SURABAYA (THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - A 40-day-old baby in Tlanakan, a district in Indonesia's East Java province, died from Covid-19 on Sunday (June 21) after contracting the disease from visiting neighbours when he was born.

The baby was tested positive for the virus when he was 28 days old but succumbed to the illness in a regional hospital after nearly two weeks of treatment.

"Based on the contract tracing we carried out, the baby contracted Covid-19 from neighbors who visited him soon after he was born," Pamekasan regency Covid-19 task force chief Syaiful Hidayat said on Monday.

Mr Syaiful said many visitors had held the baby, soon after which the baby began to show symptoms of fever, coughing and laboured breathing.

A task force spokesman said there were a number of people in Tlanakan who either displayed symptoms or were tested positive for the virus but did not self-isolate and continued to carry on with their daily activities.

He said the baby was laid to rest on Tuesday according to Covid-19 protocols.