117-104: ASEAN in the Modern World

Professor Dr. Suraphol Srivithaya

Semester 1 2022

IBBA Siam University

Term Paper

ASEAN Public Health Cooperation for Control of Virus

COVID-19 Pandemic.

Faiz Parishwadi: 6108020004

Introduction

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a new outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) as a
pandemic on 11 March 2020. The global Pandemic has caused mayhem and estimates that more
than 190 countries and regions will be affected as of 2030. The COVID-19 crisis implies that no
nation will cope with both the Pandemic on its own. International cooperation, particularly regional
cooperation, is necessary if every country is to survive COVID-19.

This paper intends to give snippets of data about how ASEAN countries respond to the COVID-19
Pandemic and analyze, based on my opinion, and provide experts’ opinions regarding this issue.

The Pandemic has devastated the everyday lives of the ten ASEAN countries. Changes in actions
are required to slow down the spread of COVID-19. People have been expected to remain at home
for months or longer to avoid further transmission of the infection. Job, research, and even worship
practices have also been impacted and carried out at home instead of online.

Facts:
⁃ T
he virus first hit Thailand on 13 January 2020
⁃ S
ingapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called ‘the gravest public health crisis that
mankind is facing in this century’
Impacts on ASEAN member states

The ASEAN countries, with such a total figure of 649 million and a GDP of US$2.8 trillion, were
already seriously impacted by COVID-19. The primary industries affected by the COVID-19 lock-
up and other initiatives include transport, leisure, banking, supply chain, manufacturing, and other
services. The jobs and livelihoods of people in the area are also significantly impacted. In ASEAN,
the pandemic's uncertainties also sparked a rapid capital outflow, leading to a stock plunge and fast
exchange rate depreciation across the country.

Initially, 43,215 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were registered in the ASEAN region as of April
29, 2020. The ASEAN website study stated the precise number of infected people most affected by
Singapore, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Singapore has 15,641 cases, Indonesia 9771, Philippines
8212, Malaysia 5945, Thailand 2947, Vietnam 270, Brunei 138, Cambodia 122, Myanmar 150, and
Laos 19.

As of October 28, 2020 - 909,262 confirmed cases of COVID-19 had been reported in the ASEAN
region, with a total of 22,075 deaths. Worldwide, there have been over 44.1 million cases and more
than 1.16 million deaths attributed to COVID-19.

As of November 5, 2020 - 973,414 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the
ASEAN region, with a total of 23,511 deaths. Worldwide, there have been 48,941,913 million cases
and 1,238,553 million deaths attributed to COVID-19.

As of November 11, 2010 - 1,012,993 confirmed cases of COVID-19 had been accounted for in the
ASEAN area with an aggregate of 24,309 deaths. Worldwide, there have been 51,770,834 million
cases and 1,279,113 deaths attributed to COVID-19.
Key timeline of ASEAN responses to COVID-19

Month Date Responses

December 2019 31 First COVID-19 case was announced in Wuhan, China
February 2020 19 Joint Statement of ASEAN Defense Ministers on Defense Cooperation
against Disease Outbreak, from Meeting in Vietnam

20 The ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC) held a Special Meeting on

20 February 2020 in Vientiane, Lao PDR to discuss follow-up actions
to the ASEAN Chairman’s Statement on ASEAN collective response to
the COVID-19
March 2020 9 ASEAN health sector sustains cooperation in responding to COVID-19

10 Strengthening ASEAN’s Economic Resilience in Response to The

Outbreak of The Corona virus Disease

13 ASEAN senior health officials enhance regional collective actions

against COVID-19 pandemic

April 2020 7 Joint Statement Special Video Conference of ASEAN Plus Three
Health Ministers in Enhancing Cooperation on Coronavirus Disease
2019 Response
9
Joint Statement Special Video Conference of ASEAN Health Ministers
in Enhancing Cooperation on Coronavirus Disease 2019 Response
10
ASEAN Ministers Endorse New COVID-19 Response Fund
Policy Brief on the Economic Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak o
13 ASEAN released

