Global corona death toll surges to 133,359

PARIS: The global death toll for coronavirus reached 133,359 with 2,069,246 confirmed cases and 508,623 recoveries worldwide till 12:55am PST.

The United States stood at the top in terms of confirmed cases and deaths standing at 637,196 and 27,866 respectively, with 1,819 new deaths and 47,942 recoveries.

Italy stands next in the rung with a total of 165,155 confirmed cases with 2,667 new cases, 21,645 deaths with 578 new deaths and 38,092 recoveries.

In Spain, the total number of confirmed cases rose to 177,633 with 3,573 new cases, 18,579 deaths with 324 news deaths and 70,853 recoveries.

In France, the total of confirmed cases stood at 147,863 with 4,560 new cases, 17,167 deaths with 1,438 new deaths and 30,955 confirmed cases.

In the United Kingdom, the total confirmed cases stood at 98,476 with 4,603 new cases, 12,868 deaths with 761 new deaths and no recovery.

In China, the total number of confirmed cases stood at 82,295 with 46 new cases, 3,342 deaths with one more death and 77,816 recoveries.

In Iran, the total number of cases stood at 76,389 with 1,512 new cases, 4,777 deaths with 94 new deaths and 49,933 recoveries.

Over one million cases have been detected in Europe, just over half the global total, according to a tally compiled by AFP from official sources at 0830 GMT Wednesday.

Indonesia's death toll from the novel coronavirus disease COVID-19 jumped to 19 on Wednesday, the highest in Southeast Asia to date, as the government announced that the number of infected people had reached 227.

Health Ministry Disease Control and Prevention Director General Achmad Yurianto said most deaths had been recorded in Jakarta with 12 fatalities, followed by Central Java with two fatalities, while Banten, Bali, West Java, East Java and North Sumatra each reported one fatality from the disease.

India's government has been criticised for not conducting widespread testing, despite the risk of a wide spread of the highly contagious coronavirus in the world's second-most populous country.

So far, the country has confirmed 169 cases, with three deaths, from COVID19, but experts warn a low rate of testing could be masking a much wider outbreak. The country, home to more than a billion people, has so far tested about 11,500 people, according to the Associated Press news agency.

Indian authorities say most cases so far can be traced to people with an international travel history or others who came in touch with them. As a result, the country has suspended entry for any incoming tourists and is barring non-Indian passengers on flights from the European Union, the European free trade area, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

On Wednesday, Sri Lanka delayed scheduled parliamentary elections and banned all incoming flights for two weeks in an attempt to stem the spread of the coronavirus in the country of 21 million people.

Authorities have so far imposed a curfew in some areas to curb the spread of COVID-19, with officials also implementing countrywide price controls on essential items such as lentils and sardines.

Afghanistan has so far officially reported 22 cases of coronavirus in the country, but officials worry that number could be far higher, given the fragile nature of the country's health infrastructure and limited testing and treatment facilities. The country reported its first case on February 24.

On Wednesday, Bangladesh confirmed its first death due to COVID-19, with a total of at least 14 people infected, according to government officials.

The patient who died was a 70-year-old man who suffered from cardiac problems, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and diabetes, said Meerjady Sabrina Flora, head of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research in Bangladesh.

Bangladeshi authorities say all 14 patients were infected when they came into contact with Bangladeshi returnees from abroad. So far, the South Asian nation of 165 million people has tested 341 people for the virus.

The Maldives, an archipelagic country with a little more than 430,000 citizens and a prime luxury beach destination for tourists, reported at least 13 cases so far. The first two cases, reported in early March, saw the Kurudu Island Resort and Spa luxury beach resort shut down and converted into a quarantine camp.

Bhutan confirmed its first case of the coronavirus on March 6, immediately banning the entry of any tourists for two weeks. On Wednesday, the government released 23 people who made contact with the patient from a 14-day quarantine, clearing them of being infected.

The government has also closed several schools and postponed international conferences and seminars.

On Wednesday, Nepal expanded a travel ban on passengers flying into the country from any location in Europe and the Middle East, in a bid to control any possible spread of the coronavirus in the Himalayan country.

The measure - which affects both foreigners and Nepali citizens - will remain in effect from March 20 until at least April 15, a taskforce led by Deputy Prime Minister Ishwar Pokhrel said. Those transiting through Europe and the Middle East will also be barred from entering Nepal, expanding an earlier ban that included several badly hit Asian countries.

Meanwhile, millions of people in rural India will be allowed back to work next week despite a nationwide coronavirus lockdown, the government said Wednesday, as it conceded the hardships of shutting its vital farming economy were too great.

Restrictions on movement in the world´s second-most populous nation of 1.3 billion people -- put in place in late March -- have hit the poorest the hardest, including rural migrant workers and other labourers.

In cities and towns, usually bustling streets are deserted and shops shuttered, while jobless migrants who did not manage to make the long journey home to villages, often on foot, are living in crowded shelters in cities.

The lockdown has also taken place during the harvest season, with farmers worried their reaping and sowing cycles will be severely disrupted and place further pressure on India´s food supply chain -- already hit by transport delays.

"To mitigate hardship to the public, select additional activities will be allowed," the Home Affairs Ministry said.

"The revised consolidated guidelines are aimed at operating those sectors of the economy which are critical from the perspective of rural and agricultural development."

Under the new guidelines to be implemented from April 20, agriculture and related sectors including farmers´ markets, logistics, repair shops and brick kilns will be restarted.

Strict measures will be enforced, including the wearing of face masks or coverings.

Some factories such as manufacturing will also be re-opened but staffing will be limited and working hours staggered.

Factory owners are required to try and provide dormitories for workers or arrange special transport to and from the plants.

Refineries, coal production and some construction will also be permitted.

The rural and industry sectors make up about 40 percent of India´s GDP. Some 70 percent of India´s workforce lives in rural regions.