Asia, Africa tighten measures to control spread of coronavirus

JERUSALEM－Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday the re-tightening of anti-coronavirus measures ahead of the Jewish holiday of Second Passover.

Traveling between Israeli cities will be banned again starting from Tuesday afternoon, when the Second Passover begins, until Thursday morning.

Netanyahu also said the government will make the final decision by the weekend on the next steps.

Meanwhile, infections rose to 11,586 in Israel after 441 new ones were added on Monday.

In Iran, President Hassan Rouhani said the ban on inter-province travel will be lifted on April 20 as the number of new cases has been slowing over the past days.

Iran reported 1,574 new infections on Tuesday, taking the total number to 74,877, of whom 4,683 have died.

In Turkey, the parliament on Tuesday passed a law that will allow the release of 90,000 prisoners to stem the spread of the virus in jails.

According to the law, about 45,000 prisoners will be temporarily released under judicial control till the end of May. Another batch of prisoners will be released permanently. However, those jailed on terrorism charges are excluded.

Turkey had more than 61,000 infections with nearly 1,300 deaths as of Monday.

In Japan, the country's health ministry said on Tuesday that Japan had 390 new cases for a total of 7,645 as of Monday.

Remote working

And although Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency in Tokyo and six other prefectures, remote working has been slow to catch on at many companies.

Australia and New Zealand on Tuesday brushed aside calls for an easing of tough restrictions on travel and public gatherings.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the country was still "many weeks away" from lifting curbs, while Health minister Greg Hunt on Tuesday urged Australians not to be complacent although the "curve is really flattening".

Australia had 6,366 confirmed cases as of Monday.

New Zealand saw just eight new cases on Tuesday for a total of 1,072, its lowest daily increase in more than three weeks, but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Tuesday that no action would be taken for at least another week when asked when the lockdown would be eased.

In Africa, Nigeria will extend lockdowns in three states for 14 days, President Muhammadu Buhari said on Monday.

Initial 14-day lockdowns in the three areas began on March 30. But Buhari said it was crucial to extend the lockdown due to an "alarming" increase in cases in some states.

There are currently 323 confirmed cases of the virus in Nigeria.

Xinhua - Agencies