The coronavirus crisis outside China continues to hit multiple countries as Japan discovers new clusters across the island country, and South Korea monitors a new religious sect cluster.
Japan Identifies 15 Different Clusters
The Japanese health ministry said on Monday that it discovered 15 coronavirus clusters across the country, with Osaka recording the biggest cluster. The said city has over 50 infections linked to a particular music venue in the area.
Tokyo reported clusters with over 10 people linked to a single incident. The same was reported by the prefectures of Wakayama, Aichi, and Hokkaido, marking a new turn of events following the Diamond Princess cluster last month.
Aside from the new clusters, Japan also reported over 1,500 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country as of Sunday.
Tokyo Struggles to Contain the Novel Virus
Japan now has a total of 1,528 confirmed CoVID-19 cases as of Sunday, and a total of 31 deaths from the highly-infectious disease. Sunday recorded 30 new cases.
According to Kyodo News, among the latest confirmed patients are two men who were in Italy and were tested once they arrived Tokyo's Haneda airport.
It remains to be seen whether Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will push through with the Tokyo Olympics set for July 24 to August 9 as athletes from all over the world call on the government to cancel the event this year.
Protestant Church at the Heart of New South Korean Cluster
A Protestant church in Seongnam has been put in the center of the authorities' research into a new coronavirus cluster in South Korea.
The city government of Seongnam in Gyeonggi Province reported on Sunday that 40 members of the protestant group the River of Grace Community Church have contracted the CoVID-19 strain, Yonhap News reported.
The latest total of confirmed cases in the said religious sect includes the pastor and his wife, the outlet revealed.
The church in Seongnam is the latest in a string of cluster infections around the country, following the massive community-spreading incident that occurred within the Shincheonji Church of Jesus that started in its Daegu branch.
Malaysian State Quarantines Madrasah Occupants
The sate of Terengganu in Malaysia announced that 87 occupants of the Madrasatul Quran Kubang Bujuk have been identified as Patients Under Investigation (PUI) for potential CoVID-19 infection.
The said madrasah occupants started their quarantine on Saturday at the Hulu Terengganu Hospital. A madrasah is an educational institution and the madrasah in question has since been closed to the public.
The move came after the madrasah was visited by a participant of the recent Masjid Jamek Sri Petaling tabligh (missionary movement) wherein the said attendee is suspected to have contracted the CoVID-19 strain.
Around Half of Malaysia's CoVID-19 Cases Linked to Tabligh Assembly
Malaysian director-general of the Health Ministry Noor Hisham Abdullah said on Sunday that of the country's total 428 confirmed coronavirus cases, 243 are people who attended the Sri Petaling tabligh conference, the South China Morning Post reported.
Over 10,000 people from around the world attended the event, and over 5,000 were Malaysian citizens. It remains to be seen whether the numbers will jump as some of the people in the gathering who were tested have yet to get the results.
Philippines Enhances Community Quarantine in Northern Island
Luzon, the northern island of the Philippines, has been placed on enhanced community quarantine by Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday.
According to local news site ABS-CBN News, the new directive was announced following a meeting among task force leaders spearheading the fight and two days after the National Capital region, including the Philippines' capital, Metro Manila, on community quarantine.
Luzon has an estimated population of over 48 million people and some notable tourist destinations.
Summer Capital of the Philippines Under Community Quarantine
Duterte's declaration on Luzon came shortly after the Summer Capital of the Philippines, Baguio City, was put under community quarantine by Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong.
According to the post on the official Facebook page of the city government, the community quarantine begins March 16 to April 15 as part of the city's strategy in retaining Baguio's CoVID-19-free status.
There are no confirmed cases in the city yet but the city government said they are trying to prevent potential infection among residents of the mountain city that has a population of over 345,300 people.
