As some Asian countries reopen, risk of virus spread grows

Restaurants, shops and transport services were back up and running in Indonesia capital as restrictions were eased further despite the country posting its biggest daily spike in coronavirus infections two days earlier.

Offices in Jakarta, the epicentre of Indonesia's outbreak, were operating with limits on employee numbers while traffic wasted no time in returning to gridlock, with cars bumper-to-bumper and clusters of motorcycles sandwiched between lanes.

Indonesia's main stock index gained up to 2.5 percent and hit its highest in three months on Monday as investors cheered the resumption of more business activities.

But it remains the worst-hit country in East Asia outside China, with 32,033 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and 1,883 deaths. 

Indonesia has had no national lockdown and cities have been allowed to impose restrictions, though not all are strictly followed.

Here's a look at how other countries in Asia are doing:

India

New Delhi has reversed orders that limited the scope of coronavirus testing and reserved hospital beds for city residents as the Indian capital’s caseload continues to surge.

Delhi’s numbers of infected jumped to 29,943 of India’s 266,598 total cases nationwide.

Since coming to power in 2013, the government, led by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, has prioritised investing in healthcare. Delhi has the best healthcare in India, drawing patients from across the country.

But as lockdown restrictions have eased in recent weeks, the number of people infected with the coronavirus has soared in the capital. 

On Sunday, Kejriwal announced that hospital beds for Covid-19 patients would be reserved for Delhi residents and testing limited to those with symptoms of the disease.

But the central government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly objected to the rules, and late Monday the Delhi government set them aside, with Kejriwal tweeting that “making arrangements for treatment for people from across the country during the Covid-19 pandemic is a major challenge. But maybe it’s God’s will that we have to serve everyone in the country”.

Pakistan

Pakistan recorded more than 100 deaths in a single day from Covid-19 for the first time since keeping statistics in mid-March, when the country first imposed a lockdown that has never been total.

As of Tuesday, Pakistan recorded 108,316 coronavirus infections, with 4,646 new cases and a death toll that has climbed to 2,172 amid warnings from Prime Minister Imran Khan that Pakistan is not likely to see a peak in infections before August.

Despite criticism from medical professionals and opposition politicians, Khan has continued to ease lockdown restrictions saying the country’s ailing economy would collapse and the poorest among the country’s 220 million would suffer the most for prolonged lockdowns.

Philippines

The Ramon Magsaysay awards have been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, marking only the third disruption in six decades for the annual prize regarded as an Asian Nobel. 

The Philippine foundation that hands out the awards said it has no choice “with the Covid-19 pandemic practically immobilising the world”. Last year's recipients included a South Korean who helped fight suicide and bullying; a Thai human rights defender; journalists from India and Myanmar; and a musician credited with helping to shape modern Philippine musical culture. 

The Philippines has about 22,400 coronavirus cases, including more than 1,000 deaths.

South Korea

South Korea has reported 38 new cases of Covid-19 and one more death, bringing national totals to 11,852 infections and 274 virus-related fatalities. 

Figures from South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed 35 of the new cases came from the Seoul metropolitan area, where officials have struggled to trace transmissions linked to entertainment venues, church gatherings and low-income workers who couldn’t afford to stay home. 

At least 1,300 infections have been linked to international arrivals, around 90 percent being South Koreans who returned home as the virus spread.