South Korea announced plans Saturday to strap tracking wristbands on people who defy quarantine orders, while Christians across the globe were urged to stay home on Easter weekend as the coronavirus death toll passed 100,000.
South Korean officials said stricter controls are required because some of the 57,000 people who are under orders to stay home have slipped out by leaving behind smartphones with tracking apps. Plans for broader use of wristbands were scaled back after objections by human rights and legal activists, The Associated Press writes.
Meanwhile, U.S. health authorities reported more outbreaks in New York City and the surrounding region, an area with some 20 million people that accounts for more than half of the 500,000 American cases. Other hot spots are in Detroit, Louisiana and the national capital, Washington.
Worldwide, confirmed infections rose to 1.7 million, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
In China, where the pandemic began in December, the government reported three deaths and 46 additional cases in the 24 hours through midnight Friday. The number of new daily cases has declined dramatically, allowing the ruling Communist Party to reopen factories and stores.
China has reported 3,339 deaths and 81,953 confirmed infections, though critics say the real totals might be higher.
Also Saturday, the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou in southern China advised African-Americans to avoid the city following complaints that police ordered restaurants and bars not to serve people of African origin. It said authorities required mandatory self-quarantine for anyone with “African contacts.”
A foreign ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, said Thursday the government “opposes any discriminatory practices” following complaints Africans were targeted for stricter prevention measures. Zhao said there might be “some misunderstandings” and local officials would be urged to improve their methods.
Also Saturday, the Japanese government appealed to the public nationwide to avoid bars, clubs and restaurants. That broadened a measure announced earlier for seven urban areas including Tokyo, AP adds.
A state of emergency issued April 7 calls on the public to stay home as much as possible but includes no penalties. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appealed to companies to allow people to work from home, saying numbers of passengers on crowded commuter trains have fallen but more action is needed.
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