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Jakarta Sets Curfew for Restaurants, Malls to Curb Virus Spread

Jakarta Sets Curfew for Restaurants, Malls to Curb Virus Spread

Indonesia’s capital is stepping up movement restrictions in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus as more people are set to travel to and from the city over the year-end holiday.

Jakarta, already a hotbed of Covid-19 cases in the country, is limiting activities at various public places from Friday until Jan. 8, 2021, according to a statement Thursday. Offices must close by 7 p.m., while restaurants, shopping malls, movie theaters and tourist sites must shut by 9 p.m. On Christmas and New Year public holidays, recreational sites must close by 7 p.m.

Officials will also increase monitoring of those traveling into the city and will check that travelers can show the negative results of their rapid antigen tests. Public transport will operate until 8 p.m. only.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has implemented movement restrictions on the city of more than 10 million people since April, with several rounds of easing and tightening of the rules since. The capital accounts for a quarter of the country’s total confirmed virus cases. Baswedan himself had tested positive for coronavirus, along with his deputy.

The central government has already cut short Indonesia’s year-end holiday from an 11-day stretch to curb Southeast Asia’s worst coronavirus outbreak, with nearly 650,000 cases reported so far.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.