Ghina Ghaliya, Jakarta – The NasDem Party, which is part of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's government coalition, has called on the House of Representatives to begin deliberating the omnibus bills on job creation and taxation.

Rieka Rahadiana, Jakarta – Indonesia barred foreign nationals from entering the country as the world's fourth-most populous country stepped up efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Adrian Wail Akhlas, Jakarta – The World Bank has estimated that the COVID-19 pandemic will significantly slow Indonesia's economic growth this year and may throw millions of people into poverty.

Eko Listiyorini, Jakarta – Indonesia plans to mobilize volunteers to fight the spread of coronavirus in coastal villages and the vast hinterlands of the archipelago with part of a $4.4 billion rural budget to be used to fund the initiative.

Eisya A. Eloksari, Jakarta – A new report shows that netizens in Indonesia are becoming more supportive of the idea to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus with local lockdowns.

Ivany Atina Arbi, Jakarta – Indonesia's second largest Muslim organization, Muhammadiyah, has issued a circular advising Muslims to perform tarawih (a night prayer during the fasting month of Ramadan) at home should the COVID-19 pandemic show no sign of improving in the coming month.

Stanley Widianto, Jakarta – Indonesia is set to release about 30,000 prisoners early as the Southeast Asian nation seeks to avoid a possible surge in coronavirus infections in its overcrowded prisons.

Jakarta – The 2020 national online population census is to be extended until May 29 as a mere 12 percent of the needed data was gathered by the March 31 deadline, with the door-to-door census also delayed as the country struggles with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Michael Leach – In late January, Timor-Leste's governing alliance collapsed after the largest coalition party, Xanana Gusmao's CNRT, abstained on the government budget, leading to the resignation of the Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak.

Suherdjoko, Semarang – A recovered COVID-19 patient in Central Java has recounted his experience fighting the disease and called on the general public to protect each other's health by not going back to their hometowns for the Idul Fitri mudik (exodus).

Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition for Reform on the Security Sector is calling on the government to refrain from declaring a civil emergency or martial law as part of its efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Ardila Syakriah, Jakarta – If Indonesia does not step up its current COVID-19 control measures, the country might have to deal with a "collapsed" healthcare system and hundreds of thousands of deaths, as shown by a projection by the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) and the University of Indonesia's (UI) public health experts.

Jakarta – Acting transportation minister Luhut Binsar Panjaitan has indefinitely postponed the Jakarta Transportation Agency's policy to temporarily halt interprovincial bus operations to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Asip Hasani and Apriadi Gunawan, Trenggalek, East Java and Medan, North Sumatra – A number of cities and regencies have restricted access to main roads as local administrations brace for large-scale social restrictions previously mandated by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to curb the rapid spread of COVID-19.

Jakarta – Billionaire, former Trade and Industry Minister under Soeharto's New Order – also famous for being the dictator's golf buddy – and Indonesian Athletics Federation chairman Bob Hasan died on Tuesday morning at the age of 89 at the Gatot Subroto Army Hospital in Central Jakarta.

Jakarta – Working from home (WFH) may be effective in slowing down the spread of COVID-19, but for many in the informal sector with no regular income, this means the loss of their source of income. No work simply means no pay.

Jakarta and Medan – Some nearby residents oppose the burial of a person with COVID-19 at the Bedahan Public Cemetery in Sawangan district in Depok, West Java claiming that the Depok administration had not been transparent over the condition of the deceased.

Ivany Atina Arbi, Jakarta – The Indonesian government should prioritize "human rights principles" in its handling of the tens of thousands of migrant workers returning to the country because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, labor rights advocacy group Migrant CARE has said.

Ian Morse, Kokoe, Indonesia – For years, this eastern Indonesian village of fishermen and seaweed farmers simmered with anger over the pollution of its coastline by a nickel mining company.

Arya Dipa, Bandung – Sukabumi city in West Java has been announced as a new COVID-19 cluster and the epicenter of the spread of the virus in the province, following thousands of rapid tests that were conducted by the provincial administration recently.

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Postponing this year's regional elections was the most viable option to avoid COVID-19 from further spreading to rural areas, Indonesia's elections authority has said, as reports emerged that election organizers have also caught the disease and stakeholders moved to delay the polls.

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has raised concerns over an increase in imported COVID-19 cases as migrants workers are expected to return from abroad for Idul Fitri. He has ordered regional leaders to take preventive measures to stop the further spread of the highly contagious respiratory disease.

Norman Harsono, Jakarta – Indonesia's largest thermal coal miner, PT Bumi Resources, booked a US$6.84 million profit in 2019, down 97 percent from $220.4 million in the previous year partly due to falling coal prices and higher fuel-related costs.

Made Anthony Iswara, Jakarta – South Korean industrial conglomerate LG, known for its electronics subsidiary LG Electronics, will donate 50,000 diagnostic test kits from the Asian country to help the government handle the spread of COVID-19 in Indonesia.

Diana Mariska, Jakