North Korea steps up prevention after first infection

Xinjiang, where an outbreak has seen millions of residents tested and strict lockdowns in the regional capital Urumqi.

SEOUL: North Korea introduced tougher prevention measures against the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, state media reported, after it locked down the border town of Kaesong to tackle what could be its first publicly confirmed case of the respiratory disease. Strict quarantine measures and the screening of districts were in progress, and test kits, protective clothing and medical equipment were being rapidly supplied, the North’s KCNA state news agency said. The measures come after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared an emergency on Sunday after a person suspected of being infected with the virus returned from South Korea. North Korea had reported testing 1,211 people for the virus as of July 16 with all returning negative results, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement sent to Reuters on Monday.

Tuesday. That is down from the record high of 532 the previous day.

Six more people died in Victoria, bringing the total Australian death toll to167, half of them in Victoria. People in Melbourne are halfway through a sixweek lockdown to combat the spread of the virus, which has infected thousands of people and caused dozens of deaths in the state of Victoria.

Victorians are only allowed out of their homes to shop for essential food and goods, care for others, exercise, or to work or study if it can’t be done from home. They must wear masks if in public.

Andrews said that all non-essential surgeries have been suspended as hospitals struggle to handle the growing number of people who required hospital treatment. — Agencies