JAKARTA • Indonesia has resumed domestic flights for all passengers provided airlines operate at 70 per cent capacity and follow strict rules brought into force yesterday, when the country announced its biggest daily rise in Covid-19 cases.

Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said the new rules for flights followed discussions with airlines, the country's coronavirus task force and the Health Ministry.

"Transportation managment in the era of the new normal hinges on health aspects," Mr Budi Karya said. "We hope that people stay productive, but safe."

All travellers will be required to wear masks, maintain physical distancing and present a recent health certificate to show they have tested negative for the coronavirus, said Transport Ministry official Novie Riyanto.

Indonesia has recorded 33,076 positive coronavirus infections and 1,923 Covid-19 deaths. It announced 1,043 new cases yesterday, the highest daily increase so far.

Meanwhile, Vietnam is planning to allow a resumption of flights to and from countries that have had no cases of coronavirus for 30 days, with priority destinations including Japan, South Korea and Cambodia.

In the comments broadcast by Vietnam Television yesterday, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc did not specify whether inbound travellers from these places would be subject to a quarantine programme in place since mid-March.

Vietnam's tally of infections is a relatively low 332, with no deaths.

"Vietnam is looking to resume international flights with countries that have registered no new Covid-19 cases in 30 days but the resumption needs to be extremely cautious considering the complexity of the pandemic," VTV quoted Mr Phuc as saying.

He did not say whether countries or airlines had been consulted, but told VTV that destinations such as Guangzhou in China, Tokyo, Seoul, Taiwan, Laos and Cambodia were among the priority routes to reopen.

REUTERS