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JAKARTA / MANILA – Indonesia overtook the Philippines to become Southeast Asia’s new pandemic focus on Thursday (October 15), as it struggles to contain mounting Covid-19 infections with new cases reaching 4,000 cases a day.
With 4,411 new cases in the past 24 hours, Indonesia’s count reached 349,160 on Thursday, the highest in Southeast Asia. There have been 12,268 deaths, also the highest in the region.
The Philippines reported 2,261 new cases, bringing its total to 348,698.
Indonesia has seen faster growth in infections in recent months, as large-scale social restrictions eased in many parts of the vast archipelago starting in June to give a pandemic-hit economy a respite.
The capital Jakarta entered a second partial lockdown on September 14 in a final attempt to contain the rapid rise in coronavirus cases.
The lifting of restrictions began on Monday (October 12).
The government has blamed the rise in cases on people’s failure to adhere to health protocols, such as wearing masks and maintaining a safe distance, but critics say authorities have prioritized resurrecting the economy over tackling the pandemic in a way. adequate.
In the Philippines, with fewer Covid-19 cases showing up, the government has eased quarantine restrictions to speed up the reopening of an economy already in deep recession, despite warnings from experts that this could lead to an increase in infections.
The government is allowing commuters to feel closer together when taking public transportation, and now more businesses can operate at full capacity. Teenagers and people between the ages of 61 and 65 can now leave their homes as well.
However, experts from a research team from the Philippine State University expressed concern that cases in Metro Manila, the capital region, and in seven provinces had recently skyrocketed.
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