Hi all,

In today's bulletin: China revises Wuhan's death toll, Kerala uses experience with epidemics to battle Covid-19, aviation shake-ups, Indonesia braces for social unrest, Philippines faces public health crisis in prisons and more.

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CHINA REVISES OFFICIAL DEATH TOLL IN WUHAN UPWARDS BY MORE THAN 1,000

In the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, many were skeptical of China's Wuhan death toll, after a whistleblowing doctor, who later died of the virus, was silenced by the government, and photos of long lines of people waiting to collect ash urns of their loved ones at funeral homes emerged on social media.

By choosing secrecy in the first weeks of the outbreak instead of openly confronting the growing crisis to avoid public alarm and political embarrassment, China delayed a concerted public health offensive, experts say.

China revised the Wuhan death toll by more than 1,000 on Friday, China Bureau Chief Dawn Tan reports. Beijing issued a statement that miscounting and misreporting had happened in the early days of the outbreak, and said it was revising the toll to be "responsible to history, the people and the deceased".

Friday was also a bad day for the country's economy as GDP numbers were released. The figures were the worst since records have been kept.

China's economy shrank for the first time in almost three decades in the first quarter, as the coronavirus outbreak paralysed production and spending, raising pressure on the authorities to do more to stop mounting job losses.

Must read:

China Correspondent Elizabeth Law writes from Wuhan how the government is using apps to warn the public if they are in danger.

In China, demands for more free speech outlast virus lockdowns

KERALA'S VIGILANCE BUILT FROM PAST EXPERIENCE WITH EPIDEMICS

A month into the coronavirus crisis, as India logs over 10,000 Covid-19 cases and about 400 deaths, and extends its nationwide lockdown, India's southern state of Kerala has few new cases, and the country's highest recovery rate of about 55 per cent. Three people have died of Covid-19 in the state since Jan 28, when the first cases in India emerged.

Using what Kerala's health minister calls "a fusion of stringent and humane strategies," the state has flattened the curve, or slowed the rate of infection, India correspondent Rohini Mohan reports.

Kerala's vigilance is thanks to the state's mixed experience with the much deadlier Nipah virus in 2018, which killed 16 of 18 people diagnosed with the disease. After initial mistakes, Kerala established its own surveillance and treatment protocol to contain Nipah's spread, and the World Health Organisation commended the strong emergency preparedness of the state.

Read more:

In Modi's India, coronavirus fallout inflames divisions between Muslims and Hindus

With drones and tests, India battles to keep coronavirus out of Mumbai's slums

SOUTH-EAST ASIA'S LOCKDOWN WOES, SINGAPORE CASES PASS 5,000

Four vacant public housing blocks in Singapore, known as the "diamond blocks", are being refurbished to house foreign workers working in essential services. Experts say the country's health system could be stretched as new cases in migrant worker dorms climb, Senior Health Correspondent Salma Khalik reports. The country reported 623 cases on Friday, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases to 5,050.

Meanwhile in Malaysia, three men who were caught playing golf at a Melaka golf club on Thursday, breaking the government's stay-at-home order, have been sentenced to be jailed for three days and fined RM1,000 (S$326) each. Only essential workers are allowed to leave their homes. One positive from the lockdown is a steep decrease in serious crime across the country.

In Indonesia, the government is bracing for social unrest ahead of the Ramadan fasting month amid the economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has hit purchasing power and put many people out of work. Indonesia correspondent Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja reports that the outbreak in Indonesia may peak next month, with around 100,000 cases and a death toll of over 1,000 people, said a senior official in the fight against the coronavirus.

As much of Southeast Asia has locked-down populations and even expanded restrictions to contain the covid-19 outbreak, Vietnam has begun lifting barriers. Indochina Bureau Chief Tan Hui Yee reports that with its total number of infections under 300, Hanoi ended its nationwide social distancing campaign on Thursday and retained movement restrictions on only 12 cities and provinces out of 63.

SHAKE-UPS IN THE AVIATION SECTOR

Merging money-losing state carrier Malaysia Airlines (MAS) with budget airline AirAsia Group is one of the options to "save" them as the Covid-19 crisis batters the industry, Malaysia's second-most senior minister said on Friday.

The pandemic that has killed at least 143,700 people around the world has led to lockdowns in many countries, brought air travel to a virtual halt and left airlines battling for survival.

Meanwhile Down Under, two private groups are considering making approaches for Australia's second-biggest airline Virgin Australia. The carrier is about 20-per cent owned by Singapore Airlines.

Air fares have fallen as much as 30 per cent since the start of the year in North America and Europe, according to the first of a new series of industry data, while stabilising on a smaller decline in Asia where some coronavirus lockdowns are being eased.

The figures offer early clues to the difficult recovery awaiting airlines as they prepare for an eventual lifting of restrictions on what is likely to be a changed travel market.

See also:

Cathay Pacific to close US cabin crew bases, laying off 286 staff

PHILIPPINES SCRAMBLING TO HEAD OFF PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS IN PRISONS

Officials in Manila are scrambling to head off a public health crisis as they try to contain the spread of the coronavirus through the country's notoriously overcrowded prisons.

ST Contributor Dana Batnag reports that nine inmates and nine personnel at a local city jail in Manila have tested positive for Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus.

Prison authorities have taken 40 inmates to an isolation facility on the outskirts of metropolitan Manila, and are set to conduct random testing at the Quezon City Jail, north of Manila, where the outbreak was detected.

Must read:

Philippines Correspondent Raul Dancel reports: President Duterte threatens martial law-like lockdown in Philippines as many flout controls

IN OTHER NEWS

NEW ZEALAND SAYS IT'S ON COURSE TO WIPE OUT COVID-19: New Zealand's approach to fighting the coronavirus may go down in history as being unique in that it seeks to eliminate the virus completely. By imposing the strictest lockdown in the world faster than any other country, the South Pacific nation appears close to beating the virus. Cases are dwindling, and PM Ardern said she will decide on Monday whether to ease the quarantine restrictions that have kept the death rate the lowest in the developed world.

DATING APPS TURN HOT DURING CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK: Online dating apps have seen a significant increase in usage due to the Covid-19 outbreak. A report released by Chinese mobile dating app Tantan said the average time people spent on the app in early and mid-February increased by more than 30 per cent compared with the average usage during normal times.

CHINA SAYS US ACCUSATIONS IN ARMS CONTROL REPORT 'NOT WORTH REFUTING': A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday that accusations against China made in a US report were groundless and not worth refuting. Mr Zhao Lijian made the remarks after the US State Department released an executive summary of the 2020 Arms Control Compliance Report on Wednesday, accusing China of not complying with commitments to suspending nuclear testing and to non-proliferation, and questioning China's report on its implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).

That's it for today, thanks for reading and have a safe weekend.

Tom