This Nov 7, 2020, photo shows shoppers sitting with physical distancing near a 18.29 meter tall Christmas tree (background) at the Mall of Asia in Manila in the Philippines. (TED ALJIBE / AFP)

GAZA / BAGHDAD / BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN / NEW DELHI / JAKARTA / BISHKEK / KUALA LUMPUR / TEHRAN / COLOMBO / HANOI / DHAKA - Philippine police on Friday threatened to cane people who violate social distancing protocols as the Southeast Asian nation fights the spread of the coronavirus during the Christmas season.

Police general Cesar Binag, commander of the coronavirus task force, told a news conference that police and soldiers would patrol in public areas in the capital Manila, the hotspot of COVID-19 cases, carrying 1 meter rattan sticks to measure distancing.

The plan will likely raise eyebrows with human rights advocates who have criticised the government’s militaristic approach to the pandemic.

Authorities have apprehended, warned and penalised around 700,000 people since March for violating measures such as ignoring physical distancing and not wearing masks, police data shows.

The Philippines has allowed hotels, malls and restaurants to host meetings and conventions after reported coronavirus infections declined in the past days.

Trade events, seminars and board meetings can now be held in areas under general community quarantine including in Metro Manila, as long as only 30 percent of the venue’s capacity is used, the nation’s virus task force said in a resolution released Friday.

India

Indian scientists working on a vaccine for COVID-19 are confident of being successful, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said. Experts think the inoculation could be ready in the next few weeks, and the nation would start vaccinations as soon as there is green light from scientists, he said at an all-party meeting Friday.

India's COVID-19 tally reached 9,571,559 on Friday as 36,595 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours, said the latest data from the health ministry.

According to the data, the death toll mounted to 139,188 as 540 COVID patients died since Thursday morning.

There are still 416,082 active cases in the country, while 9,016,289 people have been discharged so far from hospitals after medical treatment, added the ministry's latest data.

Meanwhile, the federal government has ramped up COVID-19 testing facilities across the country. Till Thursday a total of 144,727,749 tests have been conducted, out of which 1,170,102 tests were conducted on Thursday alone, said the figures released by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Friday.

Due to the continued spell of COVID-19 pandemic, the country's Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has decided to continue the suspension of international flights till the year-end.

Last week Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting with chief ministers of all states via video-conferencing to review the status and preparedness of COVID-19 response and management, with a special emphasis on eight high-focus states.

The high-focus states were Haryana, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat and West Bengal. 

The Indian government Thursday announced the cap on the number of domestic flights was raised from 70 percent to 80 percent of their pre-COVID-19 levels.

The announcement was made by Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

Palestine

A partial lockdown will begin this weekend in the Gaza Strip after COVID-19 infections spiked in the densely populated territory, Gaza’s Interior Ministry declared on Thursday.

Mosques and most schools will be closed during the day although many businesses will be allowed to remain open until a nighttime curfew forces Gazans to stay at home. There will be a full closure at weekends.

Ministry spokesman Eyad Al-Bozom told reporters they were also considering moving to a complete lockdown, if needed.

Virus cases have more than tripled in the past month to hover around 900 a day. The death toll has quadrupled in that time to 126. Some 23,000 total infections have been reported.

Health organizations have warned the outbreak could easily spiral out of control and overtax the health system in the enclave, which is home to 2 million Palestinians, many living in poverty.

Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza, imposed a lockdown in August after an initial outbreak. But those restrictions were eased, and authorities are now trying to contain a second wave.

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In this Nov 19, 2020 photo, people wearing face masks as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus visit the restaurant area of Omoide Yokocho alleyway in Shinjuku district of Tokyo. (PHILIP FONG / AFP)

Japan

The Japanese government is planning to extend the "Go To Travel" domestic travel subsidy campaign through the end of June next year to help boost the economy, tourism minister Kazuyoshi Akaba said on Friday.

The "Go To Travel" campaign was launched in late July in an effort to revive domestic tourism, which was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Akaba, the government eyes to continue the campaign beyond its original end date in late January.

The confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan increased by 2,433 to reach 158,402 as of Friday night, according to the latest figures from the health ministry and local authorities.

Iran

Iranian authorities on Friday announced the extension of COVID-19 restrictions in the high-risk areas for two more weeks.

The regulations which started in the high-risk areas across the country since two weeks ago will be extended for another two weeks, said a statement of Iran's novel coronavirus taskforce, carried by Tasnim news agency.

Based on the measures to be enforced from Saturday, all non-essential businesses will have to close at 6 pm.

Private vehicles are still banned from leaving the worst-hit areas until further notice. The movement of the private vehicles in the capital Tehran and other large cities will be banned between 9 pm and 4 am, according to the statement.

