[ad_1]
JAKARTA: Indonesia reported on Sunday (September 13) its sixth consecutive day of more than 3,000 new cases of novel coronavirus infection, just as the capital city of the most populous country in Southeast Asia prepares to re-impose distancing restrictions. Social.
New infections reached 3,636 on Sunday with new deaths at 73, data from the Health Ministry website showed. That brought the total number of infections to 218,382 and deaths to 8,723.
To try to stop the spread of the virus in Jakarta, employees of companies deemed non-essential will have to work from home starting Monday. Certain government workers will be allowed to work from offices.
Markets and shopping malls will be allowed to remain open with entry at half capacity, and restaurants within malls will be allowed to operate take-out only, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said at a press conference on Sunday. .
“Our main goal is to establish restrictions on office space,” Baswedan said. “We hope this will end the growing number of cases in the office clusters.”
The restrictions will run for two weeks, but can be extended, he said.
Baswedan first announced the plan to reimpose restrictions late on Wednesday. Indonesia’s main stock index fell 5 percent the following day.
On Sunday, he reiterated that the restrictions were necessary as the number of active cases in the capital increased significantly in the first 12 days of September, putting even more pressure on the capital’s health system.
READ: Six months after COVID-19 hit Indonesia, questions persist about healthcare capacity and equipment
As of Sunday, Jakarta had recorded 54,220 cases of infection and 1,391 deaths.
Baswedan said the city government will also implement a mandatory isolation policy, where any person confirmed infected will be isolated in designated places, such as government facilities or hotels, starting Monday.
Currently, people diagnosed as infected but with mild symptoms can be isolated at home.
“If the confirmed positive person refuses isolation, they will be detained by health agents and police,” Baswedan said.
CHECK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
