Image source, EPA

South Korea will test everyone arriving from the US within three days of self-isolation.

The measure goes into effect Monday morning, the country's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said according to the Yonhap News Agency.

Like China, South Korea continues to struggle with cases being imported by people coming in from abroad.

Official data shows that over that over the past two weeks, half of such imported cases came from the United States which has become the epicentre of the global pandemic.

Good morning from Delhi, where it is looking likely the nation-wide lockdown will be extended beyond Tuesday.

Here’s the news from the rest of India:

• India has still not received some 500,000 rapid testing kits it ordered from China, external, local media reports say. Several states here are reliant on these kits to start testing
• some states have already officially extended the lockdown by two more weeks as the federal government mulls over what approach, external would work best for a lockdown exit, reports say

• concerns over soaring numbers in the western state of Maharashtra have prompted officials to consider giving an anti-malaria drug as a "preventive measure" to slum residents, external at high risk of contracting the infection.
• in the last 24 hours, India confirmed 918 new infections and 34 deaths, taking the total number to more than 8,000

Over the Easter weekend many Hong Kongers headed to the beach for some socially-distanced fun. The city, which has been praised for its swift control of its outbreak, has seen its number of infections decline steadily in recent weeks with just four new cases reported on Sunday, the lowest figure since mid-March. Authorities have warned residents not to get complacent as they expect another possible wave of infections as mainland China begins to lift lockdowns in some cities , external- but that didn't stop people from getting some sun.

Image source, China News Service

Image source, China News Service

But it was a different story in Singapore, which is currently battling a new spike in cases mostly fueled by infections among its migrant worker community. The city is effectively under lockdown, and over the weekend its beaches were closed off while authorities introduced harsher penalties for flouting social distancing laws. Singaporeans are allowed to go out to exercise, but can't loiter in groups in public spaces, and in recent days thousands of warnings were issued to people caught gathering in parks and beaches.

Image source, AFP

Image source, AFP

The Chinese city of Harbin has stepped up efforts to curb the virus, implementing a 28-day quarantine period for all arrivals from abroad.

Those entering the capital of Heilongjiang province, which borders Russia, will be held at a quarantine centre for 14 days, followed by another 14 days at home.

They will also have to go through two nucleic acid tests and an antibody test, said state media outlet the Global Times.

According to Bloomberg, Heilongjiang has in this month alone seen more than 100 imported infections from Russia.

The border town of Suifenhe, also in Heilongjiang but around 300 miles east of Harbin, has already entered lockdown. Read about it here.

The coronavirus has closed many high schools around America for the rest of the school year. This means final year students, or seniors, are missing out on big events such as their proms and graduation ceremonies.

But one student in Indiana decided to use his video skills to give graduating seniors the opportunity to share a message with their peers. Have a watch.

The Australian state of Tasmania has closed down two hospitals after a number of infections were found to be linked to them.

All 1,200 staff members from the North West Regional Hospital and the North West Private Hospital in Burnie, as well as their household members, now need to go into quarantine for two weeks. Local media reports say that's about 5,000 people that will have to be quarantined.

The majority of patients will be transferred to a nearby hospital so the hospitals can undergo "deep cleaning".

Around 60 cases of the state's 144 cases have been linked to the hospitals, say local media reports.

“Never before has a premier had to ask a community to do this,” said the state's premier Peter Gutwein.

"But I would ask that you work with us. This is the best way that we can get on top of this, that we can stop the spread of this insidious disease.”

Image source, Getty Images

Robin Brant
BBC News, Shanghai

The numbers are relatively small but the trend is upwards, and that is not good for China.

The 108 new confirmed cases is the highest number of daily infections in more than five weeks in the officially reported government numbers.

The main reason, according to the statistics, is a continued stream of Chinese nationals returning home. They account for almost all the confirmed cases. Almost half are concentrated in the northern province of Heilongjiang, where some Chinese crossing from Russia have brought it with them.

