Iran watches economy in virus battle

TEHERAN－Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said late on Sunday that public health is the first priority of the country, but employment, production and business should also be taken into account.

And he said that the existing restrictions to curb the COVID-19 spread would be eased gradually in the weeks to come.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi on Sunday hailed China's efforts to help Iran and other countries, and said China's bravery, dedication and professionalism in COVID-19 containment "deserve acknowledgment".

China has so far sent 28 planeloads of aid to Iran, said Iran's Ambassador to China Mohammad Keshavarzzadeh.

As of Monday, the death toll in Iran was 3,739, and the country had a total of 60,500 infections.

In Lebanon, President Michel Aoun has appealed for the international community to help the country as it endures its worst economic and financial crisis in decades, made worse in recent weeks by the novel coronavirus.

Aoun said in a speech on Monday in front of ambassadors of the International Support Group for Lebanon which includes the UN, US, China, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, UK, EU and the Arab League, that Beirut was getting ready to launch work to revive the economy when coronavirus hit the world.

Lebanon had reported 541 cases and 19 deaths by Monday.

Turkey said on Sunday that it would minimize its troop movements in operation zones in neighboring Syria as the Turkish death toll rose to 574 and infections to 27,069, making it the second hardest-hit country in the Middle East.

Separately, Israel launched a $4 million grant program for 30 coronavirus research teams, with the aim of slowing down the pandemic and generating a better understanding of the disease, as the tally of infections in the country rose to 8,430, with 49 deaths, on Sunday.

Israel's Ministry of Defense and the Israeli airline El Al announced a joint operation to fly medical equipment, including surgical masks, medical staff protective suits and respirators, from China.

Toughened penalties

South Korea reported fewer than 50 new cases for the first time since its peak at the end of February. There were 47 new infections on Sunday, taking its total to 10,284.

Also, the government on Saturday extended its intensive social distancing campaign by two weeks.

Starting on Sunday, the government toughened penalties for those who violate self-quarantine rules, with fines up to $8,100 or one year in prison.

In Australia, Carnival Corp's troubled Ruby Princess cruise liner, the biggest single source of coronavirus infections in the country, docked south of Sydney on Monday to get help for sick crew members requiring urgent medical treatment.

The cruise ship has more than 1,000 crew still on board after passengers disembarked in mid-March without health checks.

In Africa, South Sudan announced its first case, making it the 51st of Africa's 54 countries to report the disease. As a result, President Salva Kiir imposed a curfew for six weeks and closed borders, airports, schools, churches and mosques.

Algeria on Sunday received its first order of medical equipment worth $4.95 million from China to combat COVID-19, which has killed 152 and infected 1,320. Algerian Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad said the second order will be delivered by China in the coming weeks, adding that Algeria "will make every effort to stop this pandemic".

In South Africa, the authorities rolled out massive community testing, which covered over 56,000 people as of Sunday. Total infections in the country were up to 1,655 and the death toll was 11.

Xinhua - Agencies