Turkey eyes relaxation; India struggles

ISTANBUL－Turkey said on Wednesday it has brought its coronavirus outbreak under control, two months after it erupted across the country, and will set out new social guidelines and business practices to prevent any resurgence.

Turkey's number of COVID-19 cases, at 131,744 by Wednesday, is among the world's highest. But it has kept the death toll well below levels in Western Europe and the United States, and the government is now looking to gradually reopen the economy.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said the government's science council would publish guidelines for businesses to follow as they resume operations, setting out precautions to avoid an upswing in new cases.

Turks should also wear masks and respect social distancing in public, as part of a new "controlled social life" that would, for example, restrict the numbers of people allowed into shopping malls and introduce changes at places such as hairdressers.

The country is also preparing to test 150,000 citizens to determine how widely the virus has spread among the population, Koca said.

The sample would be done with both polymerase chain reaction tests that are used to detect antigens from viral infections and with antibody tests. But Koca did not say when the testing would begin.

In Israel, the health ministry reported 21 new cases on Wednesday, the lowest daily increase since March 15, taking the country's total infections to 16,310, and the death toll to 239.

Bonfires ban

Earlier in the day, the Israeli government banned the lighting of bonfires from May 7 to May 13 to prevent gatherings on the evening of May 11, the annual Lag Baomer Jewish Holiday when families and friends gather in celebrations around the fires until late into the night.

In India, the number of infections crossed the 50,000 mark on Thursday, with the pace of new cases showing no signs of abating despite a strict weeks-long lockdown.

Australia's two most populous states on Thursday refused to allow a one-day reprieve from strict limits on personal movement for Mother's Day this weekend, even as the country's rate of new cases remains low.

The premiers of New South Wales and Victoria said the states' roughly 14 million residents, 56 percent of the country's population, would have to stick to existing restrictions on movement on Mother's Day, which is celebrated nationally on Sunday.

NSW recently eased a stay-at-home order to allow social visits in groups of up to two, while some other states have also taken tentative steps to unwind lockdown measures. But most have kept restrictions broadly in place.

Australia has confirmed just under 6,900 COVID-19 cases, including 97 deaths.

The federal government has said it will discuss the possible relaxation of nationwide social distancing rules on Friday at a meeting of an emergency cabinet formed to deal with the crisis, which includes the leaders of the states and territories.

Separately, the Ruby Princess, a cruise ship being investigated in Australia for sparking coronavirus infections, anchored in Manila Bay on Thursday to bring Filipino crew members home.

Agencies - Xinhua