Despite severe restrictions on international travel coming into China, the reality is the government hasn’t been able to completely stop new cases of the virus emerging.

In the province of Hubei, where it all began, the numbers are very small but people are still dying. Two new deaths there have been reported.

That’s despite the fact it was deemed safe enough to open up to the rest of China and the world.

Opera star Andrea Bocelli has held an Easter concert in Milan, singing in the city's famous cathedral - accompanied only by the organ.

Called Music for Hope, the concert was live-streamed on YouTube and prompted an outpouring of applause on social media as millions of people around the world celebrated Easter under lockdown.

"Thanks to music, streamed live, bringing together millions of clasped hands everywhere in the world, we will hug this wounded Earth's pulsing heart," Bocelli said at the beginning of his performance.

For the finale, he sang Amazing Grace outside the cathedral, facing the empty streets of Milan. You can watch our little summary video below, but if you want to see the whole concert, Bocelli has uploaded it here., external

Image source, AFP

Two of the European countries worst-affected by the pandemic, Italy and France, have both reported a reduction in the daily number of deaths linked to Covid-19

The latest figure from Italy is 431 - the lowest in more than three weeks. Officials say the crisis has peaked.

France has recorded a slight fall in both the number of dead and of patients put onto life support. It said on Sunday there were 315 deaths in hospital in the past 24 hours, compared with 345 the day earlier.

Spain however has seen an increase in daily deaths linked to Covid-19, to just over 600. The government warned there could still be tough times ahead, even as the number of new infections continues to slow.

From drinking cow urine to avoiding ice cream, there's been a lot of talk online about the different ways you can beat or avoid the coronavirus - and not a lot of it is true.

We’re debunking several myths in an ongoing Reality Check series (here’s part 1 and part 2) – here’s our latest video on why lemon juice can’t protect you from getting infected, and mosquitoes are not passing on the coronavirus.

A fifth person has died in New Zealand - a man in his 80s who is the third death from a cluster at a care home in Christchurch.

It comes as New Zealand recorded a low of 19 new confirmed cases - bringing the total number of cases to 1,349.

However, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the country would not be coming out of lockdown early despite the low figures.

"Our number of cases may be small but that doesn’t mean we have yet been successful in hunting this virus down," she said at a news conference on Monday.

"One positive can be indicative of other cases in the community and that is why we must keep going."

She also addressed those who had broken lockdown rules over the Easter weekend.

Local station RNZ, external said police had issued more than 100 warnings for drivers who were caught breaking the rules on Good Friday.

"I say to those who broke the rules this weekend - it can take one case amongst you to have an outbreak that could lead to dozens of infections and possibly death," said Ardern.

"New Zealand does not take this challenge lightly and nor should you."

Image source, Getty Images

An Indian police officer whose hand was chopped off while he was trying to enforce the lockdown has had his hand re-attached.

After a seven-hour operation, doctors said the hand re-implantation was done "successfully", external.

Doctors added that the patient will remain in hospital for observation for another 48 hours.

The officer was attacked by a group of men in the northern state of Punjab. At least three of the attackers, who are reportedly from a religious sect, were arrested over the weekend.

Indian police in other states have also come under attack for trying to enforce the lockdown.

Image source, AFP

The World Bank says South Asian nations, including India, are on course for their worst economic performance in 40 years because of the pandemic.

The region, comprising eight countries and home to a quarter of the world's population, is likely to show growth of between 1.8% and 2.8% this year, the bank said, down from the 6.3% it projected six months ago.

India's economy is expected to grow 1.5% to 2.8% in the fiscal year starting in April. Other than India, the World Bank forecast that Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh will also see sharp falls in economic growth.

Three countries - Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Maldives - are expected to fall into recession - and the bank warns that decades of progress fighting poverty in the region are now at risk.

