Health & Environment
Visa-free privileges of all foreign nationals have also been suspended, as thousands of people try to flee the country amid a lockdown on the main island of Luzon.
Panel of experts in Japan advises authorities to reopen schools and allow regions with few coronavirus cases to hold sporting events.
Experts have warned that hundreds of substandard long-term care facilities could serve as hotbeds for infection, just as they have in the US and Italy.
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About 20,000 people took their own lives in Japan last year, down from more than 34,000 16 years before. But one age group did see an increase: the under-20s.
Phnom Penh has announced 35 confirmed cases in the country, up from 12 on Sunday, most of them people who had recently travelled overseas.
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The new measure – which will be ‘strictly’ enforced – comes as the health ministry reports 47 new cases, the largest single-day increase yet.
An influx of people seeking treatment and testing are heading to the cities, which are renowned for their health care standards, but experts say this risks starting a new wave of infections.
India has recorded 151 cases and three deaths, but restrictions on who is eligible to take the Covid-19 test masks the true scale of the situation, experts say.
A spate of new cases near Seoul is raising concerns of runaway cases nationwide, even as the country’s aggressive testing strategy has won it worldwide praise.
Thailand’s flip-flopping on measures to curb the outbreak, along with a minister mask-hoarding scandal, have seen a deterioration of public trust.
The government received much-needed new testing kits this week from China and South Korea. It previously had just 2,000 left in stock.
Putrajaya’s measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 include an overseas travel ban for residents and a 14-day self-quarantine for those returning to the country.
With hospitals preparing for an expected surge in cases in the weeks ahead, the race is on to get doctors and nurses the equipment they need in time.
The measures, which will be in place from March 18-31, are mainly aimed at limiting large gatherings to decrease the chance of the virus spreading.
Osaka-based Kurabo Industries claims the US$235 kits have an accuracy rate of 95 per cent and can be used 10 times to test for the Covid-19 virus.
Officials say Singapore has ‘months’ of stockpiled fresh and packaged food, but 415,000 people who travel between the land borders daily will be affected.
The lockdown will take effect for two weeks from March 18, with Malaysians barred from travelling overseas and mass gatherings across the country prohibited.
Social media users in India, including an opposition leader, are spreading fake news and racist rhetoric about China, as cases rise in the South Asian country.
The country reported 125 new cases on Monday, 95 of which are linked to a mass Islamic religious meeting held last month.