Armed Israeli troops to help enforce coronavirus lockdown
Israel will deploy armed troops to support police on street patrols in enforcing a lockdown against the coronavirus epidemic, the military said on Friday.
Malaysia announces $58-billion stimulus package to cushion impact of coronavirus
Malaysia announced a stimulus package worth 250 billion ringgit ($58.28 billion) on Friday, its second in a month, to help cushion the economic blow from the coronavirus pandemic.
South Africa coronavirus cases exceed 1,000, first two dead reported
Cases of coronavirus in South Africa passed 1,000 on Friday, the health ministry said, while also reporting its first two deaths on the first day of a three-week, nationwide lockdown.
India cuts rates as distress mounts across South Asia over coronavirus
India’s central bank slashed interest rates in an emergency move on Friday to counter the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic after the federal government locked down the country in order to slow the spread of infections across the region.
Red lights out: Singapore’s sex industry shuts due to coronavirus
Shortly after midnight on Friday, a young Asian sex worker dressed in a baggy cotton dress and slippers stepped out of a brothel in Singapore’s deserted red light district and rolled a wheelie bin to the side of the street.
China’s Xi offers Trump help in fighting coronavirus as U.S. faces wave of new patients
Chinese President Xi Jinping told U.S. President Donald Trump during a phone call on Friday that he would have China’s support in fighting the coronavirus, as the United States faces the prospect of becoming the next global epicentre of the pandemic.
Quarantine a boon for some Hong Kong hotels as thousands return
As thousands of Hong Kong citizens and expatriates return to the city, many are seeking refuge in hotels, fearful that cramped apartments in one of the world’s most expensive property markets could put families or flatmates at risk.
Tokyo residents stockpile essentials to hunker down for the weekend
Large queues formed at supermarkets and stores in Tokyo on Friday as residents in the Japanese capital prepared for a weekend at home, after the city’s governor called on them to remain indoors to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Tokyo Disneyland won’t reopen before April 20, operator says
Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea will remain closed at least until April 19, the operator of the theme parks said on Friday, again extending a temporary closure that began on Feb. 29 due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Hungary to restrict people leaving their homes to fight coronavirus: PM
Hungary will impose restrictions on citizens leaving their homes between March 28 and April 11 to fight the spread of the new coronavirus, Prime Miniszter Viktor Orban told public radio on Friday.
