Villagers fill in their forms before receiving a dose of the Sinovac vaccine at a health center outside Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Feb 23, 2022. (HENG SINITH / AP)

PHNOM PENH / SINGAPORE / HANOI / ISTANBUL / NEW DELHI / SEOUL / ISLAMABAD - Cambodia said on Friday it will lift quarantine requirements for unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated inbound travelers, but require them to undergo a rapid antigen test upon their arrivals.

The decision will take effect from July 11, Health Minister Mam Bunheng said in a statement.

"If the rapid antigen test's result is negative, he/she will be allowed to travel to their respective houses or destinations without observing quarantine obligations," Bunheng said.

"If the test's result turns out to be positive, but the patient has mild symptoms, he/she will be allowed to undergo treatment at home with self-isolation," he added.

For positive patients with severe symptoms, however, they must seek medical treatment at licensed COVID-19 hospitals, the minister said.

According to Bunheng, an unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated foreign traveler is required to pay $5 for a rapid antigen test.

He also encouraged unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated inbound travelers to receive COVID-19 vaccines for free-of-charge at any vaccination site across the country.

Australia

The reinfection period of COVID-19 for Australians has been advised to be reduced significantly to 28 days, according to a statement from a medical expert committee.

The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), which is made up of federal, state and territory chief health officers, made the recommendation in a recent press release.

"Given reinfections may occur as early as 28 days after recovery from a previous COVID-19 infection, the AHPPC advises that the reinfection period be reduced from 12 weeks to 28 days," it said.

That means people who test positive for COVID-19 more than 28 days after ending isolation due to previous infection should be reported and managed as new cases.

It warned that Australia was at the beginning of a new wave of infections driven by the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants.

"This winter, we are experiencing significant community transmission of both COVID-19 and influenza, which is placing real stress on our community and health system," the AHPPC said.

On Saturday, Australia reported more than 35,000 new COVID-19 cases and more than 70 deaths.

India

India recorded 18,840 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total tally to 43,604,394, showed data released by the federal health ministry on Saturday.

A total of 454,778 COVID-19 tests were conducted across the country in the past 24 hours, said the ministry.

Another 43 new deaths from the pandemic were reported since Friday morning, bringing the death toll to 525,346.

Pakistan

Pakistan reported 732 new COVID-19 cases during the last 24 hours, the country's ministry of health said on Saturday.

The tally of infected people increased to 1,542,377 after adding the new cases, according to the data released by the ministry.

A total of 30,420 people died from COVID-19 in Pakistan, with seven more deaths recorded on Friday.

A notice warning people not to gather in groups larger than five persons as part of restrictions to hald the spread of the coronavirus is displayed at Raffles Place financial business district in Singapore on Jan 4, 2022. (ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP)

Singapore

Singapore reported 9,284 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the total tally to 1,515,222.

Of the new cases, 789 cases were detected through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests and 8,495 through ART (antigen rapid test) tests, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health.

Among the PCR cases, 750 were local transmissions and 39 were imported cases. Among the ART cases with mild symptoms and assessed to be of low risk, there were 8,181 local transmissions and 314 imported cases respectively.

One death was reported from COVID-19 on Friday, taking the total death toll to 1,427, the ministry said. 

South Korea

South Korea recorded 20,286 new COVID-19 cases as of midnight Friday compared to 24 hours ago, taking the total number of infections to 18,491,435, the health authorities said Saturday.

The daily caseload was up from 19,323 in the previous day, and far higher than 10,715 tallied a week ago, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

For the past week, the daily average number of confirmed cases was 15,989.

A man wearing a mask to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 walks along an alley in a commercial area in Istanbul, Turkey on Jan 18, 2022. (FRANCISCO SECO / AP)

Turkey

Turkish health specialists have warned against an increase in COVID-19 cases across Turkey, urging authorities to take immediate precautions.

The BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants of the Omicron strain have quickly increased the number of daily cases, said Mehmet Ceyhan, head of the Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases of the Ankara-based Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine.

Ceyhan called on health authorities to reinstate some of the COVID-19 measures which had been gradually lifted this spring.

A polymerase chain reaction COVID-19 test should be requested again when entering Turkey, he said, adding masks should be worn when taking public transportation and elevators in hotels, and social distancing should be ensured in restaurants.

"Omicron was the Trojan horse of the coronavirus. It entered into society as a harmless mutant. Humans relaxed. Precautions were finished, and vaccination stopped," he explained the latest surge in a tweet. However, he warned that the "mutation machinery" continues its work.

Turkey recorded 57,113 cases and 25 fatalities between June 27 and July 3, up from 26,635 cases and 17 deaths the week before, the Turkish Health Ministry reported.

Experts believe that the actual number is much higher than the official figure as rapid antigen tests are not documented.

Passengers wait for transportation outside the arrival hall of Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on March 15, 2022, as Vietnam announced the return of a visa exemption policy for 13 countries in an effort to kickstart its tourism sector. (NHAC NGUYEN / AFP)

Vietnam

Vietnam recorded 802 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, down by 111 from Thursday, according to its Ministry of Health.

The infections brought the total tally to 10,752,942 with 43,089 deaths.