Asian countries, where the earliest coronavirus outbreaks were detected, continue to see declines in new infections as nations slowly ease out of lockdowns and community quarantines.
China's Successful Containment of COVID-19
The National Health Commission on Monday announced that there were zero locally-transmitted new coronavirus cases in the mainland on Sunday. All of the three new infections were imported, Xinhua reported.
There were also no deaths linked to the COVID-19 strain on Sunday, indicating a continuous streak in China's winning battle against the novel coronavirus.
The news came amid an ongoing downtrend in new infections in some Asian countries. China used to be the hardest-hit country in the world as it is also where the new coronavirus strain is believed to have originated.
However, the country appears to have recovered from the health crisis and Wuhan, ground zero of the COVID-19 strain, is now recovering fast following months of being under lockdown.
As of Sunday, China's total number of infections reached 82,880. The country also saw a total of 4,633 lives lost to the virus.
South Korea Follows Suit in Zero Local Transmissions
On Monday, South Korea registered eight new COVID-19 infections but none of the new cases were locally transmitted.
According to the Yonhap News Agency, the news came as the South Korean government continues to gradually ease out of the strict social distancing regulations set in place last month to prevent further infections.
So far, this is the third time no local transmissions were detected in the country and all new logged cases were imported. On the other hand, health experts noted that the downtrend should still not be a source of being lax in anti-coronavirus plans.
As of Monday, South Korea registered 10,801 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 252 deaths.
Easing Expected for Japanese Prefectures with Low Infection Risks
In Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to extend the nationwide state of emergency through May 31 as part of the efforts to further prevent COVID-19 infections, Kyodo News reported.
It is further expected that the government will slowly ease stay-at-home orders for some prefectures where a surge in new coronavirus cases is deemed with low possibility.
As for other establishments such as parks and libraries, it is expected that reopening will be allowed on the condition that reopening facilities will strictly abide by preventive steps laid out by the Japanese government.
Japan logged a total of 14,571 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 474 deaths as of Sunday.
Singapore Figures Fluctuate amid Lab Backlogs
Singapore on Sunday reported 657 new coronavirus cases, bringing the national total to 18,205. The city-state also saw one fatality from the virus, Channel News Asia reported.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) noted that the fluctuating numbers in the city-state was due to "clearance of backlogged cases by one laboratory." Furthermore, the ministry clarified that it is working continuously with the lab in question to ensure more efficient processing of COVID-19 tests.
The vast majority of the new cases detected in Singapore are still among work permit holders. Contact tracing is still being implemented widely in the city-state, especially in foreign work dormitories, where the largest clusters were detected last month.
