TOKYO－Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed concern on Tuesday that many citizens were not following social distancing measures as the number of COVID-19 cases surpassed 11,000.

Abe said hospitals were overburdened already and that infections must be slowed.

"I seek further cooperation from all of you," he said, noting that many people made out of town trips over the weekend, risking spreading the virus.

Separately, Japan has not agreed to shoulder the additional costs for the postponement of the 2020 Olympics, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Tuesday, after Kyodo News reported Abe had committed to cover the costs.

In South Korea, professional sport returned to the country on Tuesday as restrictions ease, with the first pitch thrown in a baseball pre-season derby in front of empty stands.

South Korea reported nine new cases on Tuesday, taking its total to 10,683.

Meanwhile, football clubs are also expected to be back in action soon after the K-League said they would be allowed practice matches from Tuesday.

In Palestine, the authorities approved a series of economic relaxations amid the continued fight against COVID-19, senior officials said on Monday, as President Mahmoud Abbas called for "a systematic relaxation of the emergency measures in some West Bank areas".

Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye also said on Monday that the economic relaxations were made on the recommendations of the health ministry, the security apparatus and the government.

A batch of medical supplies from China arrived on Monday as 12 new cases were confirmed, taking the total number of cases to 449.

Iraq on Monday also received a new batch of Chinese medical aid, mainly personal protective equipment and nucleic acid test kits.

The country has reported 1,574 infections as of Monday, of whom 82 have died.

New mega-hospital

In Turkey, the first phase of a new mega-hospital for coronavirus patients, which is expected to have 2,682 beds, was inaugurated on Monday in Turkey's biggest city Istanbul.

Turkey, the new epicenter of the outbreak in the Middle East, had recorded 90,980 cases with 4,674 new ones on Monday.

In New Zealand, a national emergency will be extended a fourth time for a further seven days, Civil Defense Minister Peeni Henare said on Tuesday.

But the extension does not change the COVID-19 alert levels or affect the decision to move to Alert Level 3 next Tuesday, the government said.

In South Africa, infections have surged to 3,300, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Monday, as there has been a significant increase in mass community screening and testing across provinces.

Tests have been conducted on 121,510 patients in the public and private sectors, Mkhize said.

Xinhua - Agencies