South Korea kicked off two days of early voting as the country battles a record wave of coronavirus infections, while data showed inflation unexpectedly accelerated in February as rising costs weighed on voters. New daily cases hit a fresh peak of 266,853 while the number of deaths rose by a record 186 as 3,552 polling stations opened on Friday for early voting. March 9 is election day and health ministry data indicates nearly one million people are expected to be under some sort of Covid-19 home treatment. Voters are required to spray sanitiser on their hands and then wear plastic gloves before casting their ballots, while election workers will be in protective gear, according to the national election commission. The two main candidates – progressive Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party and Yoon Suk-yeol of the main conservative People Power Party – were on national tours to rally support. South Korea election: who’s running and what’s their China policy? Yoon received a major boost on Thursday when another conservative contender suspended his campaign and offered support – a move that likely nudged Yoon slightly ahead in a race that has been neck-and-neck. Inflation has jumped to the forefront of concerns among South Koreans and could worsen as the crisis in Ukraine threatens to disrupt global supply chains. The central bank’s three interest rate hikes since August have so far failed to cool prices. President Moon Jae-in, who is looking to pass the baton to fellow ruling party member Lee, cast his ballot at the start of early voting. Moon’s prime minister and his point man for pandemic management, Kim Boo-kyum, tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday, a reminder of the toll the current virus wave has been taking on the country. Singapore opens more travel lanes Singapore will extend Vaccinated Travel Lanes to more cities in Malaysia, Indonesia and India. It will also launch VTLs from two new countries, Greece and Vietnam, according to an emailed statement from the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore. In Indonesia, the VTL will extend beyond Jakarta to include Bali-Denpasar beginning March 16. In Malaysia, it will extend beyond Kuala Lumpur to include Penang. And in India, it will extend beyond Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai to include all cities. Why some Singaporeans are wishing ‘let me get Covid, please’ Vietnam mulls shift to Covid endemic path Vietnam ’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh directed the health ministry to begin the process of moving the country to the course of living with Covid-19 and treating it as endemic even as cases surge. Chinh ordered officials during Thursday’s cabinet meeting to study how other countries have made the move, according to a post on the government’s website. The prime minister said March and coming months will continue to be difficult and unpredictable as the country battles the virus and the fallout from the conflict in Ukraine. Vietnam reported 118,790 virus cases, including 10 imported, on Thursday, an increase of 8,500 from a day earlier, the health ministry said on its website. The country, which is rolling out booster shots after more than 90 per cent of its adult population has been given two vaccine shots, has seen a dramatic drop in Covid-19 deaths. It has had a daily average of 95 deaths over the past seven days, according to the health ministry’s publication Suc Khoe Doi Song. In August, when the government locked down large parts of the nation with evening curfews, daily virus deaths hit more than 300.