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Coronavirus pandemic
AsiaSoutheast Asia

Coronavirus latest: Jakarta to reimpose lockdown; India reports record daily jump of 95,735 cases

  • The large-scale social restrictions will be reinstated on Monday amid soaring Covid-19 infections in the Indonesian capital
  • South Korea mulls extending curbs, while India’s caseload surges past 4.4 million

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People visit the Magic Art 3D Museum amid the coronavirus outbreak in Jakarta. Photo: Reuters
Agencies
Indonesia’s capital Jakarta will reinstate large-scale social restrictions beginning on Monday due to a resurgence in coronavirus infections, its governor said on Wednesday.
After first imposing the restrictions in early April, Jakarta gradually eased the measures starting in June as it managed to flatten the curve of new coronavirus cases. More recently, however, the emergence of new cases has seen a rapid increase.

Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan told a virtual press conference, “We have no other choice except immediately pulling the emergency brake” because the fatality rate and bed occupancy rate for new coronavirus patients keep going up, bringing the capital into an “emergency situation.”

“We will be back to the early days of the pandemic – working from home, studying from home and performing religious activities at home,” he added.

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Indonesia parades ‘coffin’ through busy traffic to emphasise dangers of Covid-19

Indonesia parades ‘coffin’ through busy traffic to emphasise dangers of Covid-19

According to Baswedan, about 77 per cent of the hospital beds available for Covid-19 patients with moderate symptoms are occupied, with the limit expected to be reached by September 17 at current capacity levels.

Under the tightened restrictions, many socioeconomic activities outside the scope of essential services must be halted again, forcing some entertainment parks and shopping malls that have been operating under special conditions since June to be closed.

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