First passengers from Melbourne arrive at Sydney Airport, Australia, Nov 23, 2020. Border restrictions were lifted between NSW and Victoria at midnight allowing people coming from Victoria to enter NSW without having to go into 14 day isolation. (DEAN LEWINS / AAP IMAGE VIA AP)

SYDNEY / TEHRAN  / ANKARA / DUBAI / TOKYO / SEOUL / SINGAPORE / MANILA / KABUL / BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN / KUALA LUMPUR / DHAKA / HANOI / NEW DELHI / DUBAI - The Australian State of Queensland will open its borders to the state of Victoria on Dec 1, allowing people to travel freely between the two states without quarantine, as all states in Australia's east coast continue to record zero local cases of COVID-19.

The state's health department confirmed the news on Wednesday, one day after Queensland decided to open its borders to the whole state of New South Wales (NSW), including the greater Sydney area from Dec 1.

NSW will ease social distancing restrictions and remove requirements for companies to allow employees work from home after recording nearly three weeks without any local transmission of COVID-19, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Wednesday. 

In contrast to many other parts of the world imposing tougher rules to slow a resurgent spread of the virus, Australian states and territories have in recent weeks begun to ease nearly all restrictions. That has provided a huge boost to the country's ailing economy heading into the busy, pre-Christmas season.

NSW, the country's most populous state, will from Dec 1 allow restaurants, pubs and cafes to increase capacity. 

South Australia is overhauling its system of hotel quarantine after discovering that two returned overseas travelers and a security guard mysteriously contracted COVID -19 at an isolation facility. 

Authorities have scoured CCTV images and have so far failed to identify how the couple who’d returned from Nepal and the guard became infected at the so-called medi-hotel in Adelaide. A hotel cleaner also caught the virus and the state is now trying to contain a cluster of 29 cases in the state capital.

Afghanistan

The Afghan Ministry of Public Health on Wednesday reported 212 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the national tally to 45,490, including 7,617 active cases.

A total of 1,476 new tests for the coronavirus were conducted, with 212 confirmed infections reported in 16 provinces out of the 34 provinces in Afghanistan, the ministry said in a statement.

Sixteen more deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic were reported, taking the the total death toll to 1,728 since the outbreak in February in the country, and 23 patients have newly recovered, according to the ministry.

Bangladesh

Bangladeshi foreign minister and foreign secretary have tested positive for COVID-19, an official said Wednesday.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Md Tohidul Islam said in a statement that Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen were doing well and have not shown symptoms.

Bangladesh reported 2,156 new COVID-19 cases and 39 new deaths on Wednesday, making the tally at 454,146 and the death toll at 6,487, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.

The official data showed that 16,001 samples were tested in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh.

The total number of recovered patients in the country stood at 369,179 including 2,302 new recoveries on Wednesday, said the DGHS.

According to the official data, the COVID-19 fatality rate in Bangladesh is now 1.43 percent and the current recovery rate is 81.29 percent.

Bangladesh recorded the highest daily new cases of 4,019 on July 2 and the highest number of deaths of 64 on June 30. 

Brunei

Brunei reported no new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday with the national tally of cases standing at 150.

According to Brunei's Ministry of Health, no more recoveries were recorded, maintaining the total number of recovered cases at 145. There are still two active cases being treated at the National Isolation Center, who were recorded on Nov 23 and Nov 24 respectively.

A total of nine imported cases have been confirmed since the last local infection case confirmed on May 6. At present, Brunei has recorded 203 days without new COVID-19 local infection case.

There have been three deaths that resulted from COVID-19 in Brunei. 

Fiji

Fiji reported on Wednesday three more imported COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of active cases in the island nation to four.

Fiji's Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) said two cases are Fijian citizens in their 40s who worked in a mining company in Mali. They started their journey home on November 16 and boarded a repatriation flight from New Zealand on November 19. They displayed minor symptoms on arrival which have now been resolved.

India

Schools in India's national capital are unlikely to reopen until a vaccine against COVID-19 is made available, officials said Wednesday.

The statement was made by New Delhi deputy chief minister and education minister Manish Sisodia.