Hundreds of people in Fiji have been arrested for breaking quarantine rules - breaching curfews and meeting despite social gathering restrictions.

At least six cases in Fiji, which now has 16 cases in total, are linked to a man who reportedly flouted quarantine regulations.

Its Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said a "long and dangerous" chain of transmission could grow if these orders were ignored.

There are fears that ill-equipped health services across the Pacific would be unable to cope with large numbers of coronavirus infections.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was discharged from hospital in London on Sunday, having been admitted a week ago and spending several days in intensive care.

He posted a video thanking the National Health Service (NHS), saying it “has saved my life, no question”.

Johnson thanked several staff directly, among them "Jenny from Invercargill" in New Zealand for staying by his side when things "could have gone either way".

It didn't take long for media in New Zealand to speak to the nurse's family - her parents say they are "absolutely astounded and exceptionally proud" that their daughter has been recognised for her efforts.

Jenny McGee is in her 30s and has been working in London for about nine years.

Her mother told stuff.co.nz, external that her daughter had not told her she was nursing Johnson until the news became public - and even then only said that they had lots of chats.

She also told her mother all staff at St Thomas' Hospital were "absolutely exhausted" at the moment.

Image source, Getty Images

Opec producers and allies have agreed a record oil deal that will slash global output by about 10% after a slump in demand caused by coronavirus lockdowns.

The deal reached on Sunday via video conference is the largest cut in oil production ever agreed.

The move - which is designed to raise the oil price by increasing demand for the remaining oil - seemed to have the desired effect.

On Monday in Asia, oil rose over $1 a barrel with global benchmark Brent up 3.9% to $32.71 a barrel, and US grade West Texas Intermediate up 6.1% to $24.15 a barrel.

Shares in Australia jumped 3.46% led by energy exporters, but Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 1.35% on continued concerns of poor global demand because of the spread of the coronavirus.

For more on the Opec+ deal, please click here.

The US could have "saved lives" if it had introduced a Covid-19 lockdown earlier, US top health official Dr Anthony Fauci has told CNN.

He said if they had "from the beginning, shut everything down, it may have been a little different."

However Dr Fauci - who is part of the response leadership - added that "it is what it is, we are where we are right now".

The US has over 555,000 virus cases and 22,000 deaths, many in New York.

Read more on what Dr Fauci said here.

Image source, Getty Images

As we come back from a long weekend, here's a quick glance at what's happened in the region:

• China has seen its highest number of daily infections in over five weeks with 108 new cases
• in South Korea cases continue to remain low. It reported 32 more on Sunday, bringing the country’s total infections to 10,512
• in North Korea, leader Kim Jong-un held a politburo meeting over the weekend to discuss anti-virus measures. It maintained that it has no cases, saying it “took strict top-class anti epidemic measures from the outset”
• Indonesia has imposed curbs on public transport ahead of Ramadan – the Islamic holy month where Muslims don’t eat or drink during the hours of daylight – which will begin later this month. Millions of Indonesians people usually head home at the end of Ramadan, raising fears about virus spread

In normal times, St Peter's Square in Vatican City would be bustling with tens of thousands of people, gathered to hear the Pope's Easter Sunday message.

There were no crowds this year.

Instead, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church delivered his Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) message behind closed doors amid lockdown measures imposed in Italy, one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic.

"This is not a time for indifference. Because the whole world is suffering and needs to be united," the pontiff said in his message broadcast online.

Around the world, services have been held in closed churches as millions of people have been told to stay at home.

China has reported its highest number of new daily cases in almost six weeks.

Of the 108 new cases on Sunday, 98 were imported – triggering fears that infected travellers could cause a second wave of the virus. The Chinese city of Wuhan – the epicentre of the virus – only earlier last week reopened after 11 weeks in lockdown.

The country also saw two deaths on Sunday, bringing the death toll to 3,341. Some 61 new asymptomatic cases – which China does not count as a confirmed case – were also recorded.