Shoppers, wearing protective masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walk past shops in Valiasr square in the Iranian capital Tehran on Sept 20, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)
TOKYO / YANGON / SEOUL / DUBAI / SYDNEY - Iran set a fresh record for daily coronavirus cases for the third time this week, reporting 4,151 new infections overnight, the country’s Health Ministry said.
The Islamic Republic, which is battling the Middle East’s worst coronavirus outbreak, reported 227 deaths from the disease since Monday, Health Ministry spokeswoman Sina Sadat Lari said. Some 479,825 cases and 27,419 fatalities have been reported so far.
Lari said all but one of Iran’s 31 provinces have been declared “red zones” and officials in Tehran have warned that the capital and its surrounding province are seeing a major spike in cases and face a serious shortage of hospital beds.
Various lockdown measures first adopted in March were reinstated on Saturday, including school and mosque closures. Wearing masks in public will be mandatory from Oct 10, Iraj Harirchi, deputy health minister said, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
With its finances already severely stretched and weakened by US sanctions, Iran loosened lockdown measures in April in an effort to prevent its economy from collapsing.
South Korea
The governments of South Korea and Japan agreed to launch a fast-track entry system on Thursday to allow businessmen skip isolation provided that they go through the proper quarantine process, South Korean ministries said Tuesday.
The special entry procedure, composed of business and residence tracks, will be launched between South Korea and Japan from Oct. 8, according to a joint statement from South Korea's foreign, justice, trade ministries and other relevant ministries.
The special procedures include the health monitoring for 14 days before leaving, testing negative for the COVID-19 at the test conducted 72 hours before departure and buying travelers' insurance.
After arriving the other country, the businessmen will be required to take the test again and check physical condition for 14 days through smartphone apps. For the 14 days, they will be allowed to visit only dwelling and office via one private vehicle.
The planned move between Tokyo and Seoul comes as Japan on Oct 1 eased entry restrictions into the country from foreigners around the world put in place to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, although entry is still being refused for tourists.
The Japanese government had said it would consider permitting 1,000 foreigners into the country per day, mainly to accommodate those who intend to stay for three months or longer, while looking to the increase the cap in the months ahead.
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Australia
The Australian government will fast-track personal income tax cuts as part of its COVID-19 response in Tuesday's budget to help lead to spending and kickstart the economy.
Australia’s coronavirus hotspot of Victoria state on Tuesday reported a slight rise in new cases, but authorities sought to allay fears by saying they could link most of those infections to known outbreaks.
Victoria, Australia’s second-most populous state, reported one death from the virus in the last 24 hours and 15 cases, its biggest daily rise in infections in five days.
“They are, again, predominantly related to known cases, to outbreaks, and we have to get on top of these outbreaks to really drive these numbers down,” state’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton told reporters in Melbourne.
Meanwhile, international students will return to Australia in October after Charles Darwin University (CDU) received approval to conduct a pilot program.
The university in Northern Territory (NT) announced on Monday that it has received government approval to fly up to 70 students into Darwin from Singapore in late October.
Australia pledged billions in tax cuts and measures to boost jobs on Tuesday to help pull the economy out of its historic COVID-19 slump in a budget that tips the country into its deepest deficit on record.
Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s conservative government has unleashed A$300 billion in emergency stimulus to prop up growth this year, having seen the coronavirus derail a previous promise to return the budget to surplus.
Malaysia
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Tuesday said targeted lockdowns would be imposed in areas with high rates of coronavirus infections, as the country grapples with a sharp spike in cases over the past two weeks.
The health ministry reported 691 new COVID-19 cases and four deaths on Tuesday, another new record in the wake of last month’s election in the state of Sabah, from where many infections have been traced.
“For now we are not thinking of imposing a total lockdown nationwide. If we do that again, it could bring down the country’s economic and social systems,” Muhyiddin said in an address on Facebook Live from his home, where he is undergoing quarantine due to possible exposure to the virus.