Joint Statement Special Video Conference of ASEAN Plus Three

14 Health Ministers in Enhancing Cooperation on Coronavirus Disease
2019 Response

17 Declaration of the special ASEAN summit on Coronavirus Disease

2019
21 A series of ASEAN and other countries activities

22 ASEAN, Italian health experts exchange experiences in combating

COVID-19

23 China donates medical supplies to ASEAN Secretariat for COVID-19

prevention

24 ASEAN - Japan Economic Ministers’ Joint Statement on Initiatives on

Economic Resilience in Response to the Coronavirus Disease Outbreak
 Co-Chairs’ Statement of the Special ASEAN-United States Foreign
Ministers’ Meeting on Coronavirus Disease 2019

ASEAN, China reaffirm commitment to forge closer cooperation

The table above indicates that the early regional reaction was sluggish and lacked consensus
(January–February 2020). Extensive early intervention by each Member State is the secret to
success in curbing the virus's spread. But during March and April 2020, ASEAN has reconvened
and used its current regional health system to pursue a cohesive solution to the impacts of COVID-
19.

However, according to the news article published by Haridas Ramasamy and Wendy He, these
individuals provoke an appreciation of ASEAN's intent and the ASEAN path. If we take a moment
and look closely, we will see that ASEAN has hardly lost its identity. ASEAN reacted decisively in
the manner it was programmed to do so.

In specific ways, ASEAN has displayed resilience as an IGO in reacting to the pandemic. Within
four days of the World Health Organisation declaring COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of
International Importance and one day just after Strategic Preparedness and Response Strategy,
ASEAN enabled its seven collaborative health frameworks. This includes the Emergency
Operations Centre Network for Public Health Crises under the ASEAN Ministerial Coordinating
Council's supervision. Track one and two intra-ASEAN meetings conducted in March led to a series
of policy responses that illustrate how Southeast Asian countries aggressively cooperate and find
ways to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19.

Moreover, the article states that ASEAN is an inter-governmental entity (IGO), not a supranational
agency like the European Union. ASEAN doesn't even have independent executive authority and
instead operates on a consensus basis, essentially depending on its ten member states' cooperation
and support. This mode of action, called the 'ASEAN Way,' is rooted in ASEAN's founding values
and enables regionalism to thrive without denying the importance of the nation-state.
However, should ASEAN be let free and permitted to lay on its grounded rule of non-obstruction
during the COVID-19 pandemic? Albeit the first goal in shaping ASEAN in 1967 was not to
manage a worldwide well-being emergency any semblance of which we see today, it has still
developed into a provincial association with the possibility to build up its components and limits
without settling on its center standards.

Its main goal was to foster stability and logistics (regional supply chain) zones. Yeah, and after all
these years, current problems, the COVID-19 pandemic, should've been developed in this situation.
Not just adhere to the fundamental principles.

Prompt and collaborative efforts ensure the effective operation of current cooperation processes and
preserve intact regional and additional supply chains while promoting the exchange of medical
knowledge and best practices. Moreover, ASEAN leaders—while focused on saving lives—are
acutely aware that protracted economic closures and uncertainties can quickly fuel domestic social
unrest.

As the crisis arose, so would the ASEAN response. In mid-April, ASEAN leaders agreed to set up
the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund to ensure adequate medical supplies in the area. They
triggered the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve to ensure food security. The presence of
the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance in Crisis Relief and its emergency
supply is also evidence that ASEAN has the necessary facilities in place to convert much-needed
services for use in the case of a natural disaster to a pandemic.
Country specific responses
This segment focuses on government reactions from specific countries. It has been suggested that
country-based mitigation is highly relevant in the battle against COVID-19, as the country is the
first line of defense against COVID-19[8].
 
Brunei Darussalam
Brunei is a small country with a population of about 436,647 as a strong example of a country that
offers care, concern, and preparedness to its people and international and tourists. Sultan Bolkiah's
managing of the pandemic has been argued as straightforward and robust. The first case had been
announced on March 9, 2020. Brunei successfully managed the virus in a limited number of issues
relative to other ASEAN countries. One hundred thirty-eight cases were reported, and no new topics
were found on April 6 (REF). Brunei has taken the requisite steps to suppress the virus, including
early mass tests since January 2020. Bans on transport for people to travel overseas on March 15.
All Brunei returning to the country are subject to compulsory exclusion at quarantine facilities.
Brunei shut down and locked its access from the sea on March 24. Restrictions on public assembly,
work from the home, mosque, and other worship places have been closed. The Government is
making a move to guarantee the well-being of its people. The Ministry has given all employers an
order to pay wages to its workers during the quarantine period. On April 1, economic stimulus for
micro, small and medium-sized businesses was launched for BND250 million. Brunei's progress in
combating the outbreak is early intervention and has taken precautionary steps, deploying and
mobilizing all funds and equipment to relieve the pandemic's effects.
 
