas,” Andrews said in a statement. “But we have seen a significant jump in regional communities. It’s vital we stop this virus further seeping into regional Victoria.”

He said mask-wearing would be mandatory across the state, extending the order from just Melbourne. Residents in several regional centers, including Geelong, would not be allowed to have visitors in their homes from midnight.

There are mounting concerns that the stay-at-home order in Melbourne, begun three weeks ago, will need to be extended, inflicting further damage on the economy. Health authorities are also concerned the virus is spreading to other states and territories, most of which have gone weeks without recording community transmissions.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh's COVID-19 cases rose to 234,889 on Thursday with nearly 2,700 new cases reported, and deaths from the virus increased to 3,083.

Senior Health Ministry official Nasima Sultana said in a briefing that 2,695 new COVID-19 positive cases and 48 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh.

Cambodia

Cambodia confirmed Thursday that a US diplomat was tested positive for COVID-19, raising the total number of infections in the kingdom to 234, said a Health Ministry's statement.

The statement described the man as a senior diplomat who had traveled from the United States to Cambodia recently.

"On the 13th day of his quarantine, his samples were tested for the COVID-19 for the second time, and the result released on Wednesday showed that he was positive for the virus," it said.

DPRK

The nominal head of state of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) inspected the locked down border town Kaesong after a defector suspected of having the coronavirus returned from the Republic of Korea (ROK), said state media, signalling serious concerns about cross-border contamination.

The isolated country has claimed it has no domestic virus cases and has imposed strict quarantine measures and screening in Kaesong, just north of the border with the South, where the suspected coronavirus infection was reported.

Seoul officials said a 24-year-old man from Kaesong defected to the ROK in 2017 and had returned to the DPRK this month after facing a sexual assault investigation in the ROK. He crawled through a drain pipe and swam across the river to cross the border.

The DPRK has not formally confirmed the man tested positive for the virus but said he was showing symptoms. ROK health officials said there was no sign that he was infected before he crossed the border, and at least two people who were in close contact with him have tested negative.

India

India on Thursday reported more than 50,000 daily coronavirus cases for the first time, driven by a surge in infections in rural areas at a time when the government is further easing curbs on movement and commerce.

There were 52,123 new cases in the previous 24 hours, according to federal health data, taking the total number of infections to almost 1.6 million.

Some 775 people died of COVID-related conditions over the same period, raising total deaths now just under 35,000 - low compared to the total number of cases, but showing little sign of slowing.

While major cities like New Delhi and Mumbai have seen their cases ease, infections in rural areas are continuing to rise sharply, alarming experts who fear weak healthcare systems there will be unable to cope.

Indonesia

Indonesia’s capital delayed a plan to further relax social distancing measures after easing of some curbs last month sparked a resurgence in coronavirus infections.

The city, which has already allowed offices, places of worship, restaurants and shopping malls to reopen with some limits, will extend a so-called transition phase until Aug 13, Governor Anies Baswedan said at an online briefing in Jakarta Thursday. Offices, which have become a new source of infections, should operate at 50 percent of their capacity, he said.

Jakarta, home to more than 10 million people, has reemerged as the epicenter of infections in Indonesia where the disease has killed more than 5,000 people and infected about 106,000, official data show. With the virus outbreak showing no signs of easing, a nascent recovery in Southeast Asia’s largest economy may be derailed and hurt companies looking to restore operations to pre-pandemic levels.

The capital reported 397 new cases and 19 deaths in the past 24 hours, official data showed Thursday. The number of confirmed cases have more than doubled to 20,969 since the administration allowed business activities to resume with the cumulative death toll reaching 817.

Authorities will step up a campaign to ensure public follows social distancing rules in the capital and violators will be fined, Baswedan said.

Iran

Total coronavirus infections in Iran hit 301,530 on Thursday after registration of 2,621 new cases overnight, according to the state TV.

Meanwhile, 226 new death cases were registered over the past 24 hours, taking the death toll in the country to 16,569, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, during her daily update.

So far, 261,200 patients have recovered and 4,041 remain in critical condition, said Lari.

According to the health spokeswoman, 2, 431,804 lab tests for COVID-19 have been carried out in Iran by Thursday.

She said 27 Iranian provinces are in high-risk or alert condition over the disease.

Iraq

In Iraq, the Health Ministry recorded 2,968 new cases, the highest daily increase since the outbreak of the disease, and 68 fatalities during the day, raising the death toll to 4,603.