Government offices and organizations in red zone areas are allowed to work with less than 30 percent of their employees at a time, while banks, post offices, communications and other utilities can work with half of their staff, it said.

Iran reported 13,922 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the tally of infections in the country to 1,003,494. The country reported its first cases on Feb 10.

Iraq

The Iraqi Health Ministry reported on Thursday 2,039 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total nationwide infections to 558,767.

The new cases included 612 in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, 287 in Nineveh, 261 in Kirkuk, 120 in Diyala, and 101 in Babil, while the other cases were detected in the other provinces, the ministry said in a statement.

It also reported 21 new deaths and 1,550 more recovered cases in the country, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 12,361 and the total recoveries to 487,863.

A total of 3,576,592 tests have been carried out across the country since the outbreak of the disease in February, with 32,870 done during the day, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi Health Ministry said in a statement that it had carried out several rounds of talks with drugmaker Pfizer-BioNTech to purchase the company's COVID-19 vaccine, stressing that there are conditions set earlier by Iraqi advisory committees for vaccines, which were approved by the Higher Committee for Health and National Safety, headed by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

Brunei

The Brunei government officially launched the 4th Brunei December Festival (BDF) on Thursday, with the aim to promote local tourism and consumption amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Haji Ali, Brunei's Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism, officiated the launch of the BDF 2020, which is organized by the Brunei Tourism Board through the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, and with the cooperation of various ministries, foreign missions in Brunei, strategic partners and event organizers, to provide a variety of events and activities for locals to experience and enjoy throughout the month-long school holiday season of December.

According to the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, over 70 exciting events and activities have been lined up for the BDF 2020.

When the Brunei government officially launched the BDF in 2017, it was aimed primarily at international visitors. Over the past years, the BDF, which is designed to help diversify Brunei's economy through culture and tourism, has grown from 35 events with 98,289 visitors in the first year, to 50 events with 173,561 visitors in 2018 and 60 events with 200,822 visitors in 2019.

Brunei's Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism said it is hoped that this year's month-long festival will attract more local visitors and consumers despite local and global economy being hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and a sharp drop in international tourists in the wake of border controls.

The country reported no new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, with the national tally of cases standing at 151.

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Singapore

Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported nine new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 58,239.

Of the new cases, eight are imported cases, and the remaining are linked with the dormitories of foreign workers.

On Thursday, one more case of COVID-19 has been discharged from hospital. In all, 58,145 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities, the ministry said. 

Turkey

Turkey is another country in the Middle East that has seen a drastic hike in coronavirus infections. Turkey reported on Thursday 32,381 COVID-19 cases, including 6,511 symptomatic patients, as the total number of symptomatic COVID-19 patients in the country increased to 520,167, its health ministry announced.

The death toll from coronavirus in Turkey rose by 187 to 14,316, while the total recoveries climbed to 418,331 after 4,190 more patients recovered in the last 24 hours.

The rate of pneumonia in COVID-19 patients stands at 3.3 percent and the number of seriously ill patients is 5,611 in the country.

Qatar

Qatar adds 221 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 139,477.

Meanwhile, 228 more recovered from the virus, bringing the overall recoveries to 136,741, while the fatalities remained 239 for the second day running, the kingdom's health ministry said.

Oman

Oman reported on Thursday 184 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total tally in the Sultanate to 124,329.

Meanwhile, 253 people recovered during the past 24 hours, taking the overall recoveries to 115,866, while five others reportedly died, pushing the overall fatalities up to 1,435.

Kuwait

Kuwait reported 314 new COVID-19 cases and two more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 143,574 and the death toll to 884 in the country.

The Kuwaiti Health Ministry also announced the recovery of 540 more patients, taking the total recoveries to 138,674.

Israel

Israel's Ministry of Health reported 1,549 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the total to 340,867.

The number of deaths reached 2,890 with seven new fatalities, while the number of patients in serious condition increased from 284 to 292 out of 533 currently hospitalized.

The country's education ministry announced plans to reduce the number of matriculation exams in order to minimize the infection risks of students and teachers. 

Mongolia 

Mongolia reported 12 more COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the national tally to 831, the country's National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) said Friday.

The latest confirmed cases were locally transmitted, including three in health workers, said Amarjargal Ambaselmaa, head of the NCCD's Surveillance Department, at a daily press conference.

A total of 399 locally-transmitted cases have been reported nationwide, notably in the capital city of Ulan Bator and provinces of Selenge, Darkhan-Uul, Govisumber, Orkhon, Dornogovi and Arkhangai.

The first locally-transmitted case in Mongolia was found in a woman, whose 29-year-old husband, a transport driver, returned from Russia and tested positive for the virus four days after he was released from a 21-day mandatory isolation on Nov 6.

The Asian country's nationwide lockdown, imposed on Nov 12, expired Tuesday.

