Australia ups testing amid mixed Asia view

SYDNEY－Australia plans to expand screening for the novel coronavirus after importing 10 million more test kits from China on Wednesday, a measure which officials said is key to sustaining low transmission rates and allowing restrictions on social movement to be eased.

Australia has credited a partial lockdown and testing with bringing the rate of new infections down to below 1 percent. The country has recorded about 6,700 COVID-19 cases and 88 deaths.

Authorities plan to use the new supply to expand testing this week to include people without symptoms, ramping up from around 500,000 tests conducted over the past month.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said increased testing is a prerequisite to reopening restaurants and pubs, lifting travel restrictions and extending the limits on the size of weddings and funerals.

Some states and territories have begun to ease restrictions independently, including allowing slightly larger public gatherings and reopening beaches. But the federal government said there will not be any changes before a review on May 11.

Elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific, South Korea is set to apply a lax social distancing drive after the holidays should the numbers continue to plateau until Tuesday.

"Over the holiday, visitors to major attractions will have their temperatures checked and will be requested to wear protective masks," Vice-Health Minister Kim Gang-lip said.

About 180,000 people are expected to visit the resort island of Jeju during a six-day break from Thursday, despite the island government's pleading with would-be travelers for them not to come.

In the Middle East, Turkey's national flag carrier Turkish Airlines announced the extension of a halt to all flights until May 28 as total infections climbed to 114,653 and fatalities surged to 2,992.

In Kuwait, a team of eight Chinese medical experts arrived in the country on Monday night.

During their stay there, they will exchange experiences with their Kuwaiti counterparts in the prevention, control, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19.

Kuwait has had 3,440 infections, with 23 deaths.

Xinhua - Agencies