Virus threat grows in the Middle East

TEHERAN－Although countries in East Asia are increasingly getting on top of the coronavirus outbreak, the threat is growing in the Middle East.

The virus that has killed more than 800 people in Iran on Monday took the life of Ayatollah Seyed Hashem Bathaee, a member of the clerical body that chooses the country's supreme leader. He died at a hospital in Qom, the city where the first cases in Iran were detected, according to Iran's Tasnim News Agency.

The country has been scrambling to contain the rapid spread of the virus, which so far has infected 14,991 people and killed 853, according to official figures released on Monday.

Iran's health ministry said that the country has screened more than 10 million people for symptoms of the coronavirus as it goes all out against the outbreak, according to PressTV.

On Sunday, Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raeisi said the screening had been carried out over four days, and 900 people were subsequently sent to hospitals.

Alireza Zali, the chief of operations against the outbreak in Teheran, said the capital is getting prepared to implement within days a new phase in its campaign to contain the coronavirus.

Zali said that city officials have plans to shut down the offices of state organizations and set up controls for vehicles at the capital's main entry and exit points, the official IRNA news agency reported.

In Lebanon, the authorities on Sunday urged people to stay home for two weeks and were preparing to close the country's main airport. The virus has killed three people and infected 99 in the country.

Another drop

South Korea saw another downward trend in new infections reported on Monday, but small clusters continued to emerge across the nation, keeping health authorities on edge.

The 74 new cases detected on Sunday took the nation's total infections to 8,236, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

A cluster of cases has seen 40 followers of a protestant church in Seongnam, south of Seoul, become infected, the municipal government said on Monday.

The authorities have urged churches and other religious organizations to suspend services, but some have failed to heed the request, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Thailand reported 33 new cases on Monday, taking its tally to 147. The government plans to close schools, bars, theaters and other entertainment centers, as well as to postpone next month's Thai New Year holiday in an effort to limit travel, deputy government spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek said on Monday.

In Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday pledged to work with other countries in the virus fight, as infections within the nation topped 812.

"Japan must use its knowledge and cooperate with countries around the world to deal with the challenge," Abe said during a session in the upper house of the parliament. He added that the outbreak is having a huge impact on the economy.

After Abe's speech, the Bank of Japan took emergency action to expand its purchases of stocks, bonds and other assets. It will also provide loans with zero interest to companies running short of cash due to the virus outbreak.

On Monday, Japan's health ministry said it has identified 15 clusters of coronavirus infections around the country and released a map online showing the locations.

Wang Xu in Tokyo and agencies contributed to this story.