As Europe and the U.S. follow China's lead in imposing curbs on daily life to fight the coronavirus, Asia's experience of the pandemic provides both hope and caution.
China appears to be getting a handle on the virus, but the rest of the region is far from in the clear. A wave of secondary effects is bad news for anyone expecting the Covid-19 crisis to pass quickly.
In Malaysia, the number of cases jumped the most in Southeast Asia, prompting the government to ban all visitors and shut all places of worship, schools and businesses that don't sell daily supplies. That could hurt neighboring Singapore, which relies on commuters from Malaysia for about a tenth of its workforce.
The Philippines widened a month-long quarantine in the capital Manila, while Indonesia, the world's fourth-most populous nation, saw a surge of infections this week, including a member of President Joko Widodo's cabinet.
India, with some of the world's most densely populated cities, is bracing for what could be an "avalanche" of cases. Equally worrying, North Korea claims to have no cases at all.
Even Hong Kong, which has seen success containing the outbreak, asked residents to avoid traveling and extended school closures until at least April 20.
Three months after the virus appeared in Wuhan, Asia's experience shows the world's fight is just beginning.
— Daniel Ten Kate
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