Jakarta – The Indonesian government is still mulling over whether to extend emergency public activity restrictions, a senior minister has said, adding further uncertainty over the fate of the policy amid soaring daily Covid-19 infections and deaths across the country.

Jakarta (Reuters) – Trust in Indonesian President Joko Widodo's ability to handle the coronavirus pandemic has fallen sharply among the public, a survey showed, as the authorities struggle to contain a wave of Covid-19 infections that has pushed hospitals to breaking point.

Sebastian Strangio – Protests have once again flared in Indonesia's Papua region following last week's renewal and amendment of a Special Autonomy Law that local activists say will increase Jakarta's grip over the restive region.

Konradus Epa, Jakarta – More than 500 doctors have died from Covid-19 in Indonesia since the outbreak began in March last year, according to the country's top medical body.

At least 545 have fallen victim to the coronavirus, the Indonesian Doctors Association revealed on July 17.

Two rights groups have condemned the renewal of the special autonomy law in Papua and say it further erodes critical aspects of decentralization and autonomy in the region.

Jayapura – A number of demonstrators from the People's Front Against Special Autonomy Chapter II were reportedly arrested and taken to the Sorong city municipal police headquarters when they wanted to hold a peaceful demonstration in front of the Sorong Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) on Monday July 19.

Mark Lempp, Jakarta – Delayed economic recovery is weighing on Indonesian companies and the state budget to heighten credit risk in a country that already compares unfavorably to other regional markets, says S&P Global Ratings.

Rahel Narda Chaterine, Jakarta – Indonesian United Trade Union Federation (FSBPI) General Chairperson Dian Septi Trisnanti says that the Emergency Enforcement of Restrictions on Public Activities (PPKM) are largely not being applied for workers in the textile, garment, footwear and leather manufacturing sectors.

Fajar Pebrianto, Jakarta – The government started to deliberate a plan to distribute cash aid or wage subsidy to workers. The plan was brought up amid issues on the extension of the emergency public activity restrictions dubbed the Emergency PPKM until the end of July 2021.

Linda Yulisman, Jakarta – The mitigation team of the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) on Sunday (July 18) called for the extension of a partial lockdown on Java and Bali islands as the rise in daily Covid-19 cases remains significant.

Masrur Jamaluddin, Atika Shubert and Julia Hollingsworth, Jakarta – The last time Aris Suharyanto saw his wife was through a hospital window. He never got to meet their newborn baby.

A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil, Jakarta – The government is still mulling over whether to extend emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM Darurat), a senior minister has said, adding further uncertainty over the fate of the policy amid soaring daily COVID-19 infections and deaths across the country.

Antara, Jakarta – BIN, Indonesia's National Intelligence Agency, conducted door-to-door vaccination drive against COVID-19 in six provinces in Indonesia on Sunday.

Heru Andriyanto, Triyan Pangastuti, Jakarta – The number of newly Covid-19 cases in Indonesia has been trending down in the last three days as an early indication that the ongoing lockdown in Java and Bali begins to generate results, but the daily death toll continues to top 1,000.

Basten Gokkon, Jakarta – An Indonesian court has sentenced disgraced former fisheries minister Edhy Prabowo to five years in jail in relation to a controversial policy to resume exports of lobster larvae.

Yudha Baskoro, Bogor, West Java – Hundreds of people die from Covid-19 every day in Indonesia and the daily tally has occasionally topped 1,000 at its peak.

Jakarta – The National Covid-19 Task Force bans non-essential travels for a week starting on Sunday to prevent a new wave of infections during Idul Adha, one of the most important holidays for Indonesian Muslims.

Yerica Lai, Jakarta – Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung confirmed on Friday that the government had scrapped plans to allow self-funded inoculation under the Gotong Royong scheme, an expansion of the program that had elicited strong criticism from the public and civil society groups.

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has decided to extend the emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM Darurat) to July 31 amid the ongoing surge in COVID-19 transmissions, a senior Cabinet minister has said.

Linda Yulisman, Jakarta – Throughout her life, Dewi, an Indonesian mother of two, has turned to herbs and traditional medicine whenever she fell ill.

Over the past few months, she had refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19 because of what she read on social media about the purported side effects, including skin problems and death.

Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Jakarta – Indonesia has secured 480 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines of various brands and almost one-third have been delivered, making it the country with the largest stock available in South-east Asia.

Hellena Souisa – It was the news we never wanted to hear. "Father is gone. Please tell the others because I can't," my sister in-law said in a text message from Indonesia to my husband, Regi.

A moment later, I heard his wailing break the silence of a cold Melbourne morning.

Jakarta (Bloomberg) – Indonesia's President Joko Widodo urged for a "sense of crisis" among his ministers as the country overtakes Brazil in daily coronavirus cases to become the worst in the world.

Jakarta – The Ministry of Health has reached an agreement with Pfizer Indonesia and BioNTech to procure 50 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine throughout 2021 to accelerate its vaccine program in Indonesia.

Valdya Baraputri – A firefighter hauling the dead from their homes, a lack of access to oxygen and a community banding together during a time of crisis. These are scenes that have emerged from Indonesia, a country currently seeing its worst Covid outbreak so far.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Many primary and secondary schools forced to close for months in Catholic-majority Timor-Leste's worst-hit Covid-19 areas will be allowed to reopen next week, the government says.

Jinshan Hong – Indonesia's daily Covid-19 case count has passed Brazil's to become the worst in the world, hitting a record 56,757 on Thursday as the highly-contagious delta variant rampages through the nation.

