Coronavirus outbreak updates: May 10, 2020

(Workers prepare to ship carnations in Konosu in Saitama Prefecture, eastern Japan, on May 8, 2020, two days before Mother's Day.)

TOKYO - As of 11 p.m., Sunday, May 10 (Japan time)

The government is considering lifting the state of emergency declaration in most Japanese prefectures this month over the coronavirus pandemic, officials said Sunday, although it will keep urging caution in Tokyo and some other areas.
South Korean President Moon Jae In on Sunday praised his country's efforts in battling the novel coronavirus and outlined plans for South Korea to emerge as a leader in the post-COVID-19 era.
More than half of the Japanese public is dissatisfied with the government's response to the coronavirus outbreak, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday.
A Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer left its base Sunday to replace another vessel in a Japanese mission to help secure the safety of a key Middle East sea lane, with precautions taken to avoid onboard infections with the coronavirus.
Amid requests for people to stay at home to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus in Japan, instances of tailgating or stones being thrown at cars with out-of-prefecture license plates have been growing in areas that have few confirmed cases of infection.
To express gratitude and give comfort to frontline health care workers battling the novel coronavirus epidemic, a Kyoto-based chocolatier has launched a unique gift initiative that is also aimed at sustaining its business and supporting cacao farmers.

As of 11 p.m., Saturday, May 9 (Japan time)

One of Australia's busiest wildlife hospitals on Saturday took its annual charity fundraiser online for the first time due to coronavirus restrictions, opening up the event to animal lovers around the world.
Cars lined up Saturday at a wholesale market in Kawasaki near Tokyo as customers were set to receive carnation or gerbera flowers for Mother's Day in a drive-through service to minimize people-to-people contact amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Panasonic Corp. has developed a robot equipped with nozzles to autonomously spray disinfectant in hospitals in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday sent a message to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un offering China's assistance in fighting the new coronavirus, according to the official Xinhua News Agency

With an array of social restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, Thai people are trying to adjust to a new normal that prioritizes public health during the pandemic and likely beyond.
The Japanese government is set to approve on Wednesday test kits that can detect novel coronavirus antigens in 15 to 30 minutes as Japan seeks to improve its testing regime, sources close to the matter said Saturday.
With many Japanese inns facing the threat of closure amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, people are turning to an online project to support them by making payments toward future stays.
Locals in northeastern Japan have been stepping up efforts to boost sales of high-quality chicken that have dropped significantly in the wake of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
The Japanese health ministry on Friday relaxed its guidelines for giving coronavirus tests to people who have developed a symptom of infection, scraping the rigid fever rule which has been criticized for denying many potential patients access to the tests.
Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi & Co. said Friday it aims to launch a vaccine for the novel coronavirus as early as fall next year, as it is preparing to begin clinical trials by the end of the year.
Smog from forest and peatland fires in Indonesia could complicate the country's efforts to battle the new coronavirus, as the government has no contingency plan for additional respiratory illness amid the ongoing pandemic.
As coronavirus cases dwindle, Taiwanese baseball fans were allowed back into stadiums on Friday evening, although with a cap on numbers.
The outbreak of the new coronavirus has sent the number of passengers on domestic and international flights plunging more than 95 percent from a year earlier during Japan's Golden Week holidays, Japanese airlines said Friday.