Cambodia
The population of Cambodia is about 16 million. The first reported case for coronavirus in
Cambodia was registered on January 27, 2020. To date, 122 cases of COVID-19 have also been
confirmed by the country, and no deaths were also reported. No new topics have been registered in
Cambodia for twelve consecutive days. Despite this situation, Cambodia's Prime Minister urged
people to be alert as there is no drug to treat this infectious disease. Despite criticisms of lack of
testing, Cambodia has the lowest reported cases relative to other ASEAN countries. Several
measures introduced by the Royal Government of Cambodia include enforced lockdown,
cancelation of the Khmer New Year celebrations, and economic stimulus. In turn, the Government
enacted a state of emergency law on April 10, 2020, giving the country's autocratic king, Hun Sen,
extensive new powers allowing the Government to carry out unrestricted monitoring of
communications and censorship of the press social media. Human rights observers argued that the
legislation is likely to disrupt democracy in the region.
Indonesia
Indonesia, with 272 million inhabitants, is the most populous nation among ASEAN members. The
risk of suffering worst from the coronavirus pandemic is high as the health system's quality has
been insufficient. The number sees cases continuing to increase, the second in the area after
Singapore. The mortality rate from 8.9 to 9 percent is highest in Southeast Asia and the world.
Jokowi reported the first reported cases of coronavirus in Indonesia on March 2, 2020, after
Harvard Marc Lipstick's analysis on the probability of COVID-19 having been rejected.
Diamante et al. (2020b) recently published a comprehensive study of the COVID-19 response in
Indonesia. Several main steps have also been released to respond to coronavirus cases in Indonesia,
including creating the COVID-19 Acceleration Task Force on March 13, 2020. Large-scale social
controls to facilitate the eradication of COVID-19 on March 30, 2020. Latest suspension of air,
water, and land transport between cities. Also, the Government has agreed to impose a travel ban on
international tourists to Indonesia, including transit from April 2, 2020, via the Ministry of Law and
Human Rights No 11/2020, on permanent travel bans for foreigners entering Indonesia. On March
31, 2020, 405 trillion Rupiah (USD 26.4 trillion) stimulus packages were declared by the
Government Regulation instead of Law 1/2020 to legitimize even more government expenditure
and financial aid efforts than Indonesia's COVID-19. Indonesia issued domestic travel restrictions
until June 3 during the Ramadhan era on April 24, 2020.
 
Indonesia's National COVID-19 Task Force reported that it is currently finalizing a path map for a
national vaccine program to be implemented in November or December. According to the Task
Force spokesman, at a press conference on Tuesday (November 5), the Government wanted to
weigh multiple considerations to classify target categories, such as the supply of vaccinations,
number of people needed to be vaccinated, high-risk zones, and vaccination measures and indexes.
Road maps will also cover vaccine platform systems and clusters that would initially be aimed at
vaccination. Meanwhile, the Government is also waiting for the outcome of the late-stage trials of
COVID-19 vaccines to assess their efficacy, identify potential side effects and settle on the correct
dose. The Ministry of Health announced 4,065 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Thursday
(November 5), taking the total number of cases nationally to 425,796.
 
Lao People Democratic Republic (Lao PDR)
With more than 7 million people, Lao PDR is the last nation afflicted with coronavirus in ASEAN.
The first two coronavirus cases were confirmed on March 24, 2020. The number of confirmed cases
is only 19, and no new issues have been identified for nine consecutive days on April 21. Key
measures should be taken: formed National Task Force Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and
Management special task force set up on February 3, 2020; released on March 29, 2020, by the
Prime Minister of Laos Order No. 06/PM on the Strengthening of Containment, Prevention and Full
Response Measures to COVID-19 Pandemic. These directives were released following steps such
as the closure of certain provincial boundaries, the prohibition of gathering more than ten citizens,
price restraint, house lock-up, and homework for government officials. These steps were enforced
from March 30 to April 19, 2020. The Lao PDR Government already has allocated LAK10 billion
(USD 1.3 billion) to introduce measures to deter and monitor the spread of COVID-19 throughout
the country and other main fiscal, monetary, and macroeconomic measures.
 