Lenny Tristia Tambun, Natasia Christy Wahyuni, Herman, Kezia Kho, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has provided 600,000 packages of free medicine for people infected with Covid-19 in self-isolation on Thursday, kicking off a government-led drive that it hoped would curb wild speculation that drives up prices of critical supplies for the disease treatment.

Grace Nadia Chandra, Jakarta – AstraZeneca has begun delivering its Covid-19 vaccine to Indonesia, shipping more than one million doses on Friday, the first part of the country's 50 million direct order to the British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical company.

Nur Janti, Jakarta – The government started on Thursday the distribution of free medicine packages to support self-isolating COVID-19 patients during their isolation period amid soaring coronavirus cases in the country.

Jakarta – Lawyer and Papua advocate Veronica Koman has criticised the House of Representatives (DPR) and the government for ratifying the Special Autonomy (Otsus) Law on Papua, saying that the law only represents the interests of the government.

Linda Yulisman, Jakarta – Indonesia on Friday (July 16) began giving booster shots to its medical workers inoculated with Sinovac's Covid-19 vaccine, as it battles a record-breaking surge in new infections and deaths caused by the more transmissible Delta variant.

Johnny Blades – Indonesia's House of Representatives has passed a bill that is expected to reshape the future administration of West Papua.

The Revision of the Special Autonomy Law for the provinces of Papua and West Papua was ratified by Indonesian lawmakers despite widespread opposition by Papuans who have been calling instead for an independence referendum.

Gemma Holliani Cahya, Jakarta – Every day, before 7am, volunteers gather in front of a house in Yogyakarta. Wearing masks and maintaining distance, they measure and cut panels of wood, smoothing the edges with sandpaper. For the past 11 days, the front yard has been turned into an emergency casket-making workshop. The coffins are painted white, and lined inside with plastic.

Heru Andriyanto, Novy Lumanauw, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has dropped the plan to allow citizens to pay for vaccination against Covid-19 instead of waiting in a long line for free jabs under the government program, an aide said on Friday.

Jakarta – Indonesian health system failed to stem the spread of the pandemic. Stop politicizing the pandemic and entrust the handling of it to the medical authorities.

Jakarta – Indonesian Doctor's Association (IDI) Deputy Chairperson Slamet Budiarto says that the corona virus pandemic in Indonesia is not yet under control.

Jakarta – As many as 714,066 Papuans and 112 organisations which are part of the Papuan People's Petition (PRP) are said to reject the enactment into law of revisions to Law Number 21/2001 on Papua Special Autonomy (Otsus). They believe that special autonomy is not the answer to resolving the problems in the land of Papua.

A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil, Jakarta – The government has banned public celebrations of Idul Adha (Day of Sacrifice), which is set to fall on Tuesday, in areas where the emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM Darurat) are in effect, to avoid further transmission of the COVID-19.

Jayapura, Jubi – The West Papuan Council of Church (WPCC) has spoken in an online forum organized by the International Coalition for Papua (ICP) on Wednesday, July 14, 2021, asking the Pacific and international community to stop the Indonesian government's racism toward the West Papuan people, which is perpetuated by the government-designed Special Autonomy (Otsus) Law planned to be

Syailendra Persada, Koran Tempo, Jakarta – An epidemiologist from Griffith University, Dicky Budiman, asked the government to extend the enforcement of the emergency state of public mobility restrictions or Emergency PPKM.

Although the implementation was not ideal, he opined, this policy should be applied as an effort to suppress cases of the Covid-19 Delta variant.

Robert Campion – Following months of skyrocketing daily cases and deaths, Indonesia overtook all other countries this week to become the new global epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic.

Jayapura, Jubi – The Indonesia House of Representatives has passed the revised Special Autonomy (Otsus) Bill into law despite continuous protests from the Papuan people rejecting the extension of the special autonomy status.

Jakartans traveling throughout the city are more likely to bump into roadblocks starting today as the police step up measures to limit mobility in the capital.

Gibran Rakabuming Raka, President Joko Widodo's eldest son and the mayor of Solo, says that he will continue to carry out his duties remotely after testing positive for the coronavirus – the latest high profile Indonesian public figure to do so.

Gibran, 33, announced via text messages to journalists yesterday that he tested positive for the coronavirus.

Jakarta – Industri Baterai Indonesia, an electric vehicle battery subsidiary of state-owned largest miners, has estimated that it would need $15.3 billion in total investment to develop an integrated electric vehicle battery, the company top executive said on Wednesday.

Chris Barrett and Karuni Rompies, Singapore – Indonesia is making a new appeal for oxygen tanks as it enters its "worst case scenario", surpassing even India and Brazil right now in new COVID-19 cases, but a leading epidemiologist believes the true number of infections there may be five to 15 times as high as what has been reported.

More often than not, a negative PCR test result is desired for ease of mind or as an administrative requirement, that the emergence of criminals selling fake negative results was a nigh inevitability. In Jakarta, it appears that there's a demand for fake positive results, which is fueling a criminal trend.

Soe Tjen Marching – Perhaps it was about five years ago, I cannot remember. What I still remember clearly is her powerful and determined voice: "Please do not forget the West Papuans, before it is too late."

Fresh demonstrations by West Papuans have again been stopped by armed Indonesian police who arrested dozens of people.

The demonstrations are the latest in a series of protests by West Papuan students, churches and customary representatives opposed to the Indonesian government's plans to extend Special Autonomy provisions in the two Papuan provinces.