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India has overtaken Italy as the sixth-worst country affected by the coronavirus pandemic after announcing almost 10,000 new cases.
India surpassed Italy as the sixth worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic after another biggest single-day spike in confirmed infections.
The country’s health ministry reported 9,887 new cases on Saturday, bringing the total to 236,657.
Most of the new cases are in rural areas following the return of hundreds of thousands of migrant workers who left cities and towns after the lockdown in late March.
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South Korea reported 51 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday, mostly in the densely populated capital region as authorities scramble to stem transmissions among low-income workers who cannot afford to stay home.
The figures announced by South Korea’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention brought national totals to 11,719 cases and 273 deaths.
At least 42 cases were linked to door-to-door sellers hired by Richway, a Seoul-based health product provider.
Vice health minister Kim Gang-lip said the spread of the virus among Richway sellers was particularly alarming as most of them are aged in their 60s and 70s.
China’s capital is lowering its emergency response level to the second-lowest for the pandemic from Saturday.
That will lift most restrictions on people travelling to Beijing from Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province, where the virus first appeared late last year.
They will no longer face 14-day mandatory quarantines and other forms of monitoring, and those currently in such situations will be allowed to return to their normal lives.
Beijing residential compounds will not be required to conduct temperature checks and masks no longer must be worn for outdoor activities.
Pakistan reported 97 more coronavirus deaths on Saturday as authorities urged volunteers to motivate people to adhere to social distancing regulations to contain the spread of the virus.
About one million volunteers have signed up recently in response to the government’s call to help the country’s most vulnerable people during the coronavirus outbreak.
Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has said the volunteers will also be used to deliver food and medicine to needy and poor people if needed.
Pakistan also reported 4,734 new virus cases, raising its overall infections to 93,983. With the latest 97 virus-related deaths, overall fatalities have jumped to 1,935.