Japan keen to see visitors from low-risk countries

TOKYO－Japan is considering reopening its borders to travelers from selected countries which have low levels of coronavirus infections, as it begins to ease restrictions put in place earlier this year to control the outbreak.

As schools, cinemas, sports clubs and department stores reopened in the nation's capital Tokyo on Monday, the media reported that the government is also planning to allow business travelers from Thailand, Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand into the country in the coming months under certain conditions.

Meanwhile, more than 1,800 public elementary and junior high schools in Tokyo resumed classes on Monday for the first time in about three months.

Four elementary students were confirmed positive for coronavirus in the southwestern Japanese city of Kitakyushu on Sunday.

The city's educational board asked elementary and junior high schools on Sunday to thoroughly check the temperatures and health conditions of students.

In a separate move, Japan's health ministry began coronavirus antibody tests in Tokyo on Monday, aiming to estimate how widely the virus has spread in Japan.

The tests will be conducted in the Itabashi, Toshima and Nerima wards until Saturday for about 1,000 randomly selected people aged 20 or older in each area. The results are expected around late June.

Elsewhere in Asia, Indian states on Sunday began identifying high-risk zones where coronavirus lockdowns should continue while the rest of country gears up to reopen in June despite the total infections surpassing 190,000.

The health ministry said India had 190,535 cases, which is the seventh highest worldwide, exceeding those of Germany and France.

The government has extended the lockdown until June 30 in so-called containment zones that should remain under lockdown because they continue to report a high number of infections.

In Thailand, the daily tally of new cases has fallen to single digits most days over the past two weeks as authorities continue to ease restrictions. Businesses such as shopping malls have reopened, checking customers for fevers and dispensing sanitizing gel for their use.

In the Middle East, China donated a batch of medical supplies to Jordan on Sunday to help the kingdom combat the coronavirus outbreak.

Also on Sunday, Chinese medical experts in Sudan held a video conference on COVID-19 prevention.

One-week traffic ban

In the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi announced a one-week ban on traffic to and between its main cities, to be implemented from June 2, the local government media office said on Sunday.

The restrictions include a ban on entering and exiting the emirate of Abu Dhabi as a whole.

In Turkey, the authorities on Monday reopened restaurants, cafes and parks and lifted inter-city travel curbs as the country eases restrictions taken to fight the coronavirus, which has claimed more than 4,500 lives and infected over 160,000.

In Australia, several states eased social distancing restrictions further on Monday, allowing restaurants to host more people and public attractions to reopen, as the government moves to revive an ailing economy through accelerated infrastructure spending.

In New South Wales state, a maximum of 50 people are allowed to sit down for a meal in a cafe or restaurant, while 20 can attend a funeral.

In Victoria state, which has taken the most cautious approach to reopening, restaurants and cafes could reopen on Monday. However, patrons are restricted to a maximum of 20 people.

Wang Xu in Tokyo, Xinhua and agencies contributed to this story.