Source:
https://scmp.com/news/asia/article/3132294/coronavirus-vietnam-ramps-border-checks-imported-cases-rise
Asia

Coronavirus: Vietnam ramps up border checks as imported cases rise; Malaysia tightens curbs in capital

  • Vietnam will intensify checks on arriving travellers as the government braces for a scenario where 30,000 people could be infected
  • Elsewhere, Seychelles is seeing a spike in cases even as it reports the world’s highest vaccination rate, while the Philippines has approved emergency use of Moderna’s shot
Vietnam has among the lowest number of infections in Southeast Asia. Photo: AFP

Vietnam has ordered a strict border control after lengthening the quarantine period as it traces the recent flare-up in coronavirus cases to overseas travellers.

During a virus task force meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam ordered an intensified checks on arriving travellers, according to a post on a government website.

Authorities will also go “district by district, house by house” and visit companies hosting overseas workers to contain any spread.

The government is bracing for a scenario where 30,000 people could be infected, Dam said, adding that the number is meant for preparation and not a forecast.

The virus situation currently is very worrisome with multiple risk factors from people entering Vietnam legally, illegally and locals letting the guard down Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam

There had been reports that many places were not strictly implementing quarantine rules, which fuelled the recent spike in cases, Dam said.

“The virus situation currently is very worrisome with multiple risk factors from people entering Vietnam legally, illegally and locals letting the guard down,” Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said in the post. Three patients in Vinh Phuc were found to be carrying a virus variant first detected in India, the health ministry had said.

Vietnam, which has among the lowest number of infections in Southeast Asia, has ordered movement restrictions after domestic Covid-19 cases flared up for the first time in a month. The nation is lagging peers in the region on vaccination, according to Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker.

Hanoi has shut schools, tourism sites and sidewalk eateries. In both the capital and Ho Chi Minh City, cinemas, gyms and spas have been closed. The country had 2,996 infections and 35 deaths as of Tuesday, according to the health ministry.

Cases in Thailand spike

Thailand on Wednesday reported 2,112 new coronavirus cases and 15 deaths, as authorities seek to contain a third wave of infections.

Thailand, which for the most part brought the virus under control for around a year, has recently faced a spike in cases including the highly transmissible B.1.1.7 variant that has accounted for over half of its total cases and deaths.

It has recorded 74,900 infections and 318 fatalities since the pandemic began.

Officials on Tuesday launched a campaign to vaccinate about 70 per cent of people in Khlong Toei, a riverside district of the capital Bangkok home to some 80,000 people, after more than 300 residents became infected in the latest outbreak that started in early April.

The inoculation drive will last about two weeks and health workers also intend to test up to 1,000 people per day, said Asawin Kwanmuang, governor of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.

With infections surging, will Nepal be the next Covid-19 hotspot?

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With infections surging, will Nepal be the next Covid-19 hotspot?

Malaysia imposes movement restrictions on capital

Malaysia will tighten coronavirus curbs in the capital to combat a fresh spike in cases, with only essential businesses allowed to operate and restaurant dine-in services banned, authorities said on Wednesday.

The partial lockdown in Kuala Lumpur, initially set to last from May 7 to 20, comes a day after officials announced tougher restrictions in several districts surrounding the city.

The Southeast Asian nation was hit by a fresh Covid-19 outbreak at the start of 2021, prompting authorities to reintroduce curbs not seen since the start of the pandemic and declare a state of emergency.

Infection rates fell and measures were eased, but cases started climbing again in recent weeks as people went out to shop and socialised more.

Announcing the new curbs in Kuala Lumpur, Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said at least 17 new infection clusters were detected in the city last month.

Only certain types of businesses, such as supermarkets, petrol stations and medical clinics, will be allowed to operate while the restrictions are in force, he said.

Eateries can remain open but only for takeaways.

Most people have already been working from home for months.

Malaysia reported 3,744 Covid-19 cases on Wednesday – around half in the capital and neighbouring Selangor state – and 17 deaths.

Singapore logs 16 new cases

Singapore reported 16 new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, one of which was in the community.

The sole local case is not linked to the cluster of 40 people at the Tan Tock Seng Hospital where a nurse working at Ward 9D was first found to be infected on April 27, the health ministry said.

