World

Thai officials and volunteers are working together to clean outdoor areas and other venues that still serve the public, such as transport terminals and airports, in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019.

The Thai Government is making preparations to cope with a third-stage outbreak of COVID-19 which would include a countrywide lockdown, according to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Singapore confirmed 23 new COVID-19 cases on March 17, the highest number it has recorded in a day so far.

Secretary of Philippines’ Department of Finance Carlos Dominguez III on March 16 announced a 27.1 billion peso spending plan for everyone affected by the coronavirus pandemic .

Exports of Thai rice have been on the rise as many countries are stocking up on food supplies due to the rampant COVID-19 outbreak, said President of the Thai Rice Exporters Association Chookiat Ophaswongse.

Ramkhamhaeng Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, is offering a "drive-thru" service for Covid-19 checking at a cost of 6,500 THB (about 204 USD) from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm every day.

The Japanese government will provide 3.9 million USD in non-refundable aid to help the Mekong River Commission to increase its flood and drought monitoring and forecasting capability in the lower Mekong basin.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on March 12 announced a halt on domestic land, sea and air travel to and from Manila, as well as a launch of community quarantine measuresto prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2.

Vietnam is ready to assist Afghanistan in the latter’s peacebuilding and development process, Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of Vietnam’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, said on March 10.

Cambodia has earmarked 2 billion USD to save the economy in case of the outbreak of the acute respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said on March 10.

Thai conglomerate Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group said on March 9 that it will buy British retailer Tesco’s Thai and Malaysian businesses in a deal valued at 8 billion GBP (10.6 billion USD).

The Asian Development Bank has said Indonesia may not be affected severely by the global health emergency caused by COVID-19 outbreak.