The country’s current law on communicable diseases was drafted in 1995 and has only been amended once, in 2011. 73rd Regional Committee Session of the WHO South-East Asia Region. The Bureau of Internal Revenue on September 1 extended a deadline for the registration of online merchants until September 30. The government approved a stimulus package on March 10 that was expected to inject $12.7 billion into the economy. The Senate on August 20 ratified a nearly $3 billion national recovery bill, called Bayanihan 2, which would provide targeted assistance to the country’s most affected workers and sectors. Incoming passengers are required to undergo a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine. 150 tourists will arrive in Phuket via charter flight from Guangzhou, China. Receive the latest news and information on coronavirus in the WHO South-East Asia Region straight to your phone. On April 6, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat announced an unprecedented third round of support measures called the “Solidarity Budget.” This included one-off payments to citizens, wage subsidies, and self-employed relief funds. All persons entering the country are being placed under quarantine for 14 days. The IMF in October lowered its projection for Singapore’s 2020 economic performance to a 6 percent contraction, down from 0.7 percent growth in 2019. As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads, WHO is supporting countries in their containment and mitigation efforts such as by providing technical guidance, laboratory capacity strengthening for testing, equipment for hospitals and healthcare workers, and
Ninety-two public-private partnership projects worth $3.3 trillion are currently. President Duterte on November 19 allowed the government to enter advance market commitments with vaccine makers. Welcome back to South Asia Reads. Brunei banned all foreign visitors on March 24. Of this, $18 billion was earmarked for financial aid to workers, $12 billion for infrastructure and job investments, $15 billion for soft loans to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and $12 billion for a Corporate Bond Liquidity Stabilization Fund. Public transportation, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on July 7 announced that the Philippines was lifting its, Interior Minister Minister Eduardo Año on July 14. According to the Ministry of Labor, an estimated 60,000 factory workers have been laid off since the beginning of the shutdown in the third quarter. People pass by a poster about precautions against the illness COVID-19 on a … On May 4, the government permitted restaurants and malls to reopen. On October 29, the Sabah state government, As of October 30, the Malaysian government had, Finance Minister Zafrul Abdul Aziz on September 29. REPORTED. With Covid-19 largely contained domestically, the Chinese government pivoted to providing assistance abroad. National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia and state-owned steelmaker PT Krakatau Steel on December 28, The Indonesian House of Representatives on October 5, On October 21, the Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry. Primary, secondary, and junior college students returned to school daily beginning June 29. Several foreign and local analysts, including from the Bank of the Philippine Islands, Economist and Marikina representative Stella Quimbo, The Connect@Changi facility for business travelers. NOVEL CORONAVIRUS MAP. But official government and international sources have confirmed that the economy is continuing to contract. Foreword 2 Executive summary 5 1 | Introduction 9 2 | Methods 13 3 | The North-South relationship in philanthropy 17 4 | How COVID-19 is challenging the status quo 35 5 | From North-South to South-South: Renewed local and regional collaborations … The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore on November 1, Singapore announced on November 6 that a limited number of nightlife establishments will be allowed to, The Ministry of Health announced on November 10 that foreign travelers planning to enter Singapore from high-risk countries will need to, Singapore announced on November 10 that coronavirus tests will be, On November 22, Singapore and Hong Kong began, Singapore’s Ministry of Health announced on November 20 that the country will, On October 20, Education Minister and co-chair of the multi-ministry task force on Covid-19 Lawrence Wong, On October 20, the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office, The distribution of TraceTogether tokens at community centers was temporarily, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung on October 30, A fast lane connecting Singapore and South Korea, The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore on September 8, Entry restrictions to four popular markets were, Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong on September 23, On October 7, 19 mosques in Singapore will, Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong on July 17, The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. On March 20, the Lao cabinet approved a preliminary 13-part stimulus package during its monthly meeting. Cambodia’s Ministry of Health on July 25 announced that it was, On April 10, the Cambodian National Assembly, Between January and late April, the government, As of December 24, the “Cash Transfer Programme for Poor and Vulnerable Households during Covid-19” had, Cambodia’s National Committee for Counter Trafficking on August 12, As of July 31, the government had approved $22 million in loans under its SME Co-Financing Scheme. On February 20, the foreign ministers of ASEAN and China, Chinese non-government entities have also been active, most notably the Alibaba and Jack Ma foundations. Malaysia on February 16 launched its Covid-19 vaccination handbook with guidelines on the nation’s vaccine procurement strategy and the implementation and observation of the vaccination program. Malaysia’s initial response to the outbreak was nonchalant and complicated by an abrupt change in government when Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad resigned and Muhyiddin Yassin rose to power on a razor-thin majority coalition. