A Malay couple have lunch next to a graffiti painted in tribute to Malaysian frontline workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, at Damansara in Selangor, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Nov 7, 2020. (VINCENT THIAN / AP)

JERUSALEM / KUALA LUMPUR / BAGHDAD / SINGAPORE / BANGKOK / HANOI / DHAKA / YANGON / PHNOM PENH / NEW DELHI / SYDNEY / MANILA / ULAN BATOR / JAKARTA / KABUL - Malaysia imposed a monthlong conditional movement order in most states and ordered schools nationwide to be closed until the last day of the school year in December.

The restrictions on movement will end on Dec 6, Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob told reporters on Saturday.

The minister said a partial lockdown will be extended to the states of Kedah, Penang, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Johor and Terengganu. The move will allow the health authorities to conduct targeted screening and reduce the movement of people to contain the spread of COVID-19, he said.

He added that movement restrictions already in force in Kuala Lumpur, the administration center of Putrajaya, as well as the adjacent Selangor state and the easter state of Sabah state will also be extended till Dec 6.

Malaysia has reported a total of 40,209 confirmed cases and 286 deaths. On Sunday, the country posted 852 new cases and four more fatalities.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan registered 126 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 42,159, the Public Health Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Another six deaths were registered, raising the death toll to 1,562, according to the statement.

Australia

Victoria, the Australian state hit worst by COVID-19, announced a further easing of restrictions after it posted zero additional cases or deaths for the ninth straight day on Sunday.

From midnight, residents of Melbourne will be allowed to travel freely to other areas of Victoria state as the “ring of steel” surrounding the Australian city of 5 million is lifted. A statewide compulsory mask-wearing rule, however, remains in place until further notice.

From Monday, the whole state will follow the unified COVID-19 restrictions. Community spaces such as libraries and neighborhood houses can have up to 20 people indoors.

Indoor entertainment venues, such as movie theaters, galleries, museums and music halls will be able to open with up to 20 people.

According to the latest figures released by the Australian Health Department on Saturday, Australia has so far recorded a total of 27,652 cases and 907 deaths. 

READ MORE: Victoria state models effective virus control

Bangladesh

Bangladesh recorded 1,289 new COVID-19 cases and 13 more deaths on Saturday, bringing its tally to 418,764 with 6,049 deaths, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.

Cambodia

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen is in self-quarantine and will be unable to participate in the upcoming 37th summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and related meetings, according to a press statement by the foreign ministry on Saturday.

According to the statement, Hun Sen will be represented by Deputy Prime Minister Aun Pornmoniroth, who is also the minister of economy and finance.

Hun Sen and some of his government officials have been in a 14-day quarantine at their respective homes since Nov 4, a day after meeting with Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto, who tested positive for COVID-19 upon his arrival in Thailand from Cambodia on his Asian tour.

Cambodia's Ministry of Health (MoH) said in a statement that a total of 889 people, who came in direct and indirect contacts with Szijjarto, had tested negative for COVID-19 so far.

Hun Sen said he and his wife, Bun Rany, as well as bodyguards and chauffeurs had undergone the first round of testing and the results returned negative.

Nationwide, Cambodia has recorded a total of 294 confirmed cases with no deaths, according to the health ministry.

A health worker takes a swab sample from a man in New Delhi, India, Nov 7, 2020. (JAVED DAR / XINHUA)

India

India's COVID-19 tally rose to 8,507,754 on Sunday as 45,674 new cases were registered across the country in the past 24 hours, according to the latest data released by the health ministry, as the daily increase remained at half the peak seen in September despite a series of religious festivals.

The death toll rose by 559 to 126,121, the data showed.

Currently, there were 512,665 active cases. A total of 7,868,968 people have been discharged from hospitals after recovery.

The Hindu festival of lights, Diwali, falls this week, raising fears that one of the most social religious holidays on India's calendar could lead to a faster spread of infections.

ALSO READ: India's coronavirus cases near 8.5 million

Indonesia

Indonesia has recorded 3,880 new COVID-19 and another 74 deaths, the health ministry said on Sunday.

The new figures brought the country's infection tally to 437,716 and the death toll to 14,614, the ministry said.

Of the new cases, 826 were recorded in Jakarta, 640 in Central Java, 479 in West Java, 282 in East Java, and 201 in East Kalimantan. 

Iran

Iran announced new lockdown curbs on Saturday after registering a record daily number of COVID-19 cases and another 423 deaths from the disease in the Middle East's worst-hit country.