Malaysia
With about 31 million, Malaysia joined the coronavirus nations list after the first case was reported
on January 25, 2020. Malaysia will keep reported cases low until a sudden epidemic due to a mass
religious meeting attended by 16,000 people at the end of February 2020. Malaysia's national
reaction and cooperation may be a blueprint for other countries to flatten the curve of the COVID-
19 pandemic further. Key steps include: on March 13, 2020, the Government prohibited all
gatherings, including diplomatic meetings, athletic activities, cultural and religious assemblies, until
April 30, 2020. The Government agreed on March 18, 2020, to enforce the Movement Surveillance
Order until March 31 to resolve the outbreaks of COVID-19 under the Infectious Diseases
Prevention and Control Act 1988 and the Police Act 1967. Malaysia's Government has introduced a
series of economic stimulus initiatives to reduce the effect of COVID-19 on industries and societies.
The Malaysian Government recently declared a stimulus package worth RM20 billion ($4.56
billion) to allow tourism and other sectors to cope with the coronavirus pandemic's effects. A
second stimulus package worth RM250 billion ($58 billion) has been announced, out of which
RM25 billion ($6 billion) will be given to help families and businesses impacted by the outbreak.
 
Myanmar
Myanmar presently has a population of roughly 54,336,457. The first reported case of Myanmar
was on March 24, 2020. Given the comparatively limited number of reported cases compared to
other ASEAN countries, there is a significant epidemic due to sluggish, widespread testing within-
country. The United Nations has announced a pledge to donate 50,000 research kits to Myanmar,
complementing recent contributions of 3000 from Singapore and 5000 from South Korea. The
world is weak, the public health infrastructure in Myanmar is woefully insufficient to respond to a
pandemic.
In comparison, no safety net in Myanmar makes the poor the most vulnerable in health and
economic crises in terms of a pandemic. The lockdown would detrimentally affect the country's
livelihoods and food security. By Order 38/2020 of the Ministry of Health and Sport No. 38/2020,
Yangon placed locking steps in seven townships from 6 p.m. on April 18, 2020, to prevent and
control infectious diseases. To ease the effects of the pandemic, the Government proposed an initial
stimulus plan comprising 100 billion kyats (almost US$70 million in loans). The COVID-19 fund
will be used to finance textile and retail, hotel and leisure companies, and small and medium
businesses run by local people.
 
The Philippines
The Philippines is the second most populous nation in Asia, with a population of 106 million. The
first case of COVID-19 imported was registered in January 2020, and the first local transmission
was verified in early March (WHO, 2020a). As of April 22, 91.5 percent of the 6710 cases reported,
and 87% of the overall recorded deaths derive from Luzon – the largest and most populated island
in the world (WHO, 2020b). The official COVID-19 response from the Philippines has three main
elements: (i) giving Congressional special temporary authority to the President; (ii) enforcing a
lockout on the whole island of Luzon; (iii) deploying the military and police to execute the
President's orders and locking measures (CSIS, 2020). The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging
Infectious Diseases responsible for the transmission of coronavirus operates alongside the National
Task Force in charge of commanding activities (Office of the President, 2014; Sadongdong, 2020).
The National Response Plan and the national COVID-19 tracker are the critical methods to promote
the decentralization of decision-making (Department of Health, 2020).
Signing in Law Republic Act No.11469 or 'Bayanihan to Recover as One Act' introduced an
economic boost to bring relief to impacted communities (Philippine Congress, 2020). This includes
a $3.9 billion social welfare initiative that extends support to vulnerable households, informal sector
workers, healthcare professionals who have contracted COVID-19, and families of health workers
that have died of the disease (Department of Finance, 2020a). A $610 million Bayanihan Grant to
Cities and Communities to support local government units in contributing to the health crisis has
been approved (Department of Budget and Administration, 2020). Finally, a $1 billion pay subsidy
program was distributed to help social welfare and small business workers (Department of Finance,
2020b). Nation has now been put under a 'State of Emergency' so that the Government could access
support for crises such as Calamity and the 'Quick Response Funds' (Paunan, 2020).
 