Schools in the national capital have been closed since March 16, immediately after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some states have ordered the reopening of schools. However, in New Delhi, the schools remain shut.

COVID-19 cases have shown an upward spiral in Delhi since the beginning of November.

Delhi is currently the sixth most affected state in the country with 540,541 COVID-19 cases and 8,621 related deaths.

The Ministry of Home Affairs Wednesday released a fresh set of guidelines for surveillance, containment and caution against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

The fresh norms will be effective from the beginning of next month and will remain in place until Dec 31.

The ministry has asked states to ensure the demarcation of containment zones by the local authorities and said only essential activities shall be allowed in the containment zones and there shall be strict perimeter control to ensure that there is no movement of people in or out of these zones, except for medical emergencies and for maintaining the supply of essential goods and services.

The federal government has also allowed states to impose local restrictions, including night curfews to prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, it said lockdown cannot be imposed outside the containment zones, without prior consultation with the federal government. It has also told states to ensure social distancing in workplaces.

India's opposition senior Congress party leader Ahmed Patel died Wednesday morning at a hospital due to multiple organ failure after having tested positive for the COVID-19 last month, his family said

The 71-year-old Patel was undergoing treatment at a local hospital in the outskirts of Delhi, where he was admitted after his health worsened after contracting COVID-19.

India's COVID-19 tally reached 9,222,216 on Wednesday as 44,376 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours, said the latest data from the federal health ministry.

According to the data, the death toll mounted to 134,699 as 481 COVID-19 patients died since Tuesday morning.

Indonesia

Indonesia reported on Wednesday a record daily rise in coronavirus infections with 5,534 new cases, bringing the total to 511,836, according to its COVID-19 task force. 

The task force's data also showed 114 new COVID-19 deaths, bringing total fatalities to 16,225. Southeast Asia's biggest country has the region's highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths.

Pedestrians, mask-clad due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walk past closed shops along a street in Iran's capital Tehran on Nov 21, 2020, as the Iranian government announced new social curbs. (PHOTO / AFP)

Iran 

Iran registered on Wednesday a daily record high of 13,843 new coronavirus cases, the health ministry said, pushing the national tally to 894,385 in the Middle East’s worst-hit country.

Ministry’s spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari told state TV that the death toll rose by 469 in the past 24 hours to 46,207.

Iran’s health officials have voiced alarm over a surge in infections, urging the nation to adhere to the health protocols, including wearing face masks and social distancing.

On Saturday, Iran introduced tougher restrictions for two weeks to stem a third wave of coronavirus infections, including closing non-essential businesses and travel curbs.

Iran plans to use foreign coronavirus vaccines while also developing its own, President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday as new daily cases hit a record high in the Middle East’s worst-hit country.

“Relying on its scientists, Iran will be able to make vaccines domestically... To ensure the health of the people, the government will use domestic capacities and has also taken ... measures to purchase vaccines from countries that have already developed safe ones,” Rouhani said, according to state media.

Health Minister Saeed Namaki said earlier that four Iranian companies were developing coronavirus vaccines, two of which were expected to be authorised within days to carry out clinical trials, the state news agency IRNA reported.

Iraq

In Iraq, the health ministry reported 2,292 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total nationwide infections to 539,749.

The ministry reported 35 new deaths from coronavirus, bringing the death toll in Iraq to 12,031, the highest among Arab countries. It also reported 2,130 more recovered cases, raising the total recoveries in Iraq to 469,784.

Israel

Israel's Ministry of Health reported 798 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the tally to 330,796. The number of death cases rose by 10 to 2,821, while the overall recoveries surged by 416 to 319,017.

Earlier on Tuesday, the gradual reopening of schools in Israel continued, with the resumption of the 5th and 6th grade classes in the cities and towns with low COVID-19 morbidity.

Japan

The Japanese capital will urge shorter working hours for bars and restaurants and ask residents to stay indoors as much as possible amid a spike in coronavirus cases, Tokyo's governor said on Wednesday. 

The curbs are Japan's latest bid to rein in its highest surge in infections yet, with daily tallies on several recent days exceeding 500 in Tokyo, where serious cases stood at 51 on Tuesday, the most since a state of emergency was lifted in May. 

