Latest Global Update

Drones in Jordan

Jordan said it is to use drones and surveillance cameras to monitor compliance with a nationwide curfew imposed to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Jordan has declared five dead and 323 cases. 

Jordan says it has arrested at least 1,600 people for violating the curfew, which imposes heavy penalties and has been in force since last month.

It has sealed off the capital and all the country’s provinces, suspended flights in and out of Jordan, closed schools and banned all public gatherings.

Australia sends cruise ships on their way

The largest maritime operation ever undertaken in Sydney Harbour was completed on Sunday with the successful restocking and refuelling of five cruise ships, Australian police said.

Cruise ship guests have so far accounted for almost 10 percent of Australia’s more than 5,500 infections.

Pakistan hunts worshippers

Pakistani authorities are searching for tens of thousands of worshippers who attended an Islamic gathering in Lahore last month amid fears they could be spreading COVID-19 across the country.

At least 154 attendees have tested positive following the Tablighi Jamaat event, which attracted 100,000 people and took place despite government requests to cancel in light of the worsening pandemic.

Drive-by blessings in the Philippines

Priests delivered blessings from the back of trucks and motorised tricycles in the Philippines on Sunday, adapting the deeply Catholic nation’s traditions to the battle against the coronavirus pandemic.

Cash injection in Bangladesh

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced a set of stimulus packages worth $8.5 billion to help the country’s economy ride out the damage inflicted by the pandemic. In a speech broadcast live from her office in Dhaka, Hasina said the money would be mostly provided as low-interest loans to hard-hit manufacturers and small and medium-sized enterprises.

South Korea threatens deportation

Authorities said Sunday that anyone arriving in South Korea who violates quarantine measures — including the mandatory 14-day self-isolation period or by giving a false testimony — will face up to one year in prison or a 10 million won ($8,090) fine.

Foreigners who fail to comply can be immediately deported or banned from re-entering the country, authorities said.

Spain sees drop

Spain saw its third consecutive daily decline in the number of people dying from the coronavirus pandemic as the country recorded another 674 deaths on Sunda, official figures showed.

The health ministry said the number, the lowest in 10 days, brought total deaths to 12,418 since the pandemic hit Spain. The number of infections rose 4.8 percent to 130,759.

We don’t need no social distance: US police bust Pink Floyd ‘corona party’

Partygoers at a Pink Floyd tribute night have been scolded for shouting abuse at New Jersey police after defying social distancing rules brought in to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

Around 30 people gathered to watch an acoustic rendition of the British rock band’s greatest hits on the front lawn of a home in Rumson, a seaside  community south of New York City, that was also broadcast live over social media.