ZCZC
BFF-32
HEALTH-VIRUS-ASIA POINTS
Asia virus latest: Aussie jails report drugs spike; China warned of
second wave
HONG KONG, May 17, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Here are the latest
developments in Asia related to the coronavirus pandemic:
– Park wins ‘virus-proofed’ LPGA tournament –
The world’s first big-purse post-coronavirus golf tournament wrapped
up in South Korea, marked by a ban on spectators and stringent safety
measures.
Players in the Korean LPGA Championship — featuring three of the
world’s top ten women — had to wear masks before and after their
rounds, but could choose whether or not to do so during play, with
most deciding against.
Park Hyun-kyung, the 20-year-old champion who took home $180,000 in
winnings, was congratulated by her mask-wearing peers with elbow-bumps
instead of handshakes.
– Aussie jails see spike in ‘special deliveries’ –
Prisons in Australia have seen a spike in drugs intercepted in mail
since the coronavirus outbreak saw visits suspended, with substances
concealed in letters, cards and even a child’s painting, officials
said.
Corrective Services NSW, which operates prisons in Australia’s most
populous state, said contraband had been seized from 135 mail items in
April — compared to a monthly average of around 22 in 2019.
– Long queues as Thai malls reopen –
Shoppers flocked to Thailand’s top-end malls, eager for retail
therapy in a gradual easing of restrictions to revive the
virus-ravaged economy.
Hundreds of masked customers passed through temperature checks,
disinfection stations, and had their photos taken before they were
allowed into plush malls in Bangkok.
– Nepal police fire live rounds as Indian farmers try to cross border –
Nepal’s police fired live rounds into the air to deter Indian
farmers trying to cross the border to harvest corn during the
coronavirus lockdown, an official said.
Nearly 150 Indians who rent land in Jhapa district in far-east Nepal
— which borders India’s Bihar and West Bengal states — tried to
force their way across on Saturday, district chief Udaya Bahadur
Ranamagar told AFP.
Nepal closed its 1,850-kilometre (1,150-mile) border with India on
March 22 amid the pandemic, before imposing a nationwide lockdown two
days later.
– Top official warns of second wave in China –
A top Chinese medical official said the country faces a potential
second wave of coronavirus infections due to a lack of immunity among
its population.
“The majority of… Chinese at the moment are still susceptible of
the Covid-19 infection, because (of) a lack of immunity,” Zhong
Nanshan, the public face of the government’s response to the pandemic,
told CNN.
“We are facing (a) big challenge,” Zhong added. “It’s not better
than the foreign countries I think at the moment.”
– Hamster tests show masks reduce coronavirus spread: scientists –
Tests on hamsters reveal the widespread use of facemasks reduces
transmission of the deadly coronavirus, a team of leading experts in
Hong Kong said.
The research by the University of Hong Kong is some of the first to
specifically investigate whether masks can stop symptomatic and
asymptomatic COVID-19 carriers from infecting others.
Surgical masks were placed between the two cages with air flow
travelling from the infected animals to the healthy ones.
The researchers found non-contact transmission of the virus could be
reduced by more than 60 percent when the masks were used.
BSS/AFP/MRU/1815hrs