Asia, Africa boost protection measures

TEHERAN－Countries in Asia and Africa are extending social distancing measures to try to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday extended social distancing measures until April 8.

The president once again called on the Iranian people to stay indoors, noting that social distancing and self-quarantining have helped the country's health authorities make major breakthroughs in their battle against the virus.

Iran reported 2,987 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, taking the total number to 47,593. The death toll rose by 138 to 3,036.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi authorities on Tuesday decided to extend the nationwide curfew until April 19 to contain the spread of the virus, according to Health Minister Jaafar Sadiq Allawi.

Allawi predicted that the pandemic will end in June if the people abided by the curfew. The country has reported a total of 694 cases.

Allawi also praised China's "unforgettable and historic" contribution to Iraq's fight against the virus by sending medical experts and helping build a testing lab.

In Pakistan, the total number of confirmed cases rose to 2,039, with 26 deaths reported across the country.

Earlier on Tuesday, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Zafar Mirza said that the government was enhancing its strict prevention measures and social distancing policy while reviewing international guidelines.

In India, authorities scoured mosques in northern India on Wednesday trying to trace people who attended a gathering of a Muslim group in New Delhi that later emerged as an infection hot spot, while a government-run hospital in the capital was shut down after a doctor tested positive.

The death toll from the virus in India on Tuesday evening rose to 35 as the number of confirmed cases in the country reached 1,397.

In Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday that Japan has yet to reach a point where the declaration of a state of emergency is necessary.

He said that a state of emergency does not mean an immediate lockdown of cities.

Closure of schools

Separately, education authorities in Tokyo are considering keeping high schools closed until early May to deal with the infections, as 66 new cases were reported in the city on Wednesday, taking the total number of cases in the capital to 587, or over 25 percent of the nation's 2,341 infections.

In Vietnam, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc signed a decree on Wednesday to declare COVID-19 a nationwide epidemic, as the total infections rose to 212.

In Sudan, the country's health ministry announced a new confirmed case, taking the tally of infections in the country to seven.

Meanwhile, the Chinese embassy in Sudan on Tuesday handed over 400,000 surgical masks to the government to help the country combat the contagious disease.

South Africa on Tuesday recorded 27 new confirmed cases, taking its total to 1,353.

To date, the country has conducted a total of 41,072 tests, said the National Institute for Communicable Diseases.

"We wish to encourage South Africans to continue to heed preventive measures to assist in flattening the transmission curve," the NICD said.

The Republic of Congo reported its first two deaths from the virus on Tuesday evening, hours after a nationwide home confinement was put into effect. The country has reported 22 confirmed cases so far.

Wang Xu in Tokyo, Xinhua and agencies contributed to this story.