About 2,399 more patients recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 83,461.

Iraqi Deputy Health Minister Hazim al-Jumaili said on Wednesday that the country will witness a new wave of COVID-19 infections.

"The infections are still high and Iraq is still in the first wave of COVID-19 infections," al-Jumaili told the official Iraqi News Agency (INA).

Al-Jumaili attributed the expected new wave to the absence of anti-coronavirus drugs, as well as the lack of compliance of the citizens with the preventive measures, according to INA.

Israel

Israel recorded the highest daily hike in COVID-19 infections with 2,006 new cases confirmed, taking the total confirmed cases to 68,299. The death toll in Israel rose to 491 after five new fatalities were added.

Japan

The Tokyo metropolitan government on Thursday confirmed a fresh single-day record of 367 new cases of the novel coronavirus with certain businesses being asked to shorten their operating hours in a bid to curb the further spread of the virus.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike told a press briefing on the matter that the situation was extremely severe and preventative moves by the Tokyo government needed to be made.

"We are facing a critical situation and are on the verge of an explosive increase of infections. We need to take measures to curb it," Koike said.

New daily infections in the capital of 14 million have topped the 200-mark on nine of the past 10 days, with the cumulative total on Wednesday reaching 12,228 infections, of which around 50 percent were confirmed in this month alone.

In a bid to curb the rampant spread of the virus, restaurants, bars and karaoke shops in the capital that serve alcohol, will be asked from Monday through the end of August to close their doors at 10 pm.

The metropolitan government will provide each establishment abiding by the request and virus prevention measures with a subsidy of 200,000 yen (1,900 U.S. dollars), although Koike urged Tokyoites to avoid eating out and going to nighttime entertainment spots.

Nationwide on Thursday, a record 1,299 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed, bringing Japan's cumulative total to 34,807 infections and marking a fresh record high for the second straight day.

People wearing protective face masks wait at a bus stop as they return from work in Hanoi on July 29, 2020. (MANAN VATSYAYANA / AFP)

Kuwait

Kuwait on Thursday reported 626 new COVID-19 cases and one more death, raising the tally of infections to 66,529 and the death toll to 445, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

Currently, 8,754 patients are receiving treatment, including 134 in ICU, the statement added.

The ministry also announced the recovery of 863 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 57,330.

Kuwait started on July 28 the third phase plan of restoring normal life.

During the third phase, labor capacity will increase to no more than 50 percent and visits to social care homes will be allowed.

Kyrgyzstan 

Kyrgyzstan on Thursday commemorated its citizens who have died of COVID-19, on a day of national mourning.

As of Thursday, Kyrgyzstan has reported 35,143 cases with 1,364 deaths, as well as 24,474 recoveries. 

Lebanon

Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased by 182 cases to 4,202 while the death toll went up by one to 55.  

Malaysia

Malaysia reported another eight new COVID-19 infections, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, bringing the national total to 8,964.

Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press statement that three of the cases are imported and five more are local transmissions.

Another five cases have been released, bringing the total cured and discharged to 8,617 or 96.1 percent of all cases.

Of the remaining 223 active cases, three are being held in intensive care and one of those is in need of assisted breathing.

No new deaths had been reported, leaving the total deaths at 124.

Myanmar

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Myanmar has risen to 353, with two more imported cases on Thursday, the Ministry of Health and Sports said.

According to a ministry statement, the newly confirmed cases are returnees who were under quarantine after their recent arrivals from Thailand and Malaysia.

Myanmar's national-level Central Committee on Prevention, Control and Treatment on COVID-19 issued an announcement Wednesday to extend the effective period for COVID-19 prevention measures to Aug. 15.

The extension excludes the measures which had been lifted, the committee's announcement said.

Nepal

Nepal has opened Mt. Qomolangma and other Himalayan peaks from Thursday after a shutdown that had lasted for four and a half months, according to a Tourism Department official.

All spring season expeditions that usually last from March to May were suspended following fears of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. The Nepali government halted the issuance of climbing permits for expeditions and canceled already issued permits for the spring season 2020 on March 13.

Oman

Oman reported 665 new coronavirus cases, raising the tally of infections to 78,569, including 412 deaths.

Pakistan

Pakistan announced that it had added 1,063 new cases, for a total of 276,288. Its Health Ministry said the country’s death toll had reached 5,892.

Palestine

Palestine recorded on Wednesday 520 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases of the deadly virus in the Palestinian territories to 14,458 with 82 deaths.