"We realize this will be a great burden on business owners but we ask for their understanding and cooperation," said Governor Yuriko Koike, adding that establishments would be eligible for government cash assistance over the 10 pm closures, set to run from Saturday until Dec 17.

An expert panel that advises Japan’s Health Ministry said the nation’s medical services will come under “incredible” strain if the coronavirus outbreak continues, putting lives that could be saved under normal circumstances in danger, Jiji reported late Tuesday. 

The panel said marked increases of Covid cases in Hokkaido and the Tokyo and Kansai areas were already making it difficult for doctors to address emergencies or scheduled surgeries.

Jordan

Jordan announced 4,586 new coronavirus infections and 78 more deaths on Tuesday, pushing the tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 192,996 and the total deaths from the disease to 2,380. The total number of recoveries rose by 5,419 to 125,433.

Kuwait

Kuwait reported 402 new COVID-19 cases and two more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 140,795 and the death toll to 870 in the country.

The Kuwaiti Health Ministry also announced the recovery of 559 more patients, taking the total recoveries in the country to 133,407.

Laos

Lao Ministry of Health emphasized the need for continued vigilance and strict application of preventive measures in efforts to avoid a second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Deputy Director General of the Department of Communicable Diseases Control under the Lao Ministry of Health, Phonepaserd Sayamoungkhoun, said at a press briefing held in the Lao capital Vientiane on Wednesday that the Lao people nationwide should continue their efforts in implementing preventive measures in order to prevent a second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Lebanon

Lebanon recorded 1,188 new COVID-19 cases and 23 more deaths from the virus, taking the total infections in the kingdom to 118,705 and the death toll to 934. The overall recoveries in Lebanon increased by 1,476 to 70,555.

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Malaysia

Malaysia reported 970 new COVID-19 infections, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday, bringing the national total to 59,817.

Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press briefing that five of the new cases are imported and 965 are local transmissions.

Four more deaths have been reported, bringing the death toll to 345.

Another 2,348 patients have been released after recovery, bringing the total cured and discharged to 46,501, or 77.7 percent of all cases.

Of the remaining 12,971 active cases, 110 are being held in intensive care and 47 of those are in need of assisted breathing. 

Malaysia's Top Glove Corp , which has shut some factories after thousands of workers tested positive for COVID-19, said on Wednesday it expects some supply shortages that could push up prices of medical rubber gloves. 

The company, the world's largest latex glove maker, said in a media briefing that it had not yet seen any cancellation of orders, and that it expected the virus outbreak among its workers to be contained within a month. 

"Even if (customers) cancel, it will be a small percentage," Executive Chairman Lim Wee Chai said, a day after the company predicted a delay in deliveries that would hurt sales in the fiscal year ending Aug 30, 2021.

Mongolia 

Mongolia reported 27 more COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, according to the country's National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) on Wednesday.

Mongolia conducted 3,301 tests for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, Amarjargal Ambaselmaa, head of the NCCD's Surveillance Department, told a press conference.

The national caseload has risen to 699, including 272 locally transmitted cases so far.

Domestically transmitted cases have been reported in the capital city of Ulan Bator and provinces of Selenge, Darkhan-Uul, Govisumber, Orkhon and Dornogovi.

New Zealand

New Zealand reported eight new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, all in managed isolation. There are no new community cases.

One person arrived on Nov. 19 from Finland via Sweden and Qatar and tested positive at around day 3 of their stay in managed isolation. One person arrived on Nov. 19 from Canada via Hong Kong and tested positive at around day 3 of their stay in managed isolation. Both are now in quarantine at an Auckland facility, according to the Ministry of Health.

Oman

The Omani Health Ministry announced 223 new COVID-19 infections and five more deaths, raising the total confirmed cases in the Sultanate to 122,579 and the death toll to 1,391.

Palestine

Palestine reported 1,946 new COVID-19 cases and 17 more deaths from the virus, raising the total infections in the Palestinian territories to 87,838 and the death toll to 740.

Qatar

Qatar reported 227 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 137,642.

