Phase 1: Blissfully unaware. For several weeks the severity of the outbreak went largely undetected. With the notable exception of Vietnam, most ASEAN’s governments responded slowly.
Phase 2: Rapid response. Testing was ramped up, and the number of confirmed cases took off in March across almost all of Southeast Asia. In response, governments imposed lockdowns across the region in March and April, which helped curb the spread of the disease. During this phase, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand looked to be coming to grips with the outbreak. In Singapore, however, COVID-19 took hold in the city-state’s packed migrant worker dormitories, causing the number of cases to explode.
Phase 3: Consolidation. In the month of May, lockdowns were extended, and early gains consolidated in Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore. The archipelagos of the Philippines and Indonesia became the new epicenters of the pandemic in Asia.
Phase 4: Loosening lockdown. Vietnam started to ease its public health restrictions in April; in May/June, all the other major ASEAN countries joined in—tentatively at first, then with increased boldness.