Efforts to curb Covid-19 pandemic continue globally

PETALING JAYA: A total of 15 countries and provinces have reported no new Covid-19 cases, at least for the past 16 days and others ranging longer, according to data from United States’ Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

With the full recovery of Covid-19 cases in the countries, the respective governments have lifted most of their movement restrictions while some have maintained the closure of international borders amid fear of a second wave.

Brunei and Laos are among the South-East Asian countries with zero Covid-19 cases for the past 45 days and 70 days respectively, with Brunei mulling over restarting its bilateral travel with Singapore, China and Malaysia.

Malaysia currently has a Covid19 recovery rate of 95%, with fewer than 300 active cases and the Health director-general has announced the country will only declare itself free of Covid-19 when it records zero new cases of infection for 28 consecutive days.

Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the country had begun discussions with six “green” countries that it would like to open its borders to post-Covid-19. The six countries are Singapore, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea.

There have also been calls for the country to open its borders with Thailand, Vietnam and China.

Thailand and Vietnam have recorded few daily Covid-19 cases, with a total of 71 and 22 active cases, respectively.

Thailand expects to open its borders to tourists beginning October and has plans to rebrand its tourism to “Amazing Trusted Thailand” to guarantee tourists of the country’s health and safety standards.

Vietnam has lifted its 22-day social distancing measures on April 23 but only Vietnamese nationals, foreigners on diplomatic or official business and highly skilled workers are allowed to enter the country now.

Those entering Vietnam must undergo medical checks and 14-day quarantine upon arrival.

Singapore and Brunei citizens may also be allowed to enter Malaysia without the need to undergo coronavirus screening or 14-day home quarantine, should the two countries reciprocate the same flexibility.

Addressing concerns on Singapore’s high number of Covid-19 cases, Dr Noor Hisham said most of the cases involved foreign workers.

The majority, or 94%, of Covid-19 cases in Singapore are work permit holders residing in foreign worker dormitories, according to data from Singapore’s Health Ministry.

“They are just like us; their numbers are high due to cases among their foreign workers.

“We won’t allow their foreign workers to enter our country but we probably can allow Singaporeans who have not travelled to other countries recently, ” he said on Friday.

Singapore has the highest number of active Covid-19 cases, at 7,583 as of Sunday (12pm), followed by South Korea with 1,273 active cases, Japan at 770 active cases, Australia at 453 active cases.

Daily new cases in China have been increasing and surpassing 20 for the past week, with 331 active cases as it reported a new cluster of cases in Beijing 50 days after there were zero cases in the city.

The country was in its recovery phase starting end of April to May when its daily new cases gradually dipped to below 25.

Movement restrictions have restarted in its capital city and authorities are stepping up other measures to prevent the spread of the virus following a series of local infections.

Among the countries that have declared itself free from Covid-19 are Papua New Guinea, Holy See, Timor-Leste, St Kitts and Nevis, Seychelles, Fiji and Tanzania, which recorded its last positive case in May.

However, at least three countries – New Zealand, Eritrea and Montenegro – which have previously announced their success in beating Covid-19 transmission in their community, are now facing new positive cases.

After 22 days without recording any positive Covid-19 case, New Zealand recorded two new positive cases on June 15 after two women who arrived from Britain were allowed to leave quarantine without being tested.

The country has seven active cases as of yesterday.

On June 8, New Zealand announced itself free of Covid-19 cases 12 days after all the patients made full recovery, and was lifting all coronavirus restrictions in the country from June 9.

The coastal European nation of Montenegro was the first to report that it no longer had any active cases on May 25, but started recording new cases three weeks after on June 14 and had recorded a total of 35 active cases as of yesterday.

The first new infection reported in the country since May 5 was a person who arrived from neighbouring country Bosnia.