Indonesia expects COVID-19 cases to rise despite stricter curbs

July 04, 2021, 11.02 PM | Source: Reuters
Indonesia expects COVID-19 cases to rise despite stricter curbs

ILUSTRASI. Luhut Pandjaitan, a senior minister overseeing the government's COVID-19 response


COVID-19 - ​JAKARTA. Indonesia expects COVID-19 infections to keep rising for up to two weeks before curbs introduced on Saturday on more than 100 million people begin to reduce cases, a government minister said.

As it battles one of Asia's worst coronavirus outbreaks, the world's fourth-most populous nation has seen record new infections on eight of the past 12 days, with Friday bringing 25,830 cases and a record 539 deaths.

Saturday's curbs on Java and Bali islands - from tighter travel checks to a ban on restaurant dining and outdoor sports and the closure of non-essential workplaces - are to run until July 20, but could be extended, if needed, to bring daily infections below 10,000.

"In the next 10 days, in my opinion maybe two weeks, cases can continue to rise" as infections before the curbs took place are now in incubation period, said Luhut Pandjaitan, a senior minister overseeing the government's COVID-19 response.

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"This two weeks is a critical time for us," he said.

Police threw up road blocks and more than 400 checkpoints across Java, the archipelago's most populous island, and the resort island of Bali to ensure people stay at home, with more than 21,000 officers deployed to enforce the curbs and aid random coronavirus testing.

Vaccinated travellers with a negative swab test will be permitted to make long-distance journeys, however.

Traffic and commuter lines in the capital Jakarta in western Java were much lighter than usual on Saturday, but some residents still flouted the curbs to jog and ride their bicycles, even though the main road was blocked.

Editor: Yudho Winarto

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