NZ nears goal, but virus digs in elsewhere

New Zealand on Friday had all but eradicated the coronavirus from its shores with just one person in the nation of 5 million known to be still infected. But developments elsewhere were generally grim, with India reporting another record increase in cases and Pakistan a record number of deaths.

In New Zealand, health authorities have not found any new virus cases for a week. Of the 1,504 people who were infected, 22 have died and all but one of the rest have now recovered. The nation's borders remain closed and staying virus-free when they eventually reopen poses a big challenge.

India's record rise in cases for a day, at 7,466, came just before its two-month lockdown ends on Sunday. The government's new guidelines expected this weekend may extend the lockdown in the worst-hit areas while easing the rules to promote economic activity elsewhere.

Most cases in India are concentrated around its largest cities, including Mumbai and New Delhi, but cases have been increasing in some of the poorest eastern states as migrant workers who lost jobs in the cities return to their home villages.

Pakistan on Friday reported 57 deaths, its highest single-day increase since the outbreak began. That increased the overall death toll to more than 1,300 and the number of cases to over 64,000.

In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte decided to ease a lockdown in the capital to a more relaxed quarantine on Monday after more than two months of strictures enforced by the police and military. Infections spiked in Manila recently, and Duterte warned that the pandemic is not yet over and the quarantine was in place around the country.

Worldwide, the virus has infected nearly 5.6 million people and killed about 353,000, according to a tally by the World Health Organization. The true dimensions of the disaster are widely believed to be significantly greater, with experts saying many victims died without ever being tested.

South Korea on Friday imposed limits on the number of pupils going to schools in and around Seoul, as officials scramble to tackle fresh coronavirus cases that threaten the country's success in containing the epidemic.

Only one in three pupils at kindergartens, elementary and middle schools in the Seoul metropolitan area - home to half the population - will be allowed to attend school each day, authorities said, with the others remote learning.

And 502 schools near locations linked to cases in the capital area will remain closed to all pupils, a ministry official said.

Meanwhile, tally of cases in Turkey, the hardest-hit country in the Middle East, surpassed 160,000 on Thursday as the country resumed high-speed train services as part of its plan to normalize life.

Amid the slowdown in the pandemic, Turkey acted quickly to resume normal life. The first high-speed train, coming from the Turkish capital Ankara, arrived in Istanbul's Sogutlucesme station with half of its seating capacity in line with strict precautionary measures.

In Istanbul, municipal workers in full protective gear disinfected a spice bazaar, one of the most significant tourism spots, ahead of its reopening next week.

Xinhua