Paolo Fossati

The reception ceremony was significantly scaled down. Many events to promote the Games have been changed because of anti-coronavirus measures. The IOC “is considering different scenarios” but “cancellation is not on the agenda”. About 69.9 per cent of Japanese don’t expect the Games to take place as scheduled.

Prof Eusun Lee explains South Korea's successes. This month began with around 500 cases per day, now they just over one hundred. People immediately followed the rules and common sense. For many experts, large-scale diagnostic capability is the key to controlling the epidemic.

The regime extends closure of kindergartens and schools. Seoul designates two border cities as independent operators for humanitarian projects in favor of the North. Kim Jong-un attends inauguration ceremony for the construction of a large hospital in Pyongyang.

The number of infections now stands at 673. Hundreds of people from Southeast Asia were infected at an Islamic meeting. The government has adopted special measures to counter the spread of the virus. The archbishop of Kuala Lumpur tells parishes to “support and care for the needs of the vulnerable”.

Fr Giovanni Tulino, PIME missionary, talks about his story. His living room is a kindergarten in the morning, an oratory in the afternoon, and a chapel on Sunday.

The measure aims to combat the spread of coronavirus. Every day, around 415 thousand people cross the border between the two countries. Singapore imports over 90% of food from all over the world. Malaysia confirms another 125 new infections: the number rises to 553. Mosques closed in two states.

Due to the coronavirus, Malaysia’s bishops suspended public Masses until 29 March. A “day of prayer and fasting” will be held next Thursday “to invoke the intercession of God and Saint Joseph”. For one churchgoer, without this special service, “we would be like sheep without our Sunday pasture”.

The movement called Indonesia Tanpa Pacaran (Indonesia without dating) flourishes. For conservatives, premarital betrothal is a sinful product of Western decadence. For experts, it is a reaction to fears that democracy is opposed to traditional values.

People at the PIME mission are getting ready for Easter. About 102 catechumens are preparing for their baptism. In northern Thailand, people become Christian through dual conversion, social first, individual later. The coronavirus threat hangs over the mission and the rest of the country. The Thai Church has suspended public ceremonies.

The Philippine president announced measures against the pandemic. Land, air and sea transport to and from the capital will be suspended from 15 March to 14 April. So far, 52 cases of COVID-19 infections and five deaths have been confirmed. Earlier this week, the government had only 2,000 test kits for 104 million people.

A Spanish NGO released a report showing how victims are forced to frame the accusations against them as crimes against the state or the party. Once unsophisticated compare to China, Vietnam is now catching up.

For organisers and IOC, the Games will open on 24 July as scheduled. There are many economic interests at stake. Broadcasting rights and sponsorship represent 91 per cent of the IOC's revenue. The Japanese government will prolong event cancellations for another 10 days.