Myanmar registers spike in coronavirus cases

Myanmar health authorities have reported 743 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus, bringing the country's total over the 10,000 mark.

The state-owned Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported Monday that the Health Ministry announced a total of 10,734 coronavirus cases since March, including 226 deaths.

Myanmar's biggest city, Yangon, last week imposed a tightened lockdown, which generally bans residents from travelling outside their officially designated wards.

Police on Monday were manning checkpoints to ensure that vehicles driving through had valid exemptions to the ban, such as medical reasons.

Most businesses are required to have their employees work from home and many factories are closed.

There are exemptions to the restrictions for services deemed essential, including banks, petrol stations and food production.

The authorities have said there is a pressing need to increase the capacity of quarantine centres and hospitals and other COVID-19 treatment facilities, and to upgrade hospital staffing and equipment.