BANGKOK (AP) — South Korea reported just eight more cases of the coronavirus on Sunday, the first time a daily increase has dropped to single digits in about two months.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the additional figures raised the country’s total to 10,661, including 234 deaths. It said 8,042 people have recovered and been released from quarantine and 12,243 others were undergoing tests to determine whether they had contracted the virus.
“We must not loosen our guard until the last confirmed patient is recovered.” President Moon Jae-in said.
South Korea’s caseload has been waning in recent weeks since it recorded hundreds of new cases every day between late February and early March, mostly in the southeastern city of Daegu and nearby areas.
Despite the recent downward trend, South Korean officials have warned about the possibility of a broader “quiet spread” with people easing up on social distancing.
Moon urged South Koreans to support his government in saving jobs and revitalizing the economy.
“Government efforts alone aren’t enough amid a grave world economic crisis. Public solidarity and cooperation is also needed to revive our economy,” he said.
In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region:
— BANGLADESH STRUGGLES TO ENFORCE MEASURES: Officials in Bangladesh are investigating how some 100,000 people were able to attend the funeral of a popular Islamic preacher on Saturday, as the country struggles to enforce a ban on large gatherings. Bangladesh has been under a nationwide lockdown since March 26. The lockdown will remain in place until at least April 25. Bangladesh confirmed 312 new cases of the coronavirus on Sunday, raising its total to 2,456, including 91 deaths. Public health experts say community transmission of the virus has already taken place in the country, which has a fragile health care system.
— HUNDREDS MORE INFECTED IN JAPAN: Japan's Health Ministry confirmed 568 new cases of the coronavirus, raising the nation's total to 11,073, with 174 deaths. The actual number of infections is believed to be higher as Japan is only starting to expand its testing capabilities by setting up additional testing centers in Tokyo and elsewhere. It allows primary care doctors to send suspected patients directly to testing stations. It took two months for the number of patients to reach 1,000 since mid-January, but the spread of the coronavirus has accelerated in recent weeks, doubling from around 5,000 in just 10 days.
— FILTHY CLOTH MASKS IN JAPAN: Japan's Health Ministry said it has received reports that some of the cloth masks it is distributing to households are dirty. Reports from 80 municipalities say the masks came with stains, dust and other contamination. The dirty masks were among half a million that the government started sending to pregnant women as a priority last week. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced on April 1 the plan to mail two cloth masks each to 50 million households in Japan amid dire shortage of surgical masks. The Health Ministry urged mask makers to fix the contamination problem and municipal officials to visually inspect the masks before mailing them.