However, the government has extended the lockdown in Ulan Bator and the provinces of Selenge and Arkhangai by 10 days until Dec 11.

Pakistan

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan held a telephonic conversation with Britain's Prince Charles and exchanged views on COVID-19, climate change and biodiversity, the prime minister's office said.

Khan expressed condolences on the loss of lives in Britain due to the pandemic and underlined that international cooperation was pivotal for success in fighting against the disease, a statement from the prime minister's office said late Thursday.

Laos

Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith has underlined the need for multilateral cooperation in developing COVID-19 vaccines and providing them at an affordable price during an address to the United Nations.

Speaking at the Special Session of the UN General Assembly in Response to Coronavirus Disease Pandemic held online on Thursday, PM Thongloun called for the international community to support COVAX -- an initiative working for global equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, local daily Vientiane Times reported on Friday.

This is to make the COVID-19 vaccine "a global public goods," the Lao prime minister said, according to a statement from the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The premier made the comment as several companies and research bodies have announced initial success in developing COVID-19 vaccines, which are expected to become available in the near future.

The two-day special session, which ends on Friday, is being convened as the number of people infected with and dying from the virus continues to rise.

Cambodia 

Cambodia on Friday reminded businesses, especially shopping malls and banks, to stick to safety rules after the kingdom has seen a spike in locally transmitted COVID-19 cases.

"All staff members must wear a face mask and a face shield properly and permanently, as all customers must wear a face mask properly and permanently too," Health Minister Mam Bunheng said in a statement.

Shopping malls, banks and establishments must screen their customers' temperature and wash their hands with alcohol or gels at the entrances, he said, adding that it's necessary to maintain a physical distance of 1.5 meters from each other.

The minister also advised people to avoid shaking hands in greeting. Instead, they can use the traditional greeting style Sampeah (pressing both palms together at the chest level) to welcome each other.

Bunheng said that if anyone has suspicious symptoms of the COVID-19, he/she can call the 115 hotline for free.

Cambodia's Ministry of Health on Friday reported that four more people have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the country's total number of locally transmitted cases to 23.

Indonesia

The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 5,803 in the past 24 hours to total 563,680, with the death toll adding by 124 to 17,479, the Health Ministry said on Friday.

According to the ministry, 3,625 more COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recoveries to 466,178.

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan registered on Friday 440 new COVID-19 cases, pushing its total caseload to 74,373.

Among the new cases, 109 were in the capital city Bishkek, 162 in Chui Oblast, and the rest were detected in other regions, according to the latest report of the Republican Headquarters for Combating COVID-19.

Malaysia

Malaysia reported 1,141 new COVID-19 infections, the health ministry said on Friday, bringing the national total to 70,236.

Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press briefing that three of the new cases are imported and 1,138 are local transmissions.

No new deaths have been reported, leaving the death toll at 376.

Iran

Iran's Health Ministry on Friday reported 347 new COVID-19 death cases in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 49,695 since the outbreak of the disease in the country on Feb. 19.

The country recorded 13,341 new patients on Friday, raising the total nationwide infections to 1,016,835, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education, during her daily briefing.

Sri Lanka

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Sri Lanka rose to 26,038 on Friday with over 600 new infections detected in the past 24 hours, data from the Health Ministry showed.

Of the coronavirus infections reported since the outbreak in March in the Asian country, 19,032 patients recovered and were discharged from hospitals, bringing the number of active cases down to 6,877, the ministry said.

The death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic rose to 129 on Friday, including five newly reported deaths.

Vietnam

Vietnam reported no new cases of COVID-19 infection on Friday, with its total confirmed cases remaining at 1,361 with 35 deaths from the disease so far, according to its Ministry of Health.

The ministry also announced that 11 more patients have been given the all-clear, raising the total cured cases in the country to 1,220 as of Friday.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh recorded 2,252 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and 24 new deaths on Friday, raising its total tally to 473,991 with 6,772 deaths, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.

The official data showed that 15,430 samples were tested in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh.

In a photo taken on Dec 2, 2020 a couple wearing face masks walks along a street in central Seoul. (PHOTO / AFP)

South Korea

Seoul will close stores, theaters, internet cafes, department stores after 9pm for two weeks starting Dec 5 as well as cut the frequency of public transportation after 9pm.

Its mayor urged citizens to stop late night, outside activities after 9pm for two weeks. This comes as the number of newly confirmed cases in the capital reached a record 295 in the latest tally.

South Korea reports 629 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours vs. 540 a day earlier, according to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s website.

The number of newly confirmed cases was at the highest since early March.

The daily number of confirmed cases grew in triple digits for 27 days since Nov 8 owing to small cluster infections in Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi province as well as imported cases.

For the past week from Nov 28 to Dec 4, the daily average caseload came in at 503.1.