These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
Get up to speed with what’s happening in the fastest growing region in the world.
US braces for hardest week as coronavirus deaths surpass 9,000
The United States enters one of the most critical weeks so far in the coronavirus crisis, with government officials warning that the death toll in places such as New York, Michigan and Louisiana was a sign of trouble to come in other states.
Still, governors of eight states resisted issuing stay-at-home orders aimed at slowing the spread of the respiratory disease, and some churches held large Palm Sunday services in defiance of such orders in their states.
New York, the hardest-hit state, reported on Sunday that, for the first time in a week, deaths had fallen slightly from the day before, but there were still nearly 600 new fatalities and more than 7,300 new cases. – The Straits Times
9 Msia hospitals to begin COVID-19 drug tests in WHO global effort
Malaysia’s participation in the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) `The Solidarity Trust’ research initiative entails the country’s involvement in an international effort to test several drugs in treating COVID-19.
The WHO's globally-coordinated trial was described as “an unprecedented effort” to gather reliable data and compare the safety and effectiveness of four treatment protocols using different combinations of Remdesivir, Lopinavir/Ritonavir, Interferon beta, Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine, a joint WHO-Health Ministry (MOH) statement said today. – The New Straits Times
PH prepares for ‘new normal’ for consumers, businesses after pandemic
Even as the country grapples to contain the COVID-19 disease, the government is working to grasp what a “new normal” post-pandemic would look like to keep the economy afloat, the country’s chief economist said on Sunday.
The economy, like those in many countries, is expected to slip into recession as a result of lockdowns in Luzon and other parts of the country that have shuttered many factories, malls, offices and many other businesses, causing people to lose jobs and livelihoods. – Philippine Daily Inquirer
National Assembly to meet soon on draft emergency law
The National Assembly is expected to meet soon to debate the State of Emergency Law draft which the government has deemed to be a matter of “urgency.”
Prime Minister Hun Sen has also written a letter to Senate President Say Chhum asking him to convene an emergency session of the Senate, which is on vacation, to debate on the draft law after it is passed by the National Assembly. – Khmer Times
No new cases of COVID-19 reported for second successive morning
For the second morning in a row, no new cases of COVID-19 have been detected in Vietnam.
The National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control announced on Monday morning there were zero infections reported overnight. – Viet Nam News