Malaysia’s economy saw its first contraction since the 2009 global financial crisis in the second quarter, due to strict curbs on movement and businesses.
It has so far kept a major contagion at bay, with just 13,504 infections compared to more than 300,000 in Indonesia and the Philippines.
The United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, with a population of around 9.9 million people, surpassed 100,000 recorded cases of COVID-19 infection on Tuesday.
The UAE, whose tally stands at 100,794 infections and 421 deaths, has seen the number of daily new cases surge over the past two months from 164 on Aug. 3 to a new high of 1,231 cases on Saturday.
Authorities have blamed people’s poor adherence to social distancing for the rise. The government does not disclose where in the seven emirates that make up the UAE the cases occur.
On Tuesday it recorded 1,061 new infections and 6 deaths.
The UAE has a high per capita rate of COVID-19 tests. The country has carried out more than 10 million tests so far, the government statistics authority says.
The six states that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members have between them recorded 847,608 cases of infection with 7,419 deaths, a Reuters tally shows.
Fiji
Fiji confirmed on Tuesday that it has conducted more than 10,000 COVID-19 tests so far.
According to Fiji Broadcasting Corporation, Fiji's Health Minister Ifereimi Waqainabete said on Tuesday that the island nation's Center for Disease Control (CDC) has conducted over 10,000 COVID-19 tests and it has been more than 170 days since the island nation detected its last community case of COVID-19.
India
India’s total coronavirus cases rose by 61,267 in the last 24 hours to 6.69 million on Tuesday morning, data from the health ministry showed.
Deaths from COVID-19 infections rose by 884 to 103,569, the ministry said.
India’s death toll from the novel coronavirus rose past 100,000 on Saturday, only the third country in the world to reach that bleak milestone, after the United States and Brazil, and its epidemic shows no sign of abating.
Last week, India further eased restrictions and permitted states to open schools and movie theatres.
Due to shortage of labour and problems of mobility, India's Mumbai has only been able to re-open 30 percent of its restaurants despite the government relaxing lockdown norms amid pandemic.
Iraq
The Iraqi Health Ministry reported on Tuesday 4,172 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the nationwide infections to 387,121.
The ministry reported in a statement with 67 more deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 9,531 in the country.
It also said that 4,213 more patients recovered in the day, bringing the total number of recoveries to 316,371.
A total of 2,395,387 tests have been carried out across the country since the outbreak of the disease in February, with 24,039 done during the day, according to the statement.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi Ministry of Planning intends to hold a conference to come up with a development plan that responds to the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and the financial crisis in the country.
Israel
In Israel, 5,534 new COVID-19 cases were recorded, taking the tally of coronavirus infections to 272,309.
The death toll of the virus in Israel increased to 1,757 while the recoveries rose to 204,355.
Israel's coronavirus cabinet decided on Monday not to ease or tighten the ongoing full nationwide lockdown until its next meeting on Oct. 12, two days before the scheduled ending date of the lockdown, said a statement issued by the prime minister's office.
A plane takes off from Tokyo’s Haneda airport on Oct 2, 2020.n(PHILIP FONG / AFP)
Jardon
In Jordan, 1,824 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily surge since the outbreak of the virus in the country, increasing the tally of cases to 17,464, including 110 fatalities and 5,292 recoveries.
Kuwait
Kuwait reported 567 new cases, bringing the country's total number of infections to 107,592, of whom 628 have died and 99,549 recovered.
Lebanon
In Lebanon, the number of COVID-19 infections increased by 1,175 to 45,657, while the death toll went up by eight to 414.
Mongolia
Mongolia's COVID-19 tally rose to 315 after one more case was confirmed in the last 24 hours, the country's health ministry said Tuesday.
All the 315 cases were imported, among which 307 patients have recovered, the ministry said in a statement.
Two of the remaining eight patients being treated at the National Center for Communicable Diseases are in a severe condition, according to the ministry.
New Zealand
New Zealand reported three new imported cases of COVID-19 from managed isolation on Tuesday and no new cases were reported in the community.
