Daily Times

Asian countries that started to feel tentative hope that their responses to the coronavirus pandemic were bearing fruit are now facing possible second waves, brought by a rush of panicked people racing home to beat border closures and quarantine orders.

As daily numbers of confirmed cases start to rise again, and new evidence of asymptomatic cases spark fear of unwitting community transmission, many have now brought in far stricter measures.

One of the first affected by the virus, Hong Kong had already closed schools and some buildings and parks but never enacted a full lockdown.

It has now banned foreign arrivals, closed venues and restricted gatherings, strengthened testing, opened quarantine centres, and handed out jail sentences for non-compliance. Tracking bracelets ensure people mandatorily isolating don’t leave their homes.

Singapore also reported 47 new cases, of which 33 were imported – 30 of them returned Singapore residents.

South Korea saw a jump in new cases on Thursday with 152, though it is not clear how many were imported.

A new cluster there is centred on a nursing home in Daegu, where 74 patients have tested positive.

Japan reported three new cases on Wednesday. But Hokkaido, the worst-affected Japanese region with 154 cases, is lifting its state of emergency – in place since late February – after officials said the spread of the virus appeared to be ending.

It also said there were no cases at all in Wuhan, the outbreak centre which was essentially locked down earlier this year, but 34 cases arriving from abroad.

Some Wuhan residents who have been shut up inside their homes for six weeks are being allowed out, as long as they do not gather in groups. Some businesses have also been allowed to resume work.

As protection against imported infections, a hospital that used to treat Sars patients has been re-opened in the Chinese capital Beijing to quarantine suspected coronavirus cases. In Hong Kong, new arrivals will have to wear an electronic bracelet to track their movements.

China’s death toll stands at 3,245, however there have been ongoing questions over the reliability of China’s data.