Asia steps up efforts as second wave of infections strikes

HONG KONG: From Australia´s Bondi Beach to the streets of New Delhi, authorities across Asia ramped up efforts this weekend to stem the coronavirus amid fears of a second wave of infections in places where outbreaks had appeared under control.

Tighter travel restrictions were imposed in several countries while Malaysia deployed its army to enforce a lockdown as the number of cases in the region soared past 95,000 — a third of the world´s infections, an AFP tally shows.

Outside China — where the virus was first detected in December and infected more than 80,000 people — South Korea is the hardest-hit country in Asia with over 8,500 cases. While the number of infections in China has been falling for weeks, other countries are seeing the toll gather pace as the highly contagious virus takes hold.

Cases rose by roughly a third in Thailand overnight to nearly 600, fueling scepticism about claims in neighbouring Myanmar and Laos of zero infections.Three doctors treating virus patients in Indonesia died, taking the country´s death toll to 48 with 514 confirmed infections.

Most cases are in the capital of Jakarta where businesses have been ordered to close for two weeks.After shutting its borders to foreigners and non-residents, Australia has told citizens to cancel their domestic travel plans too as the number of cases topped 1,300.

Bondi Beach and several other popular swimming spots were shut to the public after crowds of sunbathers defied a ban on large outdoor gatherings.Pubs, casinos, cinemas and places of worship will be shuttered for up to six months from Monday.

Pakistan suspended international flights in a desperate bid to prevent the virus spreading in a country with more than 300 reported cases.Officials in Sindh — the country´s second-most populous province — ordered a provincial lockdown effective midnight.

Pakistan has reported 5,650 suspected cases, 646 confirmed infections, and three deaths from the virus.Millions of people in India were in lockdown Sunday as the government tests the country´s ability to fight the pandemic that has killed over 13,000 worldwide.

Officials said everyone in New Delhi in the private sector would have to work from home this week unless they were involved in an essential service, and most public transport would be halted.

Billionaire Anand Mahindra, whose Mahindra Group business empire spans everything from cars to real estate, said his manufacturing facilities would try to repurpose to make ventilators.

Vehicle manufacturers Tata, Maruti Suzuki, Fiat and Hero Motocorp all said they were suspending operations.Testing has also been expanded in the country of 1.3 billion people amid concerns that the more than 320 reported cases vastly understate the true scale of the health crisis.

The World Health Organization has called for “aggressive” action in Southeast Asia amid fears a major outbreak of the virus could cause some decrepit health care systems in the region to collapse.