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            Period. 6 – 12 April 2020          

                
       
    


    
    
    

    
          
Based on official reports, China appears to have contained local transmission, as it has ended the 11-week lockdown of Wuhan. Neighbouring countries remain on high alert, however, as experts warn of second waves of outbreaks. This may have occurred in Singaporewhere record high daily case reports were confirmed this week, prompting countrywide closure of non-essential business and schools. An outbreak in Tokyo also led to the biggest weekly increase in Japan, as the government declared a month-long State of Emergency in major urban cities. South Korea, meanwhile, has limited new case reports to under 50 over the past week after pre-emptively expanding control measures and contact-tracing.


In Iran, the number of reported cases and deaths are approaching 72,000, including almost 4,500 confirmed deaths. The government has asked the international community for economic sanction relief and emergency loans from the IMF, which the U.S. has opposed despite significant international pressure to sideline geopolitical tensions as countries attempt to respond to the pandemic.


A Coalition of Arab Countries finally announced a two-week ceasefire in Yemen, following warnings by the WHO and UN a pending ‘explosion’ of cases that could cascade across the region. The WFP is set to halve aid to parts of Yemen’s Houthi-controlled areas, however, as some donor countries have stopped their funding over concerns that aid deliveries were being obstructed by Houthi forces. The WFP feeds more than 12 million Yemenis a month, 80% of whom are in areas controlled by Houthi forces.


In Jordan, strict curfews and other control measures appear to be suppressing transmission, while many Middle Eastern countries have also been more proactive in testing, even compared to European counterparts. Conflict-affected countries, however, remain acutely at risk of outbreaks, including Iraq (1,279), Afghanistan (555), and Palestine (268) after case reports doubled last week.


New daily cases increased by 20% in the past two days in India to over 8,500, although there are concerns that the true outbreak size may be significantly higher than reported, as may also be the case in Pakistan (5,170) and Bangladesh (621). The Indian government has extended the national lockdown until the end of April, although wide-spread food shortages and a mass exodus from major urban areas has raised concern about local transmission in rural parts of the country.


Japan has declared a month-long State of Emergency in major urban cities, including Tokyo where an outbreak led to the biggest daily increase in cases. A new study has warned of a second wave in countries like Japan, which appear to resemble the situation in Italy two weeks ago.


Cases are climbing elsewhere in Southeast Asia, with Singapore reporting its highest number of new confirmed cases yesterday, after countrywide closure of non-essential business and schools took effect. The daily newly confirmed case count in South Korea has dropped to 50 for a third consecutive day following expansion of contact-tracing criteria.



    
     
      
      
      
            
      
              

        

          
This development is part of the digest;