Philippines 

The number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the Philippines surged to 89,374 after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 3,954 new cases on Thursday, the largest single-day increase since the highly-infectious disease emerged in the country in January.

The DOH said that the number of recoveries further rose to 65,064 after it reported a record-high 38,075 new recoveries.

The death toll also increased to 1,983 after 23 more patients died, the DOH said.

In a statement, the DOH said the sudden surge in the number of confirmed cases and recoveries are due to "enhanced data reconciliation efforts with local government units."

"Patients with mild or no symptoms are tagged as recovered 14 days from the date of onset of symptoms or by date specimen collection," the DOH said in a press release.

Qatar

The Qatari health ministry announced 273 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 110,153.

Meanwhile, 246 more recovered from the virus, bringing the total recoveries to 106,849, while the death toll increased by two to 169 in Qatar.

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Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's coronavirus cases rose to 272,590 with the registration of 1,759 new infections.

The recoveries increased to 228,569 with the reporting of 2,945 newly recovered cases, and the death toll reached 2,816 with the reporting of 27 fatalities in the last 24 hours.

Muslim pilgrims on Wednesday embarked on the first day of their Hajj rituals in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

The pilgrims started the major Islamic pilgrimage after finishing four days of hotel isolation in Mecca and prior to that a week-long quarantine at home, as part of the preventative measures to guard against COVID-19.

Singapore

Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 278 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 51,809.

Of the new cases, four are imported cases, four are community cases and the rest are linked with the dormitories of foreign workers.

Of the new cases, 99 percent are linked to known clusters, while the rest are pending contact tracing.

On Thursday, 210 more cases of COVID-19 infection have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 46,308 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities, the ministry said.

There are currently 148 confirmed cases who are still in hospital. Of these, most are stable or improving, and none is in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

Furthermore, 5,326 are isolated and cared for at community facilities. These are those who have mild symptoms, or are clinically well but still test positive for COVID-19.

Altogether 27 people have passed away from complications due to COVID-19 infection.

Thailand

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Wednesday said that he had ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to quickly organize flights to pick up Thais stranded overseas after a student died of COVID-19 in Egypt.

Thailand reported six new cases, bringing its total to 3,304.

The Republic of Korea

The country, which is battling a new COVID-19 wave after initial success in containing the virus’s spread, reported 18 new infections for a total of 14,269.

Turkey

Turkey confirmed 942 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total infections to 228,924, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.

Meanwhile, 14 people died from the virus, taking the death toll to 5,659, and the total recoveries rose to 212,557, he said.

Turkey will impose no further restrictions against COVID-19 for the upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday, Koca said but urged citizens to take precautions.

He urged the public not to kiss, shake hands or hug each other during the holiday and asked people to stay in the livestock markets as little as possible.

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Health care workers are seen at a pop-up COVID-19 testing clinic in Rushcutters Bay on July 29, 2020 in Sydney, Australia.(PHOTO / BLOOMBERG)

UAE

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced 375 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 59,921.

The death toll remained 347 and 297 more patients have recovered from the virus, taking the tally of recoveries in the UAE to 53,202.

Vietnam

Vietnam told tens of thousands of people who visited a central city to report to disease control centres on Thursday, as nine new coronavirus cases were confirmed and the country scrambled to contain its first outbreak in over three months.

The health ministry sent text messages to all mobile phone users among the country’s 95 million people urging anyone who visited Danang from July 1 to come forward, after a new wave of the virus spread to at least six cities and provinces in six days, all linked to Danang. 

Hanoi halted public gatherings of more than 30 people, as officials in the capital worried that the Danang cluster would spread. Bars were ordered closed and religious and cultural gatherings -- as well as other large events -- suspended, Hanoi’s government said on its website.

Hanoi chairman Nguyen Duc Chung declared the city must “act now and act fast”.  “We have to use full force to test all 21,063 returnees,” Chung said on Thursday. “All must be done in three days.”

The confirmed virus tally in the Southeast Asian nation now stands at 459.

Yemen

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Yemen's government-controlled provinces increased to 1,711 on Wednesday, as eight new cases were confirmed.

The Yemeni Health Ministry said in a brief press statement that during the past 24 hours, the number of recoveries in the government-controlled areas increased to 849 since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus on April 10.

Also, the government announced that the death toll from the deadly respiratory disease climbed to 485 in different areas under its control, including the southern port city of Aden.