Screenshot of WHO's updates on global coronavirus situation as of 05:00 AM GMT, March 15. (Credit: World Health Organization)
BEIJING, March 15 (Xinhua) -- As of 05:00 AM GMT, 152,428 cases of the novel coronavirus have been confirmed worldwide in 141 countries, areas or territories, and the death toll climbed to 5,720, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The latest developments of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) across the world are as follows:(all times Beijing)
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07:18 PM, Philippines
People are seen at a bus terminal as they try to move out before the community quarantine of Metro Manila in Quezon City, the Philippines, March 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)
MANILA -- The Philippines reported 29 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and three new deaths on Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 140 and death toll to 11.
Huang Xilian, Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines, said on Sunday China will do its best to help the Philippines arrest the fast spread of the COVID-19 cases in the country, adding that a first batch of free COVID-19 test kits for the Philippines is on the way.
The Philippines on Sunday started implementing a 30-day lockdown in Metro Manila to limit the movement of people in the region in a bid to contain the spread of the virus. Majority of the COVID-19 patients are residents of Metro Manila, home to nearly 13 million people.
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06:36 PM, Malaysia
People wearing masks walk on a street in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Chong Voon Chung)
KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysia on Sunday announced 190 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in its largest one-day increase so far, bringing the total number of cases to 428, said the Health Ministry.
Initial investigations had traced most of the new cases related to a large scale religious event held in the capital of Kuala Lumpur from late February to early March, Health Minister Adham Baba said in a statement.
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06:11 PM, South Africa
Staff members wearing protective suits wait for passengers at an airport in Polokwane, South Africa, March 14, 2020. (Photo by Molefi Moleli/Xinhua)
JOHANNESBURG -- As South Africa's cabinet set to meet and discuss the novel coronavirus, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize on Sunday said the number of people with COVID-19 climbed to 51 after 13 more people were tested positive.
Seven cases were detected in Gauteng, five in Western Cape and one in KwaZulu-Natal. All of the patients tested positive after visiting European nations, except one person travelling to Iran.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said the cabinet is to meet on Sunday to discuss the situation. Local media reported that the meeting could decide whether South Africa should impose stricter measures such as travel bans.
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05:36 PM, Sri Lanka
Health workers wearing protective suits spray disinfectant on a housing complex in Colombo, Sri Lanka, March 14, 2020. (Photo by Ajith Perera/Xinhua)
COLOMBO -- The Sri Lankan government on Sunday declared March 16 a public holiday after the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose to 10.
The government information department said that the holiday had been declared to prevent the spread of the virus across the island country. All businesses and shops will be closed and people have been requested to remain indoors. Schools are also closed till April 20.
Presently, the Sri Lankan government has banned travelers from Europe, South Korea, Italy and Iran and Sri Lankan nationals arriving from those countries will be taken to quarantine centers in Batticaloa and Kandakadu.
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05:28 PM, Kuwait
A medical worker sterilizes a beach in Kuwait City, Kuwait, March 13, 2020. (Photo by Asad/Xinhua)
KUWAIT CITY -- Kuwait reported eight new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 112, the Health Ministry announced Sunday.
The ministry's spokesman Abdullah Al-Sanad said that six of the new cases were Kuwaiti citizens who returned from the United Kingdom and individuals who came in contact with those infected.
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05:18 PM, India
A man adjusts his mask outside a closed cinema in New Delhi, India, March 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Javed Dar)
NEW DELHI -- The total number of COVID-19 cases in India rose up to 107 on Sunday, according to the Ministry of Health.
The total cases included two deaths, one in southern state of Karnataka and the other in Delhi, and nine patients who were fully cured and discharged. Of these, 17 cases were foreign nationals.
India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla is scheduled to address a special media briefing this evening via video-conferencing among the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) leaders. On Friday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had appealed to all the SAARC nations to join hands to fight the COVID-19.
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04:32 PM, Israel
An Israeli border police wearing protective gears works at the Ein Yael Checkpoint in Jerusalem on March 11, 2020. (JINI/Handout via Xinhua)
JERUSALEM -- Seven more people have been tested positive for the novel coronavirus, taking the total number of Israeli cases to 200 on Sunday, according to the Ministry of Health.
All shopping centers, restaurants, cafes, theaters and cinemas in Israel were closed indefinitely as part of efforts to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The opening of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial was postponed for two months due to the COVID-19 crisis, Israel's justice minister said on Sunday.
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04:00 PM, Indonesia
A volunteer sprays disinfectant on a bus stop at Glodok, Jakarta, Indonesia, March 15, 2020. Various social organizations participated in spraying disinfectants in public areas in Jakarta. (Xinhua/Veri Sanovri)
JAKARTA -- As many as 21 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Indonesia, bringing the total number to 117, the government said on Sunday.
"Today we recorded 21 new cases, 19 of which were found in Jakarta and 2 were in Central Java," the government spokesperson for all coronavirus-related matters Achmad Yurianto told a press conference at the State Palace in Jakarta.
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03:23 PM, El Salvador
A nurse from the Ministry of Health distributes alcohol gel at the facilities of the Legislative Assembly in San Salvador, capital of El Salvador, on March 12, 2020. (Xinhua/Alexander Pena)
SAN SALVADOR -- El Salvador's congress has declared a state of emergency and approved a raft of emergency measures aimed at containing the spread of novel coronavirus.
The measures restrict entry to and exit from the Cental American country for 30 days and allow the authorities to ban public gatherings. Schools have been suspended across the country over coronavirus concerns.
El Salvador has not reported a single confirmed case of coronavirus to date.■