The other 15 infections were imported and had all been placed on stay-home notices upon arrival in the city state.

There are no new cases in the foreign worker dormitories, the ministry added.

The total number of Covid-19 cases in Singapore now stands at 61,268.

105-year-old Indian man and 95-year-old wife beat Covid-19

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105-year-old Indian man and 95-year-old wife beat Covid-19

Most vaccinated nation Seychelles shuts schools

Seychelles, which has fully vaccinated more of its population against Covid-19 than any other country, has closed schools and cancelled sporting activities for two weeks as infections surge.

The measures, which include bans on the intermingling of households and the early closure of bars, are similar to those last imposed at the end of 2020.

“Despite of all the exceptional efforts we are making, the Covid-19 situation in our country is critical right now with many daily cases reported last week,” Peggy Vidot, the nation’s health minister, said on Monday.

More than 60 per cent of Seychelles’ adult population have received two vaccine shots.

The Indian Ocean archipelago, which has a population of about 98,000, is dependent on tourism for much of its foreign exchange and acted quickly to begin vaccinations in January using a donation of Chinese vaccines from the United Arab Emirates. It has procured other vaccines since.

Officials at the press conference gave little detail on what could be behind the infection surge other than to say people were taking less precautions against the virus than before.

A woman poses for a photo after receiving a Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine shot in Selangor, Malaysia. Photo: Bloomberg
A woman poses for a photo after receiving a Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine shot in Selangor, Malaysia. Photo: Bloomberg

Nepal extends lockdown for capital amid surge

Authorities extended a lockdown in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu and surrounding districts by another week on Wednesday as the Himalayan nation recorded its highest daily tolls of Covid-19 infection and death.

The Ministry of Health said Tuesday 7,660 people tested positive for the coronavirus while 55 people had died.

The lockdown notice also said neighbourhood grocery stores would be allowed to open only two hours in the morning and there would be further restrictions imposed on movement of vehicles to curb the spiking number of cases.

Nepal halted all domestic flights this week and international flights would be stopped from Thursday.

Nepal has recorded 351,005 cases while 3,417 people have died.

Philippine President Duterte receives first dose of China's Sinopharm Covid -19 vaccine

00:49

Philippine President Duterte receives first dose of China's Sinopharm Covid -19 vaccine

Philippines approves emergency use of Moderna’s shot

The Philippines’ food and drug agency approved on Wednesday the emergency use of US drug maker Moderna Inc’s Covid-19 vaccine in the Southeast Asian nation.

The known and potential benefits of Moderna outweighed the known and potential risks, Food and Drug Administration chief Rolando Enrique Domingo said during an online forum, adding it would be administered to individuals aged 18 and above.

The Philippines expects this month the delivery of 194,000 doses of Moderna’s vaccine, the seventh to be approved for emergency use in the country.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday received his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by China’s Sinopharm Group, said Senator Christopher Go.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque administered the vaccine, Go said on Facebook. The nation’s Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve Sinopharm’s vaccine for emergency use.

Runners warm up before the start of the Hokkaido-Sapporo Marathon Festival 2021 in Sapporo, Hokkaido. Photo: Reuters
Runners warm up before the start of the Hokkaido-Sapporo Marathon Festival 2021 in Sapporo, Hokkaido. Photo: Reuters

Japan faces longer state of emergency

The Japanese government is considering extending a coronavirus spurred state of emergency in Tokyo and other major urban areas, a move that could cast doubt on the planned Summer Olympics.

Officials were leaning toward an extension of the measures in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures beyond May 11 as the country battles a surge in virus cases, the Yomiuri newspaper said on Wednesday.

Extending the measures, which were imposed on April 25, would likely fan persistent concerns about whether the Tokyo Olympics, scheduled to begin on July 23, can be held as planned.

The games have already been delayed once from last year due to the pandemic. The city of Sapporo, on the northern island of Hokkaido, hosted a half-marathon test event on Wednesday.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will meet with senior government ministers on Wednesday to discuss an extension, the Yomiuri reported without citing sources.

The newspaper did not detail how long an extension might be, but the governor of Osaka Prefecture said an extension of three weeks to a month may be necessary, according to domestic media.

Reporting by Bloomberg, Reuters, AP, Today Online, AFP