The first case reported arrived from India on Sept 26 and was retested after returning a negative result at their routine test around day 3 of their time in managed isolation because they were a contact of a previously reported case, according to the Ministry of Health.
The second case reported on Tuesday, arrived on Oct 2 from Britian via Qatar and Australia and was tested after they developed symptoms, said in a ministry statement.
The third case arrived on Oct 4 from India via Britian and Qatar and was tested on arrival because they developed symptoms on the flight.
Oman
Oman registered 544 new infections, taking the tally of nationwide cases to 101,814, with 90,600 recoveries and 985 deaths.
In addition, Oman Air has unveiled its COVID-19 insurance coverage for passengers using the Muscat-based carrier, which will cover medical treatment or coronavirus quarantine expenses, to be effective from Oct 1, 2020, to March 2021, the national carrier of Oman said in a statement.
PNG
Papua New Guinea (PNG) has lifted domestic flight restriction, curfew in the nation's capital area, opened further to international flights as part of a broader relaxation of its COVID-19 containing measures announced on Monday.
The National Pandemic Response Controller David Manning said in a statement the international flights now are open to Singapore, China's Hong Kong, Japan and the Solomon Islands, in addition to previously approved Australia.
Qatar
In Qatar, 194 new cases of coronavirus infections were detected, increasing the total number to 126,692, including 216 deaths and 123,664 recoveries.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia announced 379 new cases and 23 more deaths, raising the tally of confirmed cases to 336,766 and the death toll to 4,898.
The kingdom also reported 570 more recovered patients, taking the total recoveries to 322,055.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in Turkey climbed by 1,603 to 326,046, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted.
The death toll from the coronavirus in the country rose to 8,498 after 57 new fatalities were added in the past 24 hours, Koca said, adding the total recoveries increased to 286,370.
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Singapore
Singapore is exploring ways to safely open its borders after the coronavirus led to record losses at the nation’s flag carrier and decimated traffic at Changi Airport.
A multiministry taskforce is studying how Singapore could let in more travelers and reviewing proposals by stakeholders and the public, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said in Parliament on Tuesday. The city-state will accept visitors as long as they agree to testing and tracing.
Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 7 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 57,819.
Of the new cases, one is imported case, one is community case and the rest are linked with the dormitories of foreign workers.
On Monday, 22 more cases of COVID-19 infection have been discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities. In all, 57,597 have fully recovered from the infection and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities, the ministry said.
Sri Lanka
The number of COVID-19 patients in Sri Lanka jumped to the 3,500 mark on Monday evening after over 100 new patients were reported from a new cluster in the outskirts of capital Colombo, the Health Ministry said.
According to health authorities, a new cluster was detected in Minuwangoda in the Gampaha district when a 39-year-old apparel worker and her 16-year-old daughter tested positive for the virus on Sunday after which hundreds of people were taken into quarantine.
By Monday evening, 101 new patients were reported from the cluster after their PCR tests came in positive, the government information department said.
South Korea
South Korea reported 75 more cases of the COVID-19 as of 0:00 am Tuesday local time compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 24,239.
The daily caseload stayed below 100 for the sixth straight day, but the double-digit growth continued due to small cluster infections in Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi province.
Of the new cases, 13 were Seoul residents and 34 were people residing in Gyeonggi province.
Nine were imported from overseas, lifting the combined figure to 3,305.
Palestine
Palestine reported 521 new coronavirus cases, taking the tally of infections in the Palestinian territories to 52,954, including 44,955 recoveries and 402 deaths.
The Philippines
Forty percent of firms in the Philippines have temporarily suspended their operations in July 2020 due to strict community quarantine measures the government imposed to stem the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), according to a World Bank survey released on Tuesday.
The survey of 74,031 firms, carried out between July 7 to 14, 2020, was conducted to assess the impact of the pandemic on the firm's activities.
The Philippines reported 2,093 new daily COVID-19 infections on Tuesday, pushing the number of confirmed coronavirus disease cases in the country to 326,833.
