COVID-19

Singapore was able to succeed in getting most of its population vaccinated by ensuring there were few barriers to getting the shot and increasing difficulties for the unvaccinated.

The Causeway Bridge between Singapore and Malaysia was one of the world's busiest land borders before the pandemic struck. 

The road ahead is long and lonely for Cambodia, with Chinese largess checked by the pandemic and Western interests soured by pre-pandemic crackdowns.

Many foreign residents have had their hopes to enter Japan dashed as new border controls make little impact. 

Since North Korea slammed its borders shut in the initial stage of the pandemic, it has made several motions toward resuming normal trade. None has panned out.

Quarantine, confusion, and red tape dash hopes of tourism reboot in Bali.

Japan's deadly summer peak, which brought the health care system to a standstill, has prompted a new coronavirus policy ahead of winter.  

Southeast Asian countries are taking a cautious approach to restart tourism.

Russia reportedly refused to support the U.S. hosting the gathering in 2023, derailing the matter for now in the consensus-driven grouping.

There doesn’t appear to be any clear correlation between how a government handled the pandemic and the waning of political freedom. 

Despite the advent of vaccines, China is sticking to its approach of strict lockdowns, multiple rounds of mass testing, and centralized quarantine wherever an outbreak is found.