Australia declares sweeping measures in a bid to control the further spread of the deadly CODIV-19 pandemic into the country. Prime Minister Scott Morrison placed the country under "human biosecurity emergency" which means citizens are no longer allowed to travel overseas. Morrison said the pandemic might continue to ravage the world up to six months.
With the declaration, the local government now has the right to shut down cities, regions, implement curfews and placed people under quarantine. The country was also placed on Level 4: Do Not Travel" advisory. Indoor gatherings of more than 100 people are also not allowed until further notice.
Australian officials are now worried about the uncontrollable spread of the virus in the country after its most populous state, New South Wales, reported a surge in new cases in the past 24 hours (March 17-18). Sydney also saw its first death. The patient is an 86-year-old man.
As China reported no new case on Wednesday, the rest of Asia is experiencing a sweeping spike in the number of cases.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in pledged $39 billion in emergency funding for small businesses to thrive in these trying times. Even with its successful control of the virus, the government releases financial aids to boost the country's economy as the pandemic continues.
Malaysia, meanwhile, enforced toughest measures on Wednesday, locking the country from neighbors through the nationwide lockdown. The country is the worst-hit across South-east Asia. There won't be public gatherings such as religious ceremonies, sporting events, cultural and social events until March 31. Schools, universities, and businesses are closed except for supermarkets, banks, and pharmacies.
The same aggressive measures were implemented by controversial President Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines. A lot of Filipinos were left stranded in the streets in the country's city center, Manila after Dutertes placed the island of Luzon under enhanced quarantine. Under enhanced quarantine, public transportations are banned, businesses (except essential service providers) are closed, and social distancing is strictly enforced.
Meanwhile, slight optimism was felt when Chinese health experts said a Japanese drug for flu appeared to be effective in treating COVID-19 patients. The drug is favipiravir also known as Avigan which was developed by Fujifilm Toyama Chemical. The drug was tested in patients more than 300 patients in Wuhan and Shenzhen.
Elsehwere in Asia, here are the total number of cases, new cases, total deaths, new deaths as of March 18:
China (total cases 81116)- (new cases 39)- (total deaths 3231)- (new deaths 13)
Republic of Korea 8320 -84 -81- 6
Japan 829- 15 -28 -4
Malaysia 553- 0- 0- 0
Australia 414- 78- 5- 0
Singapore 266- 23- 0- 0
Philippines 187- 45 -12
Viet Nam 61- 4- 0 -0
Brunei Darussalam 54- 4 -0 -0
Cambodia 24 -12- 0- 0
New Zealand 11- 5- 0- 0
Mongolia 4 0 -0 -0
Thailand 177- 30 -1 -0
Indonesia 172- 0 -5- 0
India 137 -23- 3- 1
Sri Lanka 29- 10 -0- 0
Maldives 13- 0 -0- 0
Bangladesh 8- 0- 0 -0
Bhutan 1- 0- 0- 0
Nepal 1 -0 -0- 0
