Jakarta Governor Tests Positive for Coronavirus, No Symptoms

(Bloomberg) -- Anies Baswedan, governor of Indonesia’s capital Jakarta, tested positive for the new coronavirus and is undergoing self-isolation.

Baswedan showed no symptoms of the deadly virus, according to his office in a statement Tuesday. He had dismissed the mayor of Central Jakarta earlier for failing to enforce social-distancing measures.

Jakarta remains the epicenter of the local outbreak, accounting for a third of Indonesia’s more than half a million confirmed cases. The city has imposed movement restrictions twice and is currently in a transitional phase with people allowed to return to offices, malls and restaurants with limits on capacity.

Baswedan is a key political figure in Indonesia. His bid to become the capital’s governor was backed by President Joko Widodo’s former rival Prabowo Subianto, who has since been appointed defense minister in the current cabinet. Jokowi himself served as governor of the city of more than 10 million people before being elected president.

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