HERE are the latest developments in Asia related to the novel coronavirus pandemic:
China bars foreigners to halt second wave
Foreigners are banned from entering China, while non-nationals with valid visas and resident permits will be blocked from coming to the country, in a bid to halt a second wave of infections.
Other measures include reducing the number of international flights and limiting the capacity on board to 75 per cent.
In recent weeks, China's tally of cases has dwindled dramatically, with only a handful of domestic patients each day -- but there has been a surge of infected people arriving from new hotspots overseas.
President Xi Jinping meanwhile said China and the United States should "unite to fight" the pandemic in a call with US counterpart Donald Trump, according to state media. Beijing and Washington have clashed in recent weeks over the virus.
Markets bounce on US stimulus
Asian equities mostly rose again and the dollar extended losses, with traders buoyed by government and central bank pledges to prop up the virus-ravaged global economy.
Markets have had a brutal month as the pandemic spreads around the globe, but have recovered some ground in recent days as policymakers unleash unprecedented stimulus measures.
Singaporeans may face jail for standing too close
Singaporeans could be jailed for up to six months if they intentionally stand close to someone else, under tough new rules to halt the spread of the virus.
The city-state has introduced a series of new measures to tackle the virus, including closing bars and cinemas as well as banning large events.
Tokyo businesses to close as cases rise
Businesses in the greater Tokyo region prepared to shut their doors, at least for the weekend, after governor Yuriko Koike made a call for their help in preventing the spread of the virus.
People in the Japanese capital have been urged to stay at home this weekend after Koike warned of a possible "explosion" of the virus following a rise in cases.
Emergency flights for people stranded in South Asia
Foreign governments stepped up operations to evacuate tens of thousands of tourists stranded by the coronavirus pandemic in remote locations across South Asia, from the Everest base camp to beach hotels in Sri Lanka.
More than 10,000 people are stranded in Nepal, almost 17,000 tourists are stuck in Sri Lanka, while tens of thousands of travellers and expatriates are in India, according to authorities.
Singapore Airlines to get cash injection
Singapore's flag carrier said it was getting extra funding of up to Sg$19 billion (US$13 billion) to help weather the pandemic, which is hammering the aviation sector.
The airline will raise up to Sg$15 billion with the backing of its majority shareholder, state investment fund Temasek, while local bank DBS will provide a Sg$4 billion loan.
India cuts interest rates
India's central bank cut its benchmark interest rate by 75 basis points to 4.40 per cent, following similar moves by policymakers worldwide who are battling to stave off a major economic crisis.
Malaysia stimulus package
Malaysia announced a 250 billion ringgit (US$57 billion) stimulus package to combat the fallout from the pandemic, including direct payments to people, rent waivers, and electricity bill discounts.
Indonesia response 'in tatters'
Indonesia's coronavirus crisis is far worse than being officially reported and the government's response is "in tatters", the country's doctors association warned as the death toll climbed to 87.
The world's fourth-most populous country only reported its first confirmed infection this month but by Friday, that had ballooned to over 1,000.
Driving out migrant labourers
The fear of starvation due to lockdown is driving out migrant labourers from the national capital.
"We are going back to Badaun in Uttar Pradesh. We have been hungry for two days. The biscuit which used to cost Rs 10 now costs Rs 30," said Shahadat, who along with others were on way to their native places. "We have no money. We will die either of hunger or coronavirus," added Shahadat, who used to live in Okhla here.
Since the lockdown was imposed on Tuesday midnight for 21 days to check the spread of COVID-19, migrant labourers from the nearby districts of UP, Haryana, and Rajasthan have started returning to their native places.
Many of them claimed that they had been hungry for days. They are walking down to their respective destinations without having any mode of transportation to save themselves from hunger and coronavirus
Joint action between China and the US
President Xi Jinping on Friday urged for a coordinated joint action between China and the United States to fight against the novel coronavirus, saying that he hopes that Washington will take concrete steps to improve bilateral relations.
In a phone conversation with US President Donald Trump, Xi said bilateral relations are now at a critical juncture, and both nations stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation and that cooperation is the only correct choice for both sides, Peoples' Daily China reported. Xi called for a joint effort from both sided to bolster cooperation in areas such as epidemic containment and develop a China-US relationship featuring non-confrontation, non-conflict, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation.
China has already shared information on the novel virus, including the genetic sequencing of the virus, with the Word Health Organisation (WHO) and countries including the United States.
The country has also shared its experience on epidemic containment and medical treatment and done its best to support and help countries in need of assistance, he said.
Democracies should lead the effort
Democracies like the United States and India should lead the effort around the world to combat the coronavirus pandemic, Morgan Ortagus, the spokesperson for the US State Department said on Thursday. "Other democracies that are joining us in this fight, and this time for all of us, are fully transparent into doing our best practices, this is a pandemic and this won't be the last one. We have had SARS, Ebola, and now COVID-19. I think it's upon democracies like America and India to lead an effort around the world," Ortagus said.
"America and India have close ties, we have many Indian-Americans, many people who live and go back and forth between our two countries and it is certainly helpful when we have countries like India and South Korea fighting this together," she added.
Talking on India's decision to impose nation-wide lockdown, Ortagus said: "The United States is super supportive of the fact that he (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) is taking it so seriously and putting the lives of the Indian people first."
Fiscal deficit to expand
China has decided to allow its fiscal deficit to expand to take measures aimed at shoring up an economy hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, state-run media reported Friday.
"Our country is facing a new challenge for economic development," the ruling Communist Party's decision-making political bureau was quoted by the media as saying as it laid out the policy.
"We will take a more aggressive fiscal policy," the Politburo said in a meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping, according to the media.
To prevent the bursting of asset-inflated economic bubbles, Xi had put more emphasis on budgetary tightening than on economic growth, prior to a recent economic slowdown largely as a result of the virus outbreak and a prolonged trade dispute with the United States.
REFERENCES
AFP; ANI; Kyodo; Xinhua News Updates
