Indonesia's coronavirus infections top 2,000: Health official

An Indonesian police officer, wearing a Covid-19-themed helmet, disinfects motorists' vehicles in Mojokerto, East Java, on April 3, 2020. PHOTO: AFP

JAKARTA (REUTERS, XINHUA) - Indonesia reported 106 new confirmed coronavirus infections on Saturday (April 4), taking the total number of cases in the South-east Asian country to 2,092.

Health Ministry official Achmad Yurianto also said there were 10 new deaths, taking the death toll to 191.

Jakarta, home to some 10 million people, suffers the highest number of deaths, totalling 89, followed by West Java with 28, Central Java with 18, Banten with 17, East Java with 14, and the rest recorded in other areas.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo declared a national public health emergency status over the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday. The authorities have been conducting rapid tests in areas where cases were detected.

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

Last month, Mr Joko said Sebaru island in the Java Sea in the northern part of Jakarta, and Galang island in the Riau Islands, will be used to quarantine and observe people infected with the virus.

The government has built a Covid-19 emergency hospital on a 16ha site on Galang island, which will be set to operate next Monday.

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