The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) said that the number of recoveries also rose to 273,313 after 209 more patients recovered. Meanwhile, 25 more patients died from the viral disease, bringing the death toll to 5,865.
The Philippines' capital Metro Manila topped the regions in the country with the highest number of daily confirmed cases on Tuesday with 557.
The UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced 932 new cases, raising the total confirmed cases in the country to 99,733.
The tally of recoveries in the UAE rose to 89,410 after 1,287 more patients have recovered from the virus and the death toll reached 429 with three more deaths.
Myanmar
The total number of COVID-19 cases in Myanmar has increased to 20,033 as of Tuesday, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health and Sports.
A total of 1,252 more COVID-19 confirmed cases were reported in the country.
The death toll from COVID-19 reached 471 with 27 newly-reported deaths on Tuesday in the country, the statement said.
According to the ministry's figures, 5,782 patients have been discharged from the hospitals so far.
A total of 342,949 samples have been tested, the ministry's figures showed.
Myanmar reported its first two positive cases of COVID-19 on March 23.
Myanmar is making preparations for the citizens to be able to vote in the upcoming general elections in a safe and secure manner amid the COVID-19 pandemic, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi said in her televised message to the public late on Monday.
Afghanistan
The Afghan Ministry of Public Health registered 64 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of the patients infected with the virus to 39,486 in the country, the health ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to the statement, one patient died due to the disease over the period, totaling the COVID-19 related deaths to 1,467.
A total of 98 patients recovered during the period, bringing the number of recovered cases to 32,977, the statement added.
The number of positive cases in Afghanistan is on the rise in recent days as 44 cases were recorded on Sunday and 81 on Monday.
Afghan Minister for Public Health Ahmad Jawad Osmani has warned of the second wave of COVID-19, calling upon his countrymen to respect the health advises given by the ministry and wear a mask outside home.
Nepal
COVID-19 cases in Nepal have crossed the 90,000 mark on Tuesday as the Himalayan country has been seeing a rapid rise in confirmed cases in recent weeks.
"With 1,551 new cases on Tuesday, the total COVID-19 cases in Nepal have reached 90,814 by Tuesday," Jageshwor Gautam, spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population said at a regular press meeting.
The Himalayan country has been witnessing a rapid rise in COVID-19 cases with around 2,000 new cases being reported on daily basis in the past few days.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka's Health Ministry decided on Tuesday to ban all public gatherings in the island country as the number of COVID-19 patients crossed the 4,000 mark following the detection of a new cluster on the outskirts of capital Colombo.
The Health Ministry said in a statement that all parties, conferences, seminars, lectures, exhibitions, concerts, festivals, processions, demonstrations, and all other non-essential gatherings were prohibited till further notice as over 700 people, all employees of an apparel factory in Minuwangoda, tested positive for the virus.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh reported 1,499 new COVID-19 cases and 30 more deaths on Tuesday, making the tally at 371,631 and death toll at 5,405, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.
The official data showed that 12,345 samples were tested in the last 24 hours across Bangladesh.
The total number of recovered patients in the country stood at 284,833 including 1,651 new recoveries on Tuesday, said the DGHS.
According to the official data, the COVID-19 fatality rate in Bangladesh is now 1.45 percent and the current recovery rate is 76.64 percent.
Vietnam
Vietnam reported one new case of COVID-19 infection on Tuesday, bringing its total confirmed cases to 1,098 with 35 deaths from the disease so far, according to the Ministry of Health.
The latest case is a 26-year-old Vietnamese woman who has recently entered the country from abroad and was quarantined upon arrival, according to the ministry.
The ministry also announced that one more COVID-19 patient has recovered, raising the total cured cases in the country to 1,023 as of Tuesday.
Kuwait
Kuwait on Tuesday reported 676 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 108,268 and the death toll to 632, the Health Ministry said in a statement.
Currently, 7,457 patients are receiving treatment, including 139 in ICU, according to the statement.
The ministry also announced the recovery of 630 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 100,179.
