In this Dec 19, 2020 photo, medical officials collect a nose swab sample to test for the COVID-19 coronavirus at a seafood market in Samut Sakhon in Thailand. (JACK TAYLOR / AFP)

SYDNEY / BANGKOK / DUBAI / JAKARTA / SEOUL / DHAKA / HANOI / KUALA LUMPUR - Thailand said it may expand a lockdown, sending markets tumbling, as health authorities search for more than 10,000 people with ties to a record cluster of coronavirus cases found in a coastal province near Bangkok.

The country reported 382 COVID-19 new infections Monday, taking total cases linked to a seafood market in Samut Sakhon to about 1,000 since the first case was found Dec 17. Several cases were also found in nearby provinces of Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom and Samut Prakan. Thailand’s largest single outbreak brings to 5,289 the total of confirmed infections, based on Health Ministry data.

A lockdown imposed in Samut Sakhon may be extended to other districts, Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said today. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha said after a meeting with officials in his COVID-19 task force that he will decide within a week whether more stringent restrictions are needed.

“I would like to assess the situation for seven days to see if anything happens,” Prayuth said in Bangkok. “Thailand is still able to contain the outbreak, but we have also prepared measures.”

While a lockdown hasn’t been imposed in Bangkok, the capital’s chief administrator said residents with businesses in the neighboring province should work from home and ordered more stringent screening of migrant workers. 

Australia

Australia's domestic borders have been slammed shut on residents in Sydney, as a COVID-19 outbreak in the city's north increased by 15 cases to 83 on Monday. 

Sydney’s 5 million residents are being urged to curb activities over the next few days to avoid fanning the coronavirus outbreak that’s threatens to scupper Christmas festivities.

More than 80 locations including cafes, gyms, casinos and supermarkets across Sydney were identified as having been visited by people with confirmed cases while dozens of domestic flights due to leave Sydney were cancelled on Monday.

The state of Western Australia re-implemented a hard border closure for the entire State of New South Wales (NSW), turning back anyone from NSW without a legitimate exemption.

Victoria, Queensland closed their borders just to the Greater Sydney region, allowing residents of those states until the end of Monday to get back across the border before restrictions apply.

Meanwhile South Australia and Tasmania introduced softer restrictions requiring arrivals from the Greater Sydney region to quarantine for 14 days.

A majority of Australians would pay to receive coronavirus vaccine early, a survey has found.

Australia reported COVID-19 cases to fewer than 29,000, including 908 fatalities, since the start of the pandemic. 

READ MORE: India hits 10 million coronavirus cases but pace slows

Bangladesh

Bangladesh reported 1,470 new COVID-19 cases and 32 more deaths on Monday, making the tally at 502,183 and the death toll at 7,312, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.

Cambodia

A Cambodian-American woman tested positive for the COVID-19 after arriving in Cambodia from the United States, Cambodia's Ministry of Health said in a statement on Monday.

The 55-year-old woman landed in capital Phnom Penh on Sunday from the US, the statement said.

"The result of her samples' test showed (on Sunday) that the woman was positive for the COVID-19, and she is currently undergoing treatment at the National Center for Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control in Phnom Penh," it said.

The remaining 43 passengers on the same flight have been placed under a 14-day mandatory quarantine at various quarantine centers in the capital, it added.

India

Indian Health Minister Harsh Vardhan Monday said the COVID-19 vaccine may be available in the country in January next year.

Vardhan also noted that the Indian government was fully alert about the new strain of COVID-19 reported in Britain and reassure the public that there was no need to panic.

India's COVID-19 tally rose to 10,055,560 on Monday while 24,337 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours, according to the latest data from the federal health ministry.

According to the data, the death toll mounted to 145,810 as 333 COVID-19 patients died since Sunday morning.

There are still 303,639 active cases in the country, while 9,606,111 people have been discharged so far from hospitals after medical treatment.

Meanwhile, the federal government has ramped up COVID-19 testing facilities across the country, while more than 160 million tests have been conducted.

