People wearing face masks walk on the street in Tokyo, Japan, on July 2, 2020. (Xinhua/Du Xiaoyi)
-- Malaysia reports 6 new infections, no local transmissions for two days;
-- Tokyo's new cases surge to 224, highest level since virus outbreak;
-- Indonesia reports 2,657 new cases, 58 new deaths;
-- Cases in Bangladesh reaches 175,494 with 3,360 new infections;
-- India's death toll rises to 21,129, total close to 770,000.
HONG KONG, July 9 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia-Pacific countries on Thursday:
KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysia reported another six new COVID-19 cases, bringing the national total to 8,683 cases, the Health Ministry said,
Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a statement that all the new cases are imported from among those returning from overseas, hence no local transmission for a second day.
A staff member cleans a ticket machine at a cinema in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, July 1, 2020. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)
SUVA -- About 20 percent of the 400 resorts and hotels in Fiji have re-opened to welcome local Fijians as part of the Fijian government's efforts to restart the island nation's struggling tourism.
According to Fijivillage news website, Fantasha Lockington, CEO of the Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association, said that this is because domestic tourism does not come out for the whole week but only a weekend or maybe three days at the most.
A policeman checks cars at a temporary checkpoint on Queen Elizabeth Drive in Suva, Fiji, April 11, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Yongxing)
JAKARTA -- The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 2,657 within one day to 70,736, with the death toll adding by 58 to 3,417, Achmad Yurianto, a Health Ministry official, said.
Indonesia will further ease restrictions in the aviation field by planning to impose a new normal scenario soon in the sector, aiming at propping up battered airlines, a senior minister has said.
Members of Indonesian Red Cross conduct disinfection at a school building in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 9, 2020. (Xinhua/Zulkarnain)
DHAKA -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh reached 175,494 as 3,360 new infections were confirmed in the last 24 hours.
Senior Health Ministry official Nasima Sultana said in a briefing that 3,360 new COVID-19 positive cases and 41 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.
Staff clean up the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh, June 16, 2020. (Str/Xinhua)
MANILA -- The number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines surged to 51,754 after the Department of Health (DOH) reported 1,395 new cases.
The DOH said that the number of recoveries further rose to 12,813 after 225 more patients have survived the disease.
No additional death was reported. The death toll remains at 1,314, the DOH said.
Members of a non-governmental organization hand out free helmets and reflective sashes to people on bicycles in Manila, the Philippines on July 9, 2020. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)
SEOUL -- South Korea reported 50 more cases of the COVID-19 as of 0:00 a.m. Thursday local time compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 13,293.
The daily caseload moved between 40 and 70 for the past week due to the continued small cluster infections and imported cases.
People wait to cross a road in front of Seoul Square in Seoul, South Korea, May 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Jingqiang)
TOKYO -- The number of new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Tokyo surged to a record high of 224, the highest since the outbreak of the virus hit the capital, officials said.
The number eclipses the previous record of 206 cases confirmed in Tokyo, a city of 14 million, on April 17.
A voter wearing a face mask casts her vote during the Tokyo gubernatorial election at a polling station in Tokyo, Japan, July 5, 2020. (Xinhua/Du Xiaoyi)
NEW DELHI -- India's federal health ministry said 487 new deaths due to COVID-19, besides fresh 24,879 positive cases, were reported during the past 24 hours across the country, taking the number of deaths to 21,129 and total cases to 767,296.
Medical staff check the final preparations for operation at a COVID-19 care center at the Commonwealth Games village in New Delhi, India, on July 8, 2020. (Photo by Partha Sarkar/Xinhua)
WELLINGTON -- New Zealand reported three new cases of COVID-19, bringing the number of active cases in the country to 24, all in managed isolation or quarantine facilities, according to the Ministry of Health.
It has been 69 days since the last case of COVID-19 was acquired locally from an unknown source, said a ministry's statement.
A plane takes off in Wellington, New Zealand, June 9, 2020. (Xinhua/Guo Lei)■