| schema:articleBody
| - Here are the latest developments from Asia related to the novel coronavirus pandemic: Vietnam eased some social distancing measures, with experts pointing to a decisive response involving mass quarantines and expansive contact tracing for the apparent success in containing the coronavirus. The southeast Asian nation has recorded just 268 virus cases and zero deaths, according to official tallies. China announced it will give another $30 million to the World Health Organization to help in the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic, days after Washington said it would freeze funding. The US, which is the WHO's biggest contributor, accused the organisation last week of "mismanaging" the COVID-19 crisis, drawing ire from Beijing as both countries spar over the deadly virus. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics cannot be delayed beyond the year-long postponement already forced by the coronavirus outbreak, the organising committee's president warned. Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori said there is "absolutely no" chance of postponing the Games beyond their rescheduled July 23, 2021 opening, according to Kyodo News agency. For the eighth straight day, China's National Health Commission reported no new deaths from COVID-19 in its daily figures. It said China confirmed 10 new cases, six of them imported. The country where the virus emerged last year has brought its domestic outbreak under control, but is now trying to stop infections coming in from overseas. South Korea's economy saw its worst performance in more than a decade in the first quarter as the coronavirus epidemic raged across the country, the central bank said, with officials warning of a bigger impact still to come. The world's 12th-largest economy endured one of the worst early outbreaks of the disease outside China, although it appears to have largely been contained thanks to an extensive "trace, test and treat" programme. Australia's prime minister called for the World Health Organization to be given powers similar to UN-backed weapons inspectors, allowing their experts to enter virus-stricken countries to help prevent future pandemics. WHO member countries should be required to allow independent health inspectors to investigate new virus outbreaks within their borders as a condition of membership, Scott Morrison said. Singapore has handed down its first prison sentence for a virus-related offence, jailing a man for six weeks after he breached quarantine orders to go out for some food. Alan Tham Xiang Sheng was ordered to stay home for 14 days after returning to Singapore from overseas in March, as part of measures aimed at halting the spread of the virus. But he went out to a food court to enjoy a pork rib soup dish, according to local media, and also visited several other places. Hong Kong has also jailed a number of people for breaching the city's strict quarantine guidelines. On Monday a court sentenced an Indian businessman to four weeks behind bars, the first foreigner to receive a jail sentence, after he was caught breaking quarantine orders. Worried about getting bored while stuck at home during holidays amid the coronavirus pandemic? The Tokyo governor has a solution: Decluttering with Marie Kondo. Governor Yuriko Koike told reporters the metropolitan government will share fun videos -- including those of the decluttering guru -- to keep Tokyo residents entertained at home during the forthcoming "Golden Week" holidays. burs-sr/rbu
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)