Class openings delayed
It remains to be seen whether the recent spike in infections force back a phased reopening of schools, which had been a major accomplishment in the nation’s antivirus campaign. The Education Ministry on Wednesday said class openings were delayed at 561 schools nationwide because of virus concerns.
South Korea was reporting around 500 new cases per day in early March before managing to stabilize its outbreak with aggressive tracking and testing, which allowed officials to relax social distancing guidelines.
KCDC director Jeong Eunkyeong said the country may need to reimpose social distancing restrictions, noting it’s becoming increasingly difficult for health workers to track transmissions amid increasing public activity.
Seoul and nearby cities restored some of the controls in recent weeks by shutting thousands of bars, karaoke rooms and other entertainment venues to slow the spread of the virus. The country also began requiring masks on public transit and airline flights this week.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s central bank lowered its policy rate to an all-time low of 0.5% to soften the pandemic’s shock to the country’s trade-dependent economy. The Bank of Korea also adjusted its annual growth outlook from a 2.1% expansion to a 0.2% contraction.
The country’s economy hasn’t seen an annual contraction since 1998.
In other developments around the Asia-Pacific region:
• India: India on Thursday reported more than 6,500 new virus cases, another single-day record. The surge comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government prepares a new set of guidelines to be issued this weekend, possibly extending a two-month lockdown in the worst-hit areas, while also allowing some economic activity. The Health Ministry also reported another 194 deaths, bringing the country total to 4,531.
The country’s top court, meanwhile, ordered authorities to provide free train rides and food and water to migrant workers returning to their villages after losing jobs because of the pandemic.
• Indonesia: Indonesia reported 687 new coronavirus cases Thursday, taking the total number of infections to 24,538. It also reported the country’s death toll at nearly 1,500, the most fatalities in Southeast Asia. Cases continue to increase even as the government prepares to relax restrictions gradually starting next week. Epidemiologists have warned that reopening the economy prematurely could trigger a second wave of infections. The government, nevertheless, has insisted the country must be ready to get back to normal by the end of July.
• Australia: A Catholic archbishop has accused an Australian state government of inequitable pandemic rules by allowing up to 50 people into pubs while limiting church congregations to 10. Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher on Thursday encouraged Catholics to sign a petition calling on the New
South Wales government to treat churches the same as pubs, restaurants and cafes. New pandemic restrictions that take effect on June 1 increase the number of customers that such commercial premises can hold from 10 to 50.