Images of deserted streets in the Brunei capital of Bandar Seri Begawan as the country locked down to curb a rapidly growing coronavirus outbreak. The tiny Islamic sultanate saw a record infection count of 42 cases Monday, days after it reported its first locally transmitted Covid-19 virus case in 15 months over the weekend. Tight border controls and quarantine measures previously kept the country’s virus spread in check, sparing it from the serious outbreaks seen in much of Southeast Asia today. After announcing the cases over the weekend, Brunei quickly locked down, banning most group events and dine-in services, closed down places of worship and advised locals to work from home. As of Tuesday, Brunei recorded just over 400 infections and a mere three deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. The small nation is home to just over 450,000 people, sharing its only land border with its much larger neighbour Malaysia, which has so far recorded more than 1.3 million infections and more than 11,000 deaths. IMAGES of deserted streets AND SOUNDBITES by local Bruneians