Drop in new cases spells hope for S. Korea

SEOUL－Tougher measures adopted in many Asian countries to fight the novel coronavirus seem to be working with the number of new confirmed cases in South Korea falling. However, Iran is yet to come out of the woods.

South Korea on Sunday reported 76 new cases and three more deaths, and a fall in new cases to double-digits for the first time in more than three weeks, as President Moon Jaein declared the hardest-hit provinces "special disaster zones".

It was the first time that the government has designated a certain area a special disaster zone for reasons unrelated to natural disasters, paving the way for state support for the regions hit hard.

The declaration of special disaster zones will allow the government to spend state funds to cover 50 percent of the expenditure needed for damage recovery.

The zones include the southeastern city of Daegu, which is the epicenter of South Korea's coronavirus outbreak, with 77 percent of the total cases, and three regions in North Gyeongsang Province.

The move will also permit the affected people to receive state support for living costs and exemptions in paying utility bills and public health insurance fees.

The government will also review whether to designate other areas as special disaster zones, depending on the extent of damage, said Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun.

South Korea, which has the highest number of cases in Asia after China, had a total to 8,162 confirmed infections and 75 deaths, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The update marked the first time in 23 days that the number of new cases had fallen below 100.

It also represented the lowest daily increase in the number of patients since Feb 21, a strong indication that the spread of the virus is slowing as health authorities ramped up measures to contain cluster infections, Yonhap News Agency reported.

In Japan, the number of infections rose by 53 to reach 773 on Sunday, Japan's health ministry and local governments said.

Most confirmed cases came from Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, now under a state of emergency, which had 144 confirmed 144 cases.

Ban on sale of face masks

Japan's ban on price-gouging on the sale of face masks came into effect on Sunday, aiming at preventing the hoarding of masks for resale at inflated prices. Violators will face penalties of up to one year in prison or a fine of up to $9,300.

The Iranian authorities are considering a partial lockdown of 11 provinces in the country, state TV reported on Saturday.

An Iranian official on Sunday acknowledged that the pandemic could overwhelm health facilities in the country, which is under severe US sanctions.

"If the trend continues, there will not be enough capacity," said Ali Reza Zali, who is leading the campaign against the outbreak.

On Sunday, 1,209 more cases were confirmed, taking the number of infections in the hardest-hit country in the Middle East to 13,938, while the death toll rose by 113 to 724, Iran's health ministry said.

In Israel, due to concerns about coronavirus, Jerusalem's District Court said on Sunday that the corruption trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, due to open on Tuesday, had been postponed until May 24.

On Sunday, India reported that the number of infections had risen to 107, an increase of 23 from the day before. Thailand reported 32, taking its tally to 114, while Indonesia reported the number of infections rose by 21 to 117, with five deaths.

In Africa, Mauritania, Rwanda, Seychelles and the Central African Republic confirmed their first cases on Saturday, taking to 23 the number of African countries that have reported positive tests for the virus.

Xinhua and agencies contributed to this story.