Health
Indonesia's death toll jumped to 19 on Wednesday, making it the country with the highest number of fatalities in Southeast Asia. As the number of infected people reached 227, authorities have suggested that the reason for this sudden rise was the failure of several hospitals to report their fatalities from March 12 and March 17, which led to all of them being recorded on the same day. [SCMP]
Malaysia imposed nationwide restrictions for two weeks to stop the spread of the coronavirus. With 790 cases and two fatalities and the fear of the second wave of infections, the government barred all international travel until at least March 31 amid a shutdown of all non-essential businesses, schools and universities, and places of worship. [Asia Times]
The Philippines' President, Rodrigo Dueterte, ordered the imposition of a curfew in Manila, which has seen 79 cases and eight deaths. Officials on Saturday said that the city of Manila will be sealed; city authorities will impose an overnight curfew from 8 pm to 5 am. [Asia Times]
Weeks after declaring the recovery of all 16 of its coronavirus patients, Vietnam confirmed 61 new infections. Authorities ordered the closure of cinemas, clubs, and other public places until the end of March. The government has also confirmed that it will be suspending the issuance of new visas for all foreign nationals. [The Jakarta Post]
Domestic Politics
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s new coalition government announced his Cabinet appointments on March 9. But, even after pledging to unveil a “clean” line-up that would rise above ethnic and socio-economic divisions, Yassin has appointed one of the least diverse Cabinets in the ethnically diverse nation's modern history. The new Cabinet is overwhelmingly dominated by ethnic Malay Muslims, with only one minister from the Chinese and Indian communities, respectively. Combined, the Chinese and Indians represent about 30% of the population. [Asia Times]
Society
Malaysia and Thailand barred a cruise ship carrying about 2,000 people–including dozens of Italians–from docking due to fears about the coronavirus. Despite no suspected cases among passengers, Costa Fortuna, with 64 Italians on board, was turned away by both Southeast Asian countries. The ship is now on its way to Singapore. [Asia Times]
Business & Finance
Britain’s biggest retailer, Tesco, agreed to sell its businesses in Thailand and Malaysia to Thai conglomerate CP Group for £8.0 billion. Tesco said the deal will slash debt and enable a streamlined focus on its UK, Irish and central European activities. [Asia Times]
Image Source: Nikkei Asian Review