Singapore
With about 5.6 million, Singapore verified the first imported case from Wuhan, China, on January
23, 2020 (Abdullah and Salamat, 2020). Singapore has been internationally praised as a model for
emulation and reproduction by states, epidemiologists, and mainstream media for "curve flattening"
by rigorous monitoring, touch tracing, and stringent quarantine of contaminated cases. Even on
March 24, 2020, when Singapore undertook the unusual step of closing its international borders to
check the increment in imported COVID-19 cases (Ho, 2020)-including from several ASEAN
countries where minimal monitoring masked transmission of bacteria across the region
(Nortajuddin, 2020)-local communications remained relatively low. They were mainly connected to
established clusters identified via contra. However, by early April 2020, a significant epidemic of
infection among Singapore's migrant workers saw the island-state with a population of 5.7 million
(Singstat.gov, 2020) surpass all other ASEAN countries with the highest number of COVID-19
cases reported. To stem the epidemic, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong proposed
national circuit breaker steps to implement social distances from April 7 to May 4, which was
eventually extended to June 1, 2020 (Lai, 2020). The Government has stepped up research in 43
dormitories, home to 200,000 South and Southeast Asian migrants working mainly in the
construction industry. Public coverage of the migrant dormitory epidemic centered on these
workers' relative insecurity due to their proximity to jobs, transport, and living environments and
their failure to practice healthy social distances (Leung, 2020; Yeung et al., 2020).
 
Thailand
With a populace of just 70 million, Thailand is first to be infected by COVID-19 in ASEAN and
beyond China on January 13, 2020. The Thai Government announced a partial lockdown to prevent
the transmission of the virus. The situation in Thailand is improving as the number of new cases
decreases, with no new cases being transported due to the almost complete ban on outgoing flights
since the beginning of April. There is criticism of the lack of testing and the alleged low number of
cases reported. Thailand verified the claims approximately 2000. Steps to combat the virus include
the country was put under a state of emergency from March 26 to April 30. The Government
recently declared the cancelation of a Thai New Year festival named Songkran. The island of
Phuket has also been shut down since March 30 to contain the outbreak of coronavirus. Thailand's
prime minister declared 10 p.m. To four o'clock. Curfew from April 22,020 to fight more spread. As
with the economic stimulus, the very first package worth 100 billion baht (USD 3.2 billion) was
planned to benefit companies in the form of low-interest loans, withholding tax exemptions, and
VAT refunds. On March 24, 2020, the Thai Government released its second stimulus worth 117
billion baht (US$3.56 billion). Thailand is preparing to re-borrow 1 trillion baht (US$30.6 billion)
of its new stimulus program for the economic effects of COVID-19.
As of November 6, 2020, the Health Sub-Committee of Thailand's COVID-19 Task Force has
approved a quarantine reduction from 14 days to 10 days for visitors entering from "secure"
countries. This involves travelers from countries with an equal or marginally more significant
degree of danger to Thailand. Those coming from countries deemed to be "high risk" would also
require 14 days of quarantine. The plan now needs to be accepted by the Center for Covid-19
Condition Administration (CCSA), headed by the Prime Minister. The Permanent Secretary of
Public Health reported that the reduction obtained initial approval after the trial found that both the
10-day and 14-day quarantine cycles had the same effect. After ten days, tourists should fly to at
least ten provinces where preventive initiatives are in effect, including Chonburi, Phuket, Rayong,
Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Buriram, and Surat Thani.
 
Thailand: Without any new Special Visitor Visa proposals for November, the Thai Government
plans a non-quarantine visa. China's travel bubble scheme. Officials hope that the plan will be
placed into action for the Chinese New Year in February if accepted. China currently has 22
provinces at low risk. The foreign ministries of the countries would negotiate the following steps.
The idea for a joint travel bubble strategy will require the final approval of Thailand's Prime
Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and President Xi Jinping's Chinese counterpart. Thai officials are also
turning their focus to Switzerland, aiming to draw long-stay Swiss visitors to non-immigrant O-A
retirement visas.
 
