Southeast Asian countries remain vigilant in implementing social distancing and movement order restrictions as new coronavirus cases decline and more people recover from the disease in the region.
Malaysia Urges Flexible Work Arrangements for Civil Servants
Malaysia is slowly easing out of its movement control order (MCO) that was put in place to flatten the curve in coronavirus infections in the country. With softer MCO restrictions to start May 4, the government urged department heads to prepare more flexible arrangements for civil servants.
According to BERNAMA, director general of the Public Service Department (PDS) Datuk Mohd Khairul Adib Abd Rahman said the flexibility should be applied for both full-time and skeletal work systems.
The goal is to ensure that new COVID-19 cases will be prevented while still providing the best service possible to Malaysians.
As of Saturday, Malaysia logged a total of 6,176 confirmed coronavirus cases, with the death toll being retained at 103.
Single-Digit Hike in New Cases in Thailand
There were no lives lost to the coronavirus in Thailand on Sunday and only three new cases were reported over the last 24 hours, the Bangkok Post reported.
The new figure marks the lowest number of new COVID-19 infections in the country, when clusters were popping up across the country. So far, the country registered a total of 2,969 confirmed coronavirus cases and 54 deaths.
The news came after the government announced a mandatory 14-day quarantine for people returning to their provinces after the long weekend.
Cruise Ship Workers Return Home to Indonesia
Around 239 Indonesian crew members of the AIDAnova and AIDAstella cruise ships have finally returned home onboard a chartered flight from Germany's Frankfurt Airport.
According to ANTARA News, a medical team under the cruise line worked together with the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to monitor the crew members' health.
It is expected that more cruise ship workers will be repatriated home in the coming weeks as more cruise lines suspend operations due the threat of the COVID-19 strain.
So far, Indonesia logged a total of 10,843 confirmed coronavirus cases and 831 deaths from the disease.
16th Day with No Community Infections in Vietnam
Vietnam appears to have flattened the curve in new coronavirus cases as the country went on its 16th consecutive day with zero community transmissions on Saturday, the Vietnam Express reported.
For over two weeks, the country's total infection toll stayed at 270. Furthermore, 217 of the national toll have recovered so far. The remaining 53 are still receiving medical treatment and the said number involves relapsed patients.
The health ministry further revealed that three of the patients who were previously on critical care have since overcome the critical stage of the disease.
Vietnam is among the Southeast Asian countries that appear to have contained the COVID-19 strain.
Philippines Suspends All Inbound Commercial Flights
Nine airports in the Philippines on Sunday started suspending all inbound commercial flights as upon the government's request as part of the efforts to prevent imported COVID-19 cases in the country.
According to ABS-CBN News, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines clarified that only inbound flights will be suspended, not outbound flights. The said regulation is effective for one week.
The suspension of inbound flights includes airports in Puerto Princesa, as well as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
As of Saturday, the Philippines' total toll of COVID-19 cases has reached 8,928. 603 people in the country have died from the fast-spreading virus.