Indonesia

The Jakarta administration on Monday extended its transitional period of the large-scale social restrictions for another two weeks until Jan 3, the city's governor said.

The move was made to prevent possible further spikes during Christmas and the holiday season.

People look at window displays of the David Jones Ltd. department store in Sydney, Australia, on Dec 7, 2020. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG)

Iran

Iran announced on Monday 6,151 new COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, bringing its tally to 1,164,535 according to the country's health authorities.

Of the newly infected, 991 had to be hospitalized, according to the daily briefing of Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education.

She added that 191 deaths related to the epidemic were registered between Sunday and Monday, raising the total number of deaths related to the coronavirus in the country to 53,816 so far.

Iraq

The Iraqi Health Ministry reported 1,027 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total nationwide infections to 584,145.

The ministry also reported 17 new deaths and 1,964 more recovered cases in the country, raising the death toll from the virus to 12,697 and the total recoveries to 520,969.

Israel

Facebook has taken down content that spread lies in Israel against coronavirus vaccinations as the government seeks to drum up support for the programme, the Justice Ministry said on Sunday.

Israel launched its COVID-19 inoculation drive as the infectious virus has quickly reared its ugly head again in the country.

Health workers were the first to get the shots in the campaign that aims at vaccinating about 60,000 people per day, the Prime Minister's Office and the health ministry said in statements.

On Monday, the vaccine will be given to people over 60 years old and those with medical conditions that put them at higher risk of developing serious symptoms if infected, according to the statements.

The recipients will get a booster shot in three weeks for optimal protection.

Israel has announced a ban on flights from Britain following the discovery of a fast-spreading variant of COVID-19. The prohibition became effective immediately and will be reviewed in seven days.

Israel reported on Sunday 2,846 new COVID-19 cases, bringing its total infections nationwide to 376,857, according to official statistics by the health ministry. The country's total death toll now stands at 3,109, said the ministry.

Jordan

In Jordan, the total registered cases reached 274,949 with 2,152 new infections and the death toll hit 3,568 with 23 new deaths. The total recoveries rose to 243,106.

ALSO READ: Thailand to test over 10,000 people after virus surge

Kuwait

Kuwait's COVID-19 cases increased by 204 to 147,979 on the same day, while the death toll rose by three to 921.

The Kuwaiti Health Ministry also announced the recovery of 285 more patients, taking the total recoveries to 143,926.

Commuters wearing protective face masks cross a street in the central business district in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Dec 1, 2020. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG)

Kyrgyzstan 

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Kyrgyzstan reached 79,254 on Monday as 132 new cases were registered across the country in the past 24 hours, said the Republican Headquarters for Combating COVID-19.

The number of recoveries from the coronavirus in Kyrgyzstan increased to 73,005 after 225 more were added, while the death toll reached 1,331 with one new death reported over the past day.

Currently, 1,636 patients are receiving treatment in hospitals, while 2,394 are being treated at home.

Malaysia

Malaysia reported 2,018 new COVID-19 infections, the health ministry said on Monday, bringing the national total to 95,327.

Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press briefing that seven of the new cases are imported and 2,011 being local transmissions.

One new death was reported, pushing the death toll to 438.

Mongolia 

Mongolia reported 32 more COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the country's National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) said Monday.

"Yesterday, we conducted 5,969 tests for COVID-19 and 32 of them were positive," Amarjargal Ambaselmaa, head of the NCCD's Surveillance Department, said at a press conference.

New Zealand

New Zealand reported five new cases of COVID-19 in managed isolation on Monday, with no new cases in the community.

One previously reported case has now recovered. The total number of active cases in New Zealand is 59, and the total number of confirmed cases is 1,765, official figures showed.

Oman

The Omani health ministry announced 648 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Sultanate to 127,667.

The ministry said that 565 people recovered during the past 72 hours, taking the overall recoveries to 119,574, while five others reportedly died, pushing the tally up to 1,488.

