Indonesia reports 330 new coronavirus cases, 21 deaths

An officer wearing protective gear in Indonesia on April 11, 2020. PHOTO: REUTERS/ANTARAFOTO

JAKARTA (REUTERS, XINHUA) - Indonesia confirmed 330 new coronavirus infections on Saturday (April 11), taking its tally to 3,842, health ministry official Achmad Yurianto said.

It also confirmed 21 virus-related deaths, taking the total to 327, Dr Achmad told a televised news conference.

Jakarta, home to some 10 million people, suffers the highest number of deaths totalling 159, followed by West Java (40), East Java (25), Central Java (22), Banten (21), South Sulawesi (15) and the rest recorded in other areas.

All the 34 Indonesian provinces are now affected by the pandemic after Gorontalo province in the northern part of Sulawesi Island reported its first Covid-19 case, according to government data released on Friday.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has declared a national public health emergency status over the outbreak and issued a government regulation on large-scale social restrictions.

Authorities have been conducting rapid tests in areas where cases were detected, and ordering the public to always wear masks in a bid to contain the spread of the Covid-19.

The apartment towers of Wisma Atlet Kemayoran in Jakarta which were used to billet athletes competing in the 2018 Asian Games, have been turned into an emergency hospital intended to treat as many as 24,000 Covid-19 patients.

The government has also built a Covid-19 emergency hospital on a 16-hectare site on Galang Island in Kepulauan Riau province, which was inaugurated on April 6.

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