Vietnam
While Vietnam shares a long and bustling border with China, the Government continues to monitor
the pandemic by introducing numerous rapid responses. With a total population of 97,338,597, the
first case of COVID-19 was confirmed on January 23, 2020. After three months of diagnosis, 270
cases have been reported by the Government of Vietnam. Of these, 225 points have been recovered,
and no death has been reported since April 26. The Government of Vietnam has displayed its timely
and aggressive reaction in the fight against these unparalleled diseases. In early February, Vietnam
was the first nation since China to move a sizeable residential area into the exclusion zone to curb
the detrimental effects of the COVID-19 disease outbreak. By isolating infected persons and
monitoring their connections, the populations of villages where the pandemic has been at risk
because they have had a direct relationship with the infected person may be entirely sealed off.
With the revocation of visas for foreign citizens from affected countries, all international flights
entering or leaving from the pandemic areas are stopped as soon as the first case was confirmed.
Vietnam was briefly relieved of the pandemic at the end of April 2020. Vietnam mandated all
Vietnamese and foreign visitors returning from abroad to quarantine at consolidated facilities for 14
days, followed by national quarantine on April 1, 2020. To help avoid this pandemic's transmission,
crossings between Vietnam and Cambodia and Laos have been temporarily suspended. 
 
The head of the Vietnam Coronavirus Task Force said today (November 6) that Vietnam will hold
to its policy of controlling COVID-19 rather than rush to secure the supply of a vaccine that may be
costly and highly dangerous. Via months of intensive mass surveillance, military-run centralized
quarantine, and early border closures, Vietnam has kept the coronavirus count to just 1,210 cases. It
has passed over two months without population spread.
 
Communication and Perception

Progress in improving behavior during COVID-19 involves creating confidence in health

authorities, advice, and details. Citizen's ability to collaborate on social distancing and recognizing
the danger to preserving proper hygiene and immune systems has been crucial to dealing with the
disease outbreak. However, there is no choice for certain social distances. For example, in the
Philippines, when they fail to satisfy their everyday needs, they risk death from starvation and
anxiety rather than from infection. The same is true of Indonesia, where moving daily needs is more
critical than sitting at home. Also, wearing a mask has been mandatory in certain countries, as
Jokowi has recently appealed to the people to wear masks in Indonesia. Fear of the spread of the
virus also led to some unwelcome discriminatory actions, including in Cambodia, where members
of the public posted hateful Facebook comments in response to the Ministry of Health's original
announcement and blamed Cambodia's Muslim populations for the spread of the disease in the
region. Similarly, in Indonesia, residents in some local communities refused to die because victims
were buried in their areas because of fear of infection. They need to have more education and
community awareness of the danger, and a vast campaign, especially around what needs to be done
and not done at the local community level.

Governments that provide relevant and reliable updates quickly and transparently can win public
confidence throughout a pandemic. Governments that set out vague laws wind up providing
openings for corruption and generating unwanted general anxiety and panic. Also, governments
tend to display their voters the power and paradigm of good governance by ensuring that the
government is taking steps.' However, where it is improperly conveyed, it will endanger the public
and expose them to unwanted behavior. For example, when confirmed cases of COVID-19 were
first identified in ASEAN, many responded by engaging in widespread panic buying.
Conclusion

ASEAN failed to meet the mark of dealing with the pandemic because the rapid spread of COVID-
19 is juxtaposed against the timeline of Southeast Asia responses.

Evidence on Argument -

On 11 March, the Philippines became the first ASEAN state to implement a lockdown, and there
were 841 infections and 11 deaths in South East Asia.

When Cambodia went into lockdown in April, the number of infections had multiple very nearly,
multiple times to 16,919 and fatalities numerous times to 593.

Another 3,910 people had been affected and claimed the lives of 253 more until the Declaration of
the Special ASEAN Summit on Coronavirus Disease 2019. Even though ASEAN chiefs carried out
a scope of measures, this late push for an entire of-ASEAN people group approach was an instance
of short of what was needed.

The three COVID-19 Epi Curve graphs of Confirmed Cases among ASEAN Countries presented
above also show the constantly increasing amount of infected people and deaths contributed to the
deadly virus disease.
Reference

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