Qatar

The Qatari health ministry announced 143 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 142,001.

It also reported 203 more recovered from the virus, bringing the overall recoveries to 139,724, while the fatalities remained 243 for the second day running.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia reported 162 new cases, bringing the tally to 361,010, and 10 new deaths, taking the death toll to 6,122. The total recoveries reached 351,878.

Saudi Arabia halted international flights and closed its borders for one week over fears about the fast-spreading new strain of the coronavirus. The kingdom may extend the suspension for another week depending on the nature of the virus spread, according to state-run Saudi Press Agency.

Singapore

The first batch of coronavirus vaccines arrived in Singapore on Monday on a flight from Brussels, according to a statement from Deutsche Post AG-owned DHL that didn’t specify which pharmaceutical company made the jabs.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said earlier this month that the nation has approved the use of Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE’s vaccine and expects the first shipments by the end of December. Advance purchase agreements have also been made with other promising candidates, including those from Moderna Inc and Sinovac Biotech Ltd, he said.

“The cargo arrived at Singapore’s Changi International Airport on Dec 21 where DHL handled the customs clearance and final delivery to a designated location in Singapore,” the logistics company said. DHL will also “handle the return of these special shipper boxes to Europe.”

Office workers and city government employees queue at a temporary covid-19 novel coronavirus testing centre outside city hall in Seoul on December 17, 2020.（ED JONES / AFP)

South Korea

The municipal governments of South Korea's capital area decided Monday to ban the gatherings of five or more people to contain the fast spread of COVID-19 in capital Seoul, its surrounding Gyeonggi province and the western port city of Incheon.

Under the new administrative orders in the Seoul metropolitan area, only gatherings and meetings of four or fewer people will be allowed both indoors and outdoors from Wednesday through Jan 3.

The single exception will be wedding and funeral services, in which 50 or fewer people can gather under the current Level 2.5 social-distancing guidelines.

The ban, coming ahead of the year-end peak season for gatherings and events, is tougher than the highest Level 3 social-distancing rules, in which the gatherings of 10 or more people are prohibited.

South Korea reported 926 new cases in 24 hours, dropping below 1,000 for the first time in a week, according to data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s website.

The Philippines

The Philippines will start talks with Moderna Inc. on or before Dec. 30 to secure supply of the company’s coronavirus vaccine, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin said Monday.

“Moderna is interested in giving an allocation,” he said in a live-streamed interview with CNN Philippines, citing Philippine ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez.

The Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines on Monday reported 1,721 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection, bringing the total number in the country to 461,505.

The death toll climbed to 8,957 after 10 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH added.

The UAE

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) reported 1,171 new cases, taking the tally to 193,575. It also confirmed three new deaths, taking the death toll to 637. The recoveries hit 168,995 in the UAE.

Turkey

Turkey temporarily halted flights from the UK, Denmark, the Netherlands and South Africa after the UK government warned that a new, fast-spreading strain of the coronavirus was “out of control,” Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said in a Twitter post.

Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for the suspension in coordination with the Transportation Ministry, Koca said. He didn’t elaborate on the time frame.

Turkey reported on Sunday 20,316 COVID-19 cases, as the total number of positive cases in the country reached 2,024,601. 

The death toll from the virus in Turkey rose by 246 to 18,097, while the total recoveries climbed to 1,800,286.

Uzbekistan 

Uzbekistan reported 115 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total count to 76,048, the country's health ministry said Monday.

The death toll in the country stands at 612, while a total of 73,339 people have recovered, according to the ministry.

Last week, Uzbekistan banned ministries, state organizations and companies with state shares to hold parties for the new year.

Vietnam

Vietnam reported a new case of COVID-19 infection on Monday, bringing its total confirmed cases to 1,414 with 35 deaths from the disease so far, according to its Ministry of Health.

The new case is a Vietnamese citizen who recently entered the country from abroad and was quarantined upon arrival, said the ministry.