Asia Today: More Australians in class, Tokyo measure to ease

BANGKOK (AP) — Students in two more Australian states returned to school full-time Monday as numbers of COVID-19 patients in hospitals across the country fall.

New South Wales and Queensland states joined the less populous Western Australia and South Australia states and the Northern Territory in resuming face-to-face learning instead of studying from home online.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said students and teachers had to observe one key message: Stay home if sick.

“We’re not out of the woods yet. We have to take each day as it comes, each week as it comes and we keep our fingers crossed that Queenslanders will continue to flatten that curve,” Palaszczuk told reporters.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said early indications were that the rate of children missing school on Monday was slightly higher than usual. That might reflect the message to keep children at home if they are unwell.

Australia's remaining jurisdictions — Victoria and Tasmania states and the Australian Capital Territory — plan to send students back to school in stages through early June.

While New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, and the third most populous state, Queensland, agree on reopening schools, they differ on reopening their common border.

New South Wales has recorded 50 of Australia’s 102 COVID-19 deaths and wants all state borders reopened. Queensland has recorded only six deaths and has no plans to open its borders.

South Australia and the Northern Territory also have no active cases and have closed borders. The Australian Capital Territory has not had a case in three weeks and has left its borders open like the worst-effected states, New South Wales and Victoria.

In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region:

— JAPAN TO EASE...