Coronavirus: Indonesia's most populous province hopes to reopen some factories soon

JAKARTA (REUTERS) - West Java, Indonesia's most populous province, hopes to ease coronavirus social distancing restrictions in some areas in as little as two weeks and allow some factories to reopen, its governor told Reuters.

In an interview conducted by video conference, Mr Ridwan Kamil said the provincial government was now providing social welfare assistance for 32.5 million of its 50 million people, nearly triple the number who were receiving aid two months ago.

Funds would run out within months as businesses shut because of measures to fight the pandemic, he said, adding that the province has as many people as South Korea but just 0.6 per cent of the budget.

"I don't think we can survive beyond four months, up to July" before government coffers run dry, said Mr Ridwan.

West Java has introduced restrictions on movement in its urban areas. From next week, it expects to extend these measures across the entire province and adopt law enforcement measures, including fines and prison terms, for those that flout them.

Nevertheless, Mr Ridwan said plans were already in the works to begin easing the requirements, with some measures to be lifted in two weeks as long as "good data" shows infections declining.

He is encouraging owners of big factories to buy their own Covid-19 testing equipment, he said. If they can meet other social distancing requirements, he will allow them to reopen.

Other factories will be allowed to operate at 50 per cent capacity if they enforce distancing measures, disinfect the workplace and require workers to wear masks at all times, he added.

Ridwan said social distancing measures had already borne fruit: traffic levels had declined by 40 per cent, and the official number of new infections in the province was stabilising at around 40 per day.

"It's promising. I am not saying it's successful," Mr Ridwan said.

He expressed scepticism, however, about official figures released by the central government, which has recorded 1,009 coronavirus infections and 79 deaths in the province, around 10 per cent of the total for the country.

"I think we have more cases, in my personal opinion," said Ridwan. "I think we have more cases than what the central government announced."

The province, he said, is producing its own reagents for coronavirus testing kits and making ventilators at military factories and industrial facilities.