The tally of recoveries rose by 212 to 134,698, while the total fatalities remained unchanged at 236 for the third day running, according to the Qatari Health Ministry.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia reported 252 new coronavirus cases and 15 more fatalities from the virus, raising the total infections in the kingdom to 355,741 and the death toll to 5,811. The tally of recoveries increased by 495 to 344,311.

Passengers arrive at the departure area at Marina Bay Cruise Centre in Singapore on Nov 6, 2020 for "cruises to nowhere" in a bid to revive its pandemic-hit tourism industry. (ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP)

Singapore

Having once had the highest COVID-19 rate in Southeast Asia, Singapore has all but eradicated the virus after reporting 14 days without any new local cases on Tuesday, and saying it had snuffed out the last cluster of infection at a worker dormitory.

The cramped dormitories for young, low-wage labourers, mainly from Bangladesh, India and China had been at the centre of the city-state’s spiralling cases earlier this year.

While Singapore has reported zero local cases for two weeks, there has been a trickle of infected people arriving from abroad who have been immediately isolated, authorities say.

Singapore has recorded more than 58,000 cases, but nearly all them have recovered and its fatality rate is the world’s lowest with just 28 deaths.

ALSO READ: South Korea to close bars, limit church services amid virus spike

South Korea

South Korea called on unionists to cancel protests on Wednesday as the country grapples with a third wave of coronavirus infections, warning any violations of social distancing measures will be punished.

South Korea reported 382 more cases of COVID-19 as of 0:00 a.m. Wednesday local time compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 31,735.

The daily caseload hovered above 300 for two straight days, growing in triple digits for 18 days running due to the continued small cluster infections in Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi province as well as imported cases.

Of the new cases, 139 were Seoul residents and 77 were people residing in Gyeonggi province.

Nineteen were imported from overseas, lifting the combined figure to 4,472.

Thailand

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha will sign an agreement with AstraZeneca Plc on Friday to procure COVID-19 vaccines, according to a government statement. Thailand may receive the vaccine doses by mid-2021. 

Siam Bioscience will produce the vaccines at its facilities, and Thailand will receive technology transfer, which is an economic opportunity for the country, government spokeswoman Traisuree Taisaranakul said in the statement.

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The Philippines

The Philippines has set a price cap for COVID-19 swab tests amid complaints of exorbitant and wide price disparity, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said.

The price for real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction or RT-PCR test is capped at 5,000 pesos (US$104) in private hospitals and 3,800 pesos in government laboratories, Duque said in a briefing. Some testing centers have charged as much as 13,000 pesos for the tests.

The Philippines, which has the second-worst outbreak in Southeast Asia, plans to buy as many as 50 million doses from China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez said in a separate briefing. US-based Novavax Inc. is another possible vaccine source, he said.

The Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines on Wednesday reported 1,202 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the national tally to 422,915.

The DOH said that 183 more patients recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 386,955, while the death toll rose to 8,215 with 31 new deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The UAE

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) confirmed 1,310 new COVID-19 cases and five more deaths, bringing the total infections in the UAE to 161,365 and the total death count to 559. The number of recoveries rose by 683 to 150,261.

Turkey

Turkey reported a new record high of 7,381 daily infections, pushing the total confirmed cases in the country to 460,916, while the death toll rose by 161 to 12,672 and the tally of recoveries increased by 3,678 to 381,569.

Turkey is preparing to hire 12,000 new health workers amid the sharp increase of the daily COVID-19 cases, including 7,000 nurses, 1,700 midwives, 2,864 health technicians and other personnel in 14 fields, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced on Tuesday.

Vietnam

Vietnam recorded five new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing its total tally to 1,321 with 35 deaths from the coronavirus epidemic, according to its Ministry of Health.

The new cases, who are an Indian, a South Korean and three Vietnamese nationals, recently entered the country from abroad and were quarantined upon arrival, said the ministry.

It also said that a total of 1,153 COVID-19 patients in the country have been given all-clear as of Wednesday.

Meanwhile, over 16,000 people are being quarantined and monitored, the ministry said.

Vietnam has gone through 84 straight days without any new COVID-19 cases in the community, according to the ministry.