This picture taken on June 10, 2022 and released from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on June 11 shows workers disinfecting the interior of Pyongyang International Airport as part of measures against the COVID-19 coronavirus. (STR / KCNA VIA KNS / AFP)
SEOUL / WELLINGTON / MANILA – The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has dropped a face mask mandate and other social distancing rules as leader Kim Jong-un declared victory over COVID-19 this week, state media said on Saturday.
Kim presided over a COVID-19 meeting on Wednesday and ordered the lifting of maximum anti-epidemic measures imposed in May, adding that the DPRK must maintain a "steel-strong anti-epidemic barrier."
Under the shift to a "normal" anti-epidemic system from a "top-level" system, the DPRK dropped the mask-wearing obligation and other rules such as limit on service time of commercial and public facilities in all areas except border regions, according to the official KCNA.
The DPRK recommended those experiencing respiratory symptoms should keep wearing masks, and urged people to maintain vigilance against "abnormal things" which Pyongyang has cited as the cause of infections.
A man wearing a face mask walks on a street during a nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in Wellington on Aug 18, 2021.(MARTY / MELVILLE / AFP)
New Zealand
New Zealand reported 3,650 new community cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, said the Ministry of Health in a statement.
The seven-day rolling average of community case numbers of COVID-19 in New Zealand now sits at 4,418. The ministry also reported 546 current hospitalizations, including 10 cases in intensive care units or high dependency units on Saturday.
In addition, there were 92 new cases that have recently traveled overseas, according to the ministry.
New Zealand has reported 1,670,483 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.
A woman gets inoculated with Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination hub in Taguig City, the Philippines, on April 16, 2021. (ROUELLE UMALI / XINHUA)
Philippines
The Philippines reported 4,661 new COVID-19 infections on Friday, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 3,823,084.
The Department of Health said the number of active cases jumped to 40,315, the highest since March 30, and 28 more patients died from COVID-19 complications, pushing the country's death toll to 60,944.
Metro Manila tallied 1,489 new cases. DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that new infections in Metro Manila have slowed, while the number "in most areas" in the country is "still at a continuous uptrend."
Vergeire added that the DOH also noted an "uptrend" of severe and critical hospital admissions.
The Philippines reported its highest COVID-19 single-day tally of 39,004 new cases on Jan 15. The country, with a population of around 110 million, has fully vaccinated over 71.5 million people.