Indonesia Braces for New Wave of Infection as Virus Spreads

(Bloomberg) --

Indonesia reported the biggest jump in coronavirus infection since the outbreak began with the authorities warning of a fresh wave of cases in the world’s fourth-most populous nation.

The death toll from the pandemic jumped to 19 on Wednesday from seven a day earlier with 55 more people testing positive for the deadly virus, Achmad Yurianto, a spokesman for the health ministry said at a press conference. Almost two-third of the new cases were reported from the Greater Jakarta area, home to an estimated 30 million people.

Indonesia, which didn’t report any coronavirus infection until the first week of March, has seen a spike in cases in the past few days with the total reaching 227. Those infected include the nation’s Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, which prompted President Joko Widodo and his entire cabinet to undergo tests. Authorities have faced weeks of criticism and questions over the ability of the nation’s health system to detect the virus.

“We may see an exponential growth in confirmed positive cases as rapid tests are done and the government want people to do test as much as possible,” Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Pandjaitan told reporters on a conference call.

No Lockdown

While Jokowi, as Widodo is known, has resisted calls to declare a lockdown to contain the spread of the deadly virus, his administration has directed government and private sector employees to work from home as much as possible. They have also ordered schools and colleges to be shut across much of the archipelago with eight provinces reporting positive cases.

An estimated 1 million population in Indonesia’s most-populated Java Island may be at risk of infection if urgent steps including a lockdown are not taken, according to Chairul Anwar Nidom, a professor at Airlangga University in Surabaya.

“It’s time to impose a lockdown on the islands starting with Java, then to be followed by Bali and others,” Nidom said. “Collaboration with private laboratories is the need of the hour to detect infection faster.”

The government temporarily banned exports of face masks and sanitizers and allowed traders to import garlic and onions without permits to boost supplies ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. It has already ordered retailers to ration the sale of staples such as rice, cooking oils, sugar and instant noodles to prevent panic buying and hoarding.

With the fast spreading virus hurting Indonesia’s tourism and trade, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati pledged to set aside as much as $1.8 billion to cushion the impact on Southeast Asia’s largest economy. The new spending pledge is in addition to the two rounds of fiscal stimulus announced in recent weeks, including a 22.9 trillion rupiah package on March 13.

“We are still evaluating the previous packages,” Indrawati said at a news conference Wednesday. “We are assessing the scope, the target and mechanisms. But we are in a very flexible mode so we can react properly in case the situation changes very quickly.”

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