The Latest: Mongolia restricts capital after 9 recent cases

BEIJING — Residents of Mongolia’s capital of Ulaanbaatar have been told to stay at home as part of nationwide lockdown measures due to remain in place through Tuesday following the detection of new coronavirus cases

Residents of the city of 1.4 million will be permitted to leave for necessary errands, such as to purchase groceries and medications, the official Montsame news agency reported.

Social distancing measures must be maintained at all times when leaving home, and employees of hospitals and other essential facilities must show identification when commuting, the report said. Police and military personnel were being deployed to ensure compliance, it said.

Ulannbaatar confirmed two cases of community transmission on Nov. 9 and another in an outlying area on Thursday. Since then, another six relatives or others who came into close contact with those infected have also tested positive for COVID-19. Further contacts are being traced for additional testing.

A vast, but lightly populated nation landlocked between China and Russia, Mongolia has recorded just over 400 confirmed cases. No deaths from COVID-19 have been reported in Mongolia.

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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

— States ramp up for biggest vaccination drive in US history

— Virus ward doctor runs from dawn to dark in Italy

— Meatpacking plant worker who died from COVID-19 left legacy of compassion

— India’s festive mood ahead of Diwali raises fears of surge of coronavirus

— Follow AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

TOKYO — Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga raised caution over coronavirus infections, urging officials to step up testing, tracing and cluster investigations, while reminding people to stick to wearing masks, handwashing and other basic preventive measures.

The country set a record Friday for daily new infections, with the health ministry reporting 1,649 new cases, bringing the national total to 113,298.

Suga said he has instructed health and economic revitalization ministers to “use maximum caution and take preventive measures firmly.”

He said the current situation does not immediately require another state of emergency or scaling down of domestic tourism. He urged the people to stick to basic and known preventive measures such as wearing masks, and avoid talking loudly or joining drinking parties that increase risks of spreading droplets.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska — U.S. Rep. Don Young said he has the coronavirus after the 87-year-old Alaskan won his 25th term in the U.S. House.

Young, the longest-ever Republican to serve in the House, made the announcement Thursday on Twitter.

“I am feeling strong, following proper protocols, working from home in Alaska and ask for privacy at this time,” Young wrote in a tweet. “May God Bless Alaska.”

A message sent to his spokesman wasn’t returned.

“My friend and colleague Congressman Don Young is a fighter. I’m glad to hear he’s doing well and will be praying for his health and recovery, along with all those impacted by #COVID19,” Alaska’s senior U.S. senator, Lisa Murkowski, said in a tweet.

The diagnosis came after Young initially downplayed the seriousness of the virus at the onset, claiming it was overblown and fueled by the media. Last March, Young spoke to a group of senior citizens, referring to the coronavirus as the “beer virus.”

Young’s positive test came after he was campaigning for reelection in Alaska, which is experiencing a surge of cases. Alaska has had over 20,000 cases, including 477 new cases reported Thursday. There have been 96 deaths.

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SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has reported its biggest daily jump in COVID-19 cases in 70 days as the government began fining people who fail to wear masks in public.

The 191 cases added to the country’s caseload on Friday represented the sixth consecutive day of over 100 and most were from the Seoul metropolitan area.

The steady spread of the virus has alarmed government officials, who eased social distancing measures to the lowest level since October to soften the economic shock.

While this has allowed high-risk venues like nightclubs and karaoke bars to reopen, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said the continuing spread could force the government to “seriously consider” tightening social distancing again.

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WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand’s government could soon make wearing masks mandatory on public transit in Auckland and on planes nationwide as it continues to investigate a new community case of the coronavirus.

Virus Response Minister Chris Hipkins says there are no plans to raise the nation’s alert level after genome testing linked the latest case, a student who also worked at a clothing store, with a military worker who caught the virus at a hotel used as a quarantine site.

Hipkins says he will recommend the mask mandate to the Cabinet on Monday for its approval. New Zealand has been largely successful in its efforts to stamp out community spread of the virus.

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LOS ANGELES — California has become the second state to record 1 million confirmed coronavirus infections. Texas reached the mark earlier this week.

Data compiled by Johns Hopkins University showed Thursday that California surpassed the grim milestone. It comes nearly 10 months after the first cases were confirmed in the most populous state.

California was the first in the nation to implement a statewide stay-at-home order on its nearly 40 million residents in March.

After spiking in the summer, the rate of confirmed COVID-19 cases in California declined markedly into the fall but now is surging again, like much of the nation. This week, 11 counties had rates high enough that state restrictions were reimposed on certain businesses and activities.

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BEIJING — China’s government says it has helped facilitate the return home of more than 70,000 Chinese nationals from 92 foreign countries between the start of the coronavirus pandemic and Nov. 10.

Deputy Foreign Minister Luo Zhaohui said some had returned home aboard chartered flights while others deployed separate means.

While local transmissions have been largely eliminated, the country remains on guard over imported cases, with Luo saying a rise of about 45 percent in infections detected at ports of entry had been recorded since September.

Most recently, China suspended five inbound international flights after significant numbers of COVID-19 sufferers were reported among the passengers.