Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Linda Yulisman, Jakarta – Indonesia on Thursday (March 19) reported a rise in deaths from the coronavirus, with the toll now at 25. The number of confirmed cases also increased to 309, from 225 the previous day.
Government spokesman for Covid-19 management Achmad Yurianto said: "Almost all of them (who died) had pre-existing conditions: diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease... obstructive lung disease. Many were aged between 45 and 65."
The rise in fatalities comes as President Joko Widodo expressed regret that the country's social distancing measures have not been taken seriously by many Jakarta residents, who took advantage of the work-from-home and study-at-home regime to visit beaches and other tourist sites.
"The study-at-home, work-from-home, do-prayer-at-home measures should not be seen as an opportunity to go on holidays," Mr Joko, popularly called Jokowi at home, said on Thursday at the start of a meeting he had with ministers to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic.
The measures, announced last Saturday, saw the Jakarta provincial government close all schools in the city of over 10 million people for two weeks.
Popular tourist sites such as the Taman Impian Jaya Ancol theme park and the National Monument were also closed, starting that same day. But it did not stop some residents of the city, which had recorded 12 deaths from the disease as of Wednesday, from travelling.
"I noticed people in the past week had flocked to Carita Beach (two hours' drive from Jakarta) and Puncak (mountain resort in nearby Bogor), which both saw a larger number of visitors. Crowds pose an increased risk in spreading Covid-19," Mr Joko warned.
He instructed the Covid-19 task force to use rapid tests to allow early detection of the coronavirus infections. He also hoped that the testing tools for such tests will be available widely in a number of health facilities.
"I'm requesting that the rapid test kits be further increased, while places to conduct the test are also expanded, involving hospitals run by the government, state-owned enterprises, regional governments, the Indonesian Military, the National Police, the private sector, and research agencies as well as higher education institutions recommended by the Health Ministry," he said in a teleconference meeting from Merdeka Palace in Jakarta.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Achmad said that the rapid tests will take blood serum as a sample and they can be carried out by clinical laboratories nationwide, giving greater access to many more people so that early detection will be possible.
Up to now, Indonesia has been using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and genome sequencing to detect the coronavirus infections, requiring nasal and throat swabs as well as samples of sputum.
The president also ordered the task force to ensure the readiness of the appointed referral hospitals to handle Covid-19 patients, while also preparing for other hospitals when necessary.
Some facilities, such as an athlete's village in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, and hotels run by state-owned enterprises, can also be designated as the sites of quarantine and treatment for Covid-19 patients, while the development of another quarantine facility on Galang Island in Riau Islands will be accelerated, Mr Joko said.
Indonesia, the world's fourth most-populous nation of around 267 million people, on Wednesday reported 19 deaths from the coronavirus, the highest number of fatalities in South-east Asia. The figure outnumbered the recovered patients, which only totalled 11.
Meanwhile, the tally of confirmed cases also surged to 227, with 55 fresh cases, the largest single-day spike for new infections since the country announced its first two cases on March 2.
Before meeting his ministers and other minister-level officials on Thursday, Mr Joko said: "Three important points need to be conveyed (to the public) repeatedly.
"Reduce mobility... continue social distancing steps, and avoid crowds, as they increase the risk of contracting (the disease)."
The archipelago's most populous island is Java, where Jakarta is located. Many residents of the city have restricted their movements, Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit ridership figures released on Thursday showed.
From the average 100,000 passengers per day, it slipped to 27,269 on March 16; 31,628 on March 17; and 28,565 on March 18. Passengers using the commuter train service into and out of Jakarta have fallen to about 700,000 a day from the normal 1.2 million a day.