Lockdown to contain coronavirus in Indonesia? Test kits and transparency may be better antidote

A worker sprays disinfectant on an MRT train in Jakarta on March 19, 2020. PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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Indonesian President Joko Widodo is under rising pressure to impose a lockdown as Covid-19 cases soar and stoke fears of a massive outbreak in the country.

Less than three weeks after he announced the first cases on March 2, Indonesia is now leading South-east Asia's death toll, at 25 as of Thursday (March 19). The number of sickened people stood at 309, including Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi.

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