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on February 11, The Yangon Region and Naypyidaw Union Territory Departments of Public Health on February 18 began. South Asia News -The US drugmaker was reported to have told the Indian government it wanted to produce the shot locally.. ... World eyes 'health passports' that prove Covid-19-free status… Schools in Ho Chi Minh City and six other provinces and cities, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on March 2, Mekong Delta provinces on March 2 announced they would, Ho Chi Minh City health officials on March 9 successfully, In early February, Vietnamese airlines and airports began, On February 4, the Airports Corporation of Vietnam, On February 9, the Vietnam Military Medical University, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on February 15, The Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control on February 17 was, The Ministry of Health announced on February 17 that Vietnam will, The Vietnamese government on February 25 gave, Vietnam’s Ministry of Health on February 26, Vietnam’s deputy health minister announced on January 4 that the country will, The National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control on January 15, Vietnam’s Ministry of Health on January 19, Many localities at the end of January began, On December 1, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, On December 1, two schools in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnamese authorities told domestic vaccine producer Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology on December 11 to, Vietnam announced on December 17 that the first three volunteers to, On October 1, Vietnam’s immigration department, Foreign experts, investors, managers, and diplomats entering the country for fewer than 14 days will no longer be required to quarantine, On August 3, a government spokesperson said that Vietnam has, Danang on August 11 announced that it was, With the second-largest outbreak after Danang, Quang Nam Province on August 13, Beginning August 19, all restaurants in Hanoi must, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on August 19, Flights between Vietnam and Japan for commercial activities, The government on April 15 released a decree to prevent the spread of “, The government released guidelines on April 25 that allowed localities, The Vietnam Bank for Social Policy on January 14, Vietnam’s National Assembly on November 17. On July 21, Duterte ordered police to arrest anyone found not wearing a mask to teach “a lesson for all time.”. ReliefWeb COVID-19 Central, Eastern, South-eastern & Southern Asia provides updates for GHRP countries regionally grouped per United Nations … On October 2, the government announced a 30 percent corporate income tax cut for certain businesses for the 2020 financial year. On January 22, Myanmar is expected to receive 1.5 million doses of the Covishield vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India. Case numbers spiked in December following an outbreak of Covid-19 among migrant workers in Samut Sakhon, and the country has quickly reimposed lockdown measures. Second Vice President Henry Van Thio, Myanmar on July 29 announced that it would. Despite its close links with China and having 650 million inhabitants, Southeast Asia has recorded only 182 COVID-19 infections and one death, low figures that some experts attribute to the region's w In the race to immunize people against the coronavirus, Singapore has pulled ahead of its neighbors to become the first in Southeast Asia to start an official Covid-19 vaccination program. Calibrating public health and social measures in the context of COVID-19: towards sustainable applic... Update on research activities for novel coronavirus → WHO's R&D Blueprint has been activated to accelerate diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics for this outbreak. Share this page. Prime Minister Hun Sen has recently turned his attention to securing sufficient vaccine doses and has promised that they will be free to the public. COVID-19 cases continue to rise rapidly in South Asia. Numbers remained low until March, when the country began to see widespread community spread. Malaysians with a Singapore work permit were allowed to continue, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on February 16. Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the launch of the policy brief on the impact of COVID-19 on South-East Asia, in New York today: Total Tourism Contribution to Gross Domestic Product and Employment in 2019 and Relative Tourism Economic Dependency6 Note: Bhutan employment based on overall employment in the service sector. In an effort to boost its economy, … The government on January 29 announced that Thailand plans to begin a mass inoculation campaign in June using locally produced AstraZeneca vaccines. Myanmar’s Committee for Prevention, Control and Treatment of Covid-19, The government announced on September 15 that it is rushing to, On September 21, Myanmar’s Ministry of Health and Sports, On September 21, a stay-at-home order was, On September 24, it was reported that the government is, The government of Rakhine state on August 21, Borders with China, India, and Thailand remain closed while those with Bangladesh are restricted to trade flows. By April, the government had earmarked approximately $70.4 billion, about 20 percent of GDP, to respond to Covid-19. Canberra provided $14.5 million to Indonesia on May 29, followed by $4.3 million alongside the. Those returning after October 11 must undergo mandatory Covid-19 tests. Also in early June, restaurants, cafes, tea shops, and markets reopened with social distancing guidelines and limited customer capacity. Brazil registered 76,178 new cases of coronavirus and 1,997 new COVID-19 deaths, the Health ministry said on Saturday. It included $23.1 billion for businesses and $2.3 billion in direct cash payments for 4 million low-income households. Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on September 8. At least three companies blacklisted by the Department of Budget and Management, The Department of Labor and Employment on September 9. The Livelihoods and Food Security Fund, a multi-donor fund financed by the United Kingdom, European Union, Australia, Switzerland, United States, Canada, and Ireland has allocated $15.8 million to Myanmar’s Covid-19 response. The government approved relief measures on April 10 exempting micro- and small businesses from paying income tax for three months. Disease Outbreak News →Since 21 January 2020, Disease Outbreak News have been replaced with daily situation reports. Starting April 19, Yangon imposed a 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. On April 28, the government and ethnic armed organizations, On April 30, UN Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee, In mid-March, the government formed a Covid-19 committee led by State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi to oversee the crisis response. After becoming the first country outside of China to approve the Sinovac vaccine for use, Indonesia began its vaccination program in mid-January. On July 7, the Laos National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, A Korean national arriving in the country to work on a hydropower project. Despite the country’s almost non-existent health care system, it has avoided a major outbreak. Muhyiddin unveiled the country’s second stimulus package, estimated at $53 billion, on March 26. . On April 7, the government unveiled plans for a new stimulus package worth $58 billion—10 percent of GDP. WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard. Laos, the most rural country in Southeast Asia, was also the last to report its first Covid-19 infection. Thailand closed all its borders on March 22 and banned foreign visitors. A regional program to enhance capacity building for contact tracing at the most peripheral levels has been initiated with support from WHO HQ and partners. On May 14, Brunei launched a new contact-tracing app, On March 16, citizens, foreign residents, and green card holders in the country were barred from leaving without permission from the Prime Minister’s Office.