SouthEast Asia

China state media demand strict adherence to 'zero COVID' BEIJING (AP) — China’s ruling party called for strict adherence to the hard-line “zero-COVID” policy Tuesday in an apparent attempt to guide public perceptions after regulations were eased slightly in places. AP NEWS

...

The People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s flagship newspaper, said in an editorial that China must “unswervingly implement” the policy that requires mass obligatory testing and places millions under lockdown to try to eliminate the coronavirus from the nation of 1.4 billion people and the world’s second-largest economy.

...

Tuberculosis deaths rose during pandemic, reversing years of decline, WHO says Global deaths from tuberculosis are estimated to have increased between 2019 and 2021, reversing years of decline as the COVID-19 pandemic severely derailed efforts to tackle the disease, the World Health Organization said on Thursday. Bhanvi Satija Reuters

...

Chinese capital steps up COVID measures as cases quadruple China's capital, Beijing, has dialled up measures to stop COVID, strengthening public checks and locking down some residential compounds after a quadrupling of its case load in recent weeks, just as a key Communist Party congress entered full swing. Reuters Reuters

..

Taiwan to end COVID quarantine for arrivals, welcome back tourists Taiwan will end its mandatory COVID-19 quarantine for arrivals from Oct. 13 and welcome tourists back, the government said on Thursday, completing a major step on its plan to re-open to the outside world. Reuters Reuters

...