Minister leads push for stricter curbs in Indonesia

JAKARTA • Indonesia's Health Minister is leading a push for stricter controls as coronavirus infections surge to unprecedented levels, according to sources familiar with government discussions.

Covid-19 cases in Indonesia have tripled in the past three weeks, overwhelming hospitals in the capital Jakarta and other centres on the island of Java.

Yesterday, the country recorded 20,694 new infections, bringing the total tally to more than 2.1 million, behind only India in Asia.

Three sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin had called for tougher social restrictions but was overruled. He is continuing to push his case, they said.

One of the sources said government meetings on the issue would take place this week.

The minister's position was supported by Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno, who confirmed that a tougher lockdown was under active consideration.

"I am encouraging a tougher lockdown (but) we would need to provide the basic necessities for the people," Mr Sandiaga said. "If the number of cases is increasing, then we need to adjust very quickly."

Citing the need to safeguard South-east Asia's biggest economy, Indonesia has mostly rejected lockdowns imposed by its neighbours and similar large developing countries like India.

Instead, Jakarta has opted for social restrictions targeting regions deemed "red zones" due to high infections, a policy known as PPKM Mikro.

Last week, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, who is head of Indonesia's Covid-19 task force, banned religious activities at houses of worship, closed schools and bars, and required offices, restaurants, cafes and malls to operate at 25 per cent capacity, in red zones for two weeks.

A spokesman for President Joko Widodo said: "Until now, we still have PPKM Mikro; empirically, it is still very effective in controlling small areas."

The Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) on Sunday called on the government to implement large-scale restrictions, especially across Java, home to more than half of the country's 270 million population.

It said 24 regencies and cities had reported isolation bed capacity as 90 per cent utilised, while intensive care units in several areas were nearing full capacity. At least 30 doctors also died of Covid-19 this month.

"If there is no firm intervention, we will be like India," said Dr Adib Khumaidi, head of IDI's mitigation team, noting the surge in India's cases in April and May, and the "collapse" of its healthcare system.

Public health experts have warned that the government's current policy for social restrictions cannot be fully implemented by poorly resourced local officials and do not account for people moving between red zones and other areas.

Meanwhile, Indonesia yesterday approved China's Sinovac vaccine for children aged 12 to 17.

REUTERS