The latest Health Ministry data, which registered 9,450 new infections in the last 24 hours, took the total number of confirmed cases to 673,250 and raised the death toll to 37,832, a ministry spokeswoman told state television.

Starting on Tuesday, for one month, all non-essential businesses will have to close at 6 pm.

Iraq

Iraqi authorities decided on Saturday to start the new school year at the end of this month.

According to a statement by the media office of Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, the Higher Committee for Health and National Safety held a meeting headed by al-Kadhimi and decided that the new school year will start on Nov 29.

The announcement came as the health ministry said in a statement that 2,880 new COVID-19 cases were recorded in the country, bringing the nation's tally to 496,019.

The death toll rose by 39 to 11,283 while the total recoveries hit 425,926.

Israel

Israel's Ministry of Health reported 547 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, bringing the tally to 318,949.

The death toll climbed by 20 to 2,664. 

There were 8,812 active cases, while 325 patients out 599 of those hospitalized were in serious condition.

On Sunday, street stores will be reopened with only four customers allowed in a store.

Kuwait

Kuwait reported 742 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 131,205 and the death toll to 808 in the country.

The health ministry also reported that 626 more patients have recovered, taking the total recoveries in the country to 121,889.

Mongolia

Mongolia registered four new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, all imported, the health ministry said Sunday.

The new additions pushed Mongolia's tally to 361, including 318 recoveries, the ministry said.

The country has not recorded any COVID-19-related deaths, it said.  

Myanmar

The number of COVID-19 cases in Myanmar on Saturday rose to 60,348 after 1,071 new infections were recorded, according to a daily release from the health ministry.

The death toll rose by 20 to 1,396, according to the release.

Palestine

Palestine reported 431 new coronavirus cases Saturday, taking the tally of infections in the Palestinian territories to 69,612, including 584 deaths and 61,471 recoveries.

The Philippines

The Philippines reported 2,442 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, its biggest daily increase since Oct 19, taking the country's caseload to 396,395, its health ministry said.

The Department of Health also reported 54 more COVID-19-related deaths, taking the official death toll to 7,539.

Qatar

The Qatari health ministry reported 192 new COVID-19 infections Saturday, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 133,811.

The ministry said that 201 more patients have recovered, bringing the overall recoveries to 130,881, while the death toll remained unchanged at 232 for the eighth consecutive day as no additional deaths were reported.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia reported 407 new COVID-19 cases Saturday, bringing the tally to 350,229.

Another 19 deaths were registered, raising the death toll to 5,525.

Singapore

Singapore on Sunday reported reported no new local COVID-19 cases and two fresh imported infections.

This handout photo taken on Oct 20, 2020 and released on Oct 21 by the Airports of Thailand company shows members of a group of 39 Chinese visitors with special tourist visas heading to have their luggage disinfected as part of the arrival measures to halt the spread of the coronavirus, at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand. (HANDOUT / AIRPORTS OF THAILAND / AFP)

Thailand

Thailand's Ministry of Public Health's Public Health Emergency Operation Centre has approved a proposal to reduce the mandatory quarantine period for tourists under the special tourist visa (STV) from 14 to 10 days, said Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Saturday.

The new arrangement only applies to tourists coming from certain countries or regions including China, Vietnam, South Korea and Australia, as they are deemed low-risk by Thai health agencies, said Deputy PM and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul

The minister said that the rule only applies to tourists coming from certain countries or regions including China, Vietnam, South Korea and Australia, as they are deemed low-risk by Thai health agencies.

The 14-day quarantine period remains for tourists coming from high-risk countries.

ALSO READ: SE Asia yearns to fly high again on tourism

The announcement came as health authorities reported 12 new infections on the same day, taking the country's infection tally to 3,830. 

Among the new cases was a local case involving an Indian man who works at a restaurant in Krabi.

Health authorities expressed concern over the new local infection as cases of local COVID-19 transmission in Thailand were rare.

Turkey

Turkey's COVID-19 infection climbed by 2,483 to 391,739 on Saturday, while the death toll rose by 81 to 10,803.

UAE

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) posted 1,141 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 141,032.

The death toll hit 514 after four more deaths were recorded while the number of recoveries increased to 137,608.

Vietnam

Vietnam recorded one new case of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing its tally to 1,213 with 35 deaths, according to the health ministry.

The new case, who is a 22-year-old Vietnamese man, had recently returned to the country from abroad and was quarantined upon arrival, said the ministry.

Vietnam has gone through 66 straight days without any new COVID-19 cases in the community, according to the ministry.