Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced on late March 16 that the entire country will be on a movement control order starting from March 18-31 to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Many Southeast Asian countries on March 16 said that they are continuously implementing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The Indonesian tourism sector has suffered losses of at least 1.5 billion USD since January amid growing fears over the COVID-19, said Chairman of the Indonesia Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) Hariyadi B. Sukamdani.

A meeting of Thailand’s Covid-19 Administration Centre, chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, approved a motion to postpone the Songkran holidays from April 13-15 to later dates.

Indonesia recorded a 2.34 billion USD trade surplus in February as exports rose but import edged down significantly, according to the Indonesian Statistics Indonesia (BPS).

Russia and Vietnam share similar views on most international issues and the two countries have established close and effective cooperation bilaterally and within the UN framework.

A scheduled visit by Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to Australia will be replaced by a video conference in view of Australia's COVID-19 restrictions, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on March 16. ​

All schools across Cambodia are ordered to close in an effort to counter the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic in the latest announcement of the country’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport.

Vietnamese government covers testing fee for suspected cases that are asked to take the test and treatment cost for confirmed patients.

To prepare for a COVID-19 presence that may be prolonged, Thailand’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation or MHESI, has brought together government and private sectors to develop applications and innovations to cope with the crisis.

Exports of Thai rice have been on the rise as many countries are stocking up on food supplies due to the rampant COVID-19 outbreak, said President of the Thai Rice Exporters Association (TREA) Chookiat Ophaswongse.

The Philippines capital of Manila is implementing the lockdown measure for one month starting from March 15 to contain the spread of the SARS-CoV-2.

Petrol and diesel prices in Cambodia will continue to fall this year due to global tensions, Ministry of Commerce spokesman Seang Thay has said.

The Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) and the China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) kicked off the annual joint military exercise dubbed Golden Dragon in Cambodia’s Kampot province despite the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak.