Coronavirus outbreak updates: April 20, 2020

As of 9:50 p.m., Monday, April 20 (Japan time)

• The government on Monday increased its emergency package to cushion the economy from the coronavirus pandemic fallout to a record 117.1 trillion yen ($1.09 trillion) from 108.2 trillion yen.
  
  
• Q&A: How do I receive 100,000 yen from the government?

• China denied on Monday "groundless accusations" by the United States that it may have deliberately caused the coronavirus pandemic while stressing it too is a victim.

• Singapore saw a huge jump in the new coronavirus infections on Monday, with a record 1,426 cases, making it the Southeast Asian country with the highest number of infections.
  
  
• A venerable dyeing company in Japan has been attracting attention with its cloth face masks featuring the mouth of a dog, cat or other animals, providing a touch of amusement amid the coronavirus outbreak.
  
  
• As coronavirus fears grip Japan, labor unions are receiving a growing number of reports from people who have faced discrimination at the hands of their bosses and harassment by customers frustrated with merchandise shortages.
  
  
• A Japanese professor of infectious diseases said Monday that the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games are not "likely to be held" in 2021, despite a one-year postponement, as the international community would not be able to weather the global coronavirus pandemic by then, unless the games are organized in a special format.
  
  
• E-commerce giant Rakuten Inc. said Monday it has started selling coronavirus testing kits to businesses and Sharp Corp. said it will sell face masks, joining other major companies in combating the rapid spread of the novel virus.
  
  
• Tokyo's Toyosu fish market, which opened in 2018 to replace the aging Tsukiji market, is facing tough times with both trade volume and prices of high-end fish and other marine products tumbling as demand collapses amid the coronavirus pandemic.
  
  
• Over the past weekend, people were still flocking to shopping arcades in Tokyo and other densely populated cities despite the Japanese government announcing a state of emergency nationwide over the novel coronavirus outbreak.
  
  
• The economic fallout from the new coronavirus in Japan has triggered a sharp increase in nonpermanent workers seeking advice after losing their jobs, with some economists predicting unemployment could rise by over a million within a year, worse than the impact from the 2008-2009 global financial crisis.

As of 11 p.m., Sunday, April 19 (Japan time)

• The government has secured over 210,000 hotel rooms nationwide to accommodate those with mild coronavirus symptoms as well as asymptomatic patients as the country tries to contain the spread of the virus, a Japanese minister said Sunday.
  
  
• Taiwan's health authorities on Sunday said that 21 additional sailors of a navy fleet have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
  
  
• China's health authorities on Sunday reported 16 new symptomatic cases of coronavirus infections on the mainland, of which nine were imported from abroad.
  
  
• With the spread of the novel coronavirus, some couples are being forced to address underlying issues in their relationships that have largely gone ignored until now, pushing them to the brink of divorce. But one service is stepping in to help them save their marriages before it is too late, offering couples a breather from each other as they try to obey stay-at-home requests due to the virus.