Olympic organisers have relentlessly pushed a consistent message: The Summer Games in Tokyo will not be cancelled or postponed. As recently as Thursday, Olympic Minister Seiko Hashimoto said “cancellation or delay of the Games would be unacceptable for the athletes.” But behind the scenes, sponsors who have pumped billions of dollars into the Games have grown increasingly nervous about how …

The Department of Disease Control (DDC) plans to impose compulsory measures for all inbound arrivals, including notifying personal information and contact information such as mobile phone numbers and email addresses as part of steps to control the Covid-19 outbreak. The measure will commence on Thursday and all personal information for inbound tourists will be kept in the system for 14 …

Thailand’s aviation regulator said airlines should ask passengers coming from high-risk territories for health certificates to establish they are free of the new coronavirus. Travellers who can’t provide documentation should be prevented from boarding flights to the Asian nation, according to a Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand notice posted Monday. Carriers are liable for treatment costs if they fly in …

There will be no water splashing during Songkran — at least in Khon Kaen, Pattaya and Bang Saen — as the coronavirus outbreak has forced organisers to scrap activities that could expose more people to the bug that is bringing the world to a standstill. Khon Kaen Municipality on Thursday announced the cancellation of the Khon Kaen Songkran Festival, leaving …

The Public Health Ministry on Thursday reported four new local coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases – men aged 20-42 years who arrived from Iran and Italy in the past week. It was also announced that healthy people returning from Covid-19 risk countries would now be quarantined at specific and guarded facilities.  Dr Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director-general of the Disease Control Department, said …

The Finance Ministry has launched a huge relief package including cash giveaways to many more individuals beyond the 14 million people with annual base incomes not exceeding 100,000 baht and who are registered as poor to help cushion fallout from the spread of the new coronavirus. The whole package is worth 100 billion baht, said Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana. The …

India has suspended the granting of regular visas to nationals of Japan and three other countries to guard against the spread of the new coronavirus. The government, in an official advisory, also said all nationals of Japan, Italy, Iran and South Korea already possessing visas will not be allowed to enter India, excepting in compelling circumstances. The suspension applies to …

PETALING JAYA – The Malaysian Health Ministry has confirmed on Monday that two former political office holders have tested negative for the illness. Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said that both individuals underwent series of test and the virus was not detected in any of the tests. It was recently reported that former minister Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan …

Bangkok Airways is cutting executive salaries, sending staff on unpaid leave and reducing the number of flights to cope with the downturn in business because of the spread of coronavirus disease. “Due to the economic downturn and the outbreak of Covid-19 affecting various industries worldwide particularly the tourism and aviation sectors, Bangkok Airways has reviewed and adjusted its strategic plan …

Four new coronavirus infections reported by Japanese authorities on Saturday as the number of cases outside China continued to climb. One of the new cases, according to a Prefectural Government official, is a woman in her 60s who is a junior high school teacher in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo. The woman first showed symptoms on Feb. 12 and according …