China reported 21 new cases of coronavirus
on Tuesday along with 13 new deaths caused by the illness Covid-19,
the country's National Health Commission said.
All but one of the new confirmed cases were brought into the country
by citizens returning from abroad, marking a new low for locally
transmitted virus cases in China since reporting started.
The single new case that was locally transmitted in the most recent
figures was in Hubei province, where the outbreak first began in
December.
Imported cases surpassed domestic ones in China for the first time on
Sunday, according to figures from the commission.
A total of 3,226 people died of Covid-19 in China and the coronavirus
infected 80,881 people, of whom 68,679 have recovered.
As the respiratory disease continues to spread globally and kill
thousands in Europe, official figures from Chinese health authorities
point to containment of the virus within its source country.
In South Korea, the number of new coronavirus infections saw a slight
uptick in figures released on Tuesday, with 84 new cases recorded the
previous day.
The data followed several days of a downward trend in new infections.
Authorities cited a new rise in cases in the city of Seongnam, south
of Seoul, as a reason for the increase.
For the first time, a higher number of new infections were reported
in the capital Seoul and Gyeonggi province area than in the
south-eastern metropolis of Daegu and surrounding area, where more
than 80 per cent of all infections in South Korea have been reported
so far.
This brings the total of people who have tested positive for the
virus in the country to 8,320, the figures from the Korea Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention show.
There have been 81 deaths from the Covid-19 disease in South Korea.
In Australia, former Prime Minister Julia Gillard was in
self-isolation after close contact with Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, wife
of Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, just a week before she
tested positive for the coronavirus, a spokeswoman for Gillard said
on Tuesday.
Gillard attended a function with Gregoire Trudeau in London earlier
this month.
"Ms Gillard is well and coming to the end of the recommended period
for self-isolation, which she has been doing as a precautionary
measure only. She is following current UK public health advice and so
at this stage has not been tested," the spokeswoman told dpa.
Meanwhile, Hollywood actor Tom Hanks was released from a Gold Coast
hospital on Tuesday after being quarantined with the coronavirus,
though his wife Rita Wilson continues to remain in isolation for the
time being, according to Australian broadcaster ABC.
In Tasmania, the state government announced a "public health
emergency." It comes a day after Victoria and the Australian Capital
Territory announced a state of emergency to deal with the spread of
the coronavirus.
Also, on Tuesday, New South Wales, the state with the highest number
of confirmed cases of Covid-19, announced a stimulus package worth
2.3 billion dollars (1.4 billion US dollars).
Meanwhile, the Australian High Court has suspended all hearings until
June, but the decision will not affect the delivery of judgements,
including for the appeal case of jailed Cardinal George Pell, who is
trying to overturn his child sex abuse conviction.
Pell's case was heard last week in the court, but the judges have
reserved their decision until a later date.
Australia has at least 440 confirmed cases of Covid-19, with five
deaths.
In New Zealand, the government has unveiled a coronavirus rescue
package to quell economic fears and financial hardship.
At 12.1 billion New Zealand dollars (7.36 billion dollars), the
package is worth 4 per cent of the country's gross domestic product,
the government said in a statement.
It is comparatively larger than relief packages announced by
Australia, the UK and the US, the statement added.
"The government is pulling out all the stops to protect the health of
New Zealanders and the health of our economy," Prime Minister Jacinda
Ardern said.
Businesses will see an 8.7-billion-dollar injection into wage
subsidies, tax relief, and leave support.
New Zealanders will receive
2.8 billion dollars in income support and to boost spending, and 500
million dollars has been put aside for a health fund.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson said the package was not a one-off.
"As we go through this crisis towards economic recovery the
government will be constantly monitoring the situation and adjusting
its response," he said.
New Zealand currently has 11 confirmed Covid-19 cases and no deaths.
Cambodia's Health Ministry confirmed on Tuesday that the total number
of Covid-19 cases in the country doubled since the previous day from
12 to 24.
Eleven of the 12 people who tested positive were among 79 Cambodian
Muslims who recently attended an Islamic gathering in Malaysia, local
news outlet VOD reported, citing the ministry. The other Cambodian
who tested positive had recently travelled to Thailand.
A worker wearing a face mask is seen on a production line at the plant of Dongfeng Honda Automobile Co in Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, in Hubei province, China