The Indonesian Government has decided to ban all arrivals and transits of foreign nationals into the country to prevent further spread of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, a minister said on March 31.

The Thai government will not allow flag carrier Thai Airways International (THAI) to collapse, according to Thai Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak who has also dismissed rumours of impending lay-offs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thailand’s relevant agencies, including the finance ministry and central, bank are working to revise a new stimulus package in order to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic worth more than 500 billion baht (15.3 billion USD).

President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte on March 30 announced that his government will launch a social relief package worth 200 billion peso (3.9 billion USD) to assist low-income households and industries seriously affected by the strict preventive measures against COVID-19.

Many countries in the Asia-Pacific region continued to report new COVID-19 cases and deaths on March 31.

UK Ambassador to Vietnam Gareth Ward and Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Ian Gibbons have recently advised UK citizens who are living and working in Vietnam to comply with local laws and customs amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cambodia’s government has considered allocating 500-600 million USD to banks and microfinance institutions, according to Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Military hospitals and field hospitals run by the military of Thailand have been told to prepare to take in Covid-19 patients as the number of infections in Thailand continues to rise, local media reported.

The relentless efforts by the Vietnamese Government and people in the fight against COVID-19 over the recent past have been recognised many newspapers and experts around the world.

The administration of Phuket, an island province of Thailand, has banned people and vehicles from leaving and entering the popular tourist destination to contain the spread of COVID-19.

The Cambodian Ministry of Health on March 30 morning confirmed four more COVID-19 infection cases, raising the total number in the country to 107.

Registration for 5,000 baht government aid, for people affected by the coronavirus crisis, was opened on March 28 at 6pm via the "เราไม่ทิ้งกัน ดอทคอม" website. Immediately after the registration opened, the website crashed, due to the overwhelming number of applicants.

A number of inmates escaped from a central prison in Thailand’s northeastern province of Buri Ram, following a riot caused by about 100 hard-core prisoners on March 29, said the country’s Minister of Justice Somsak Thepsutin.

A medical evacuation plane exploded during take-off in the Philippine capital of Manila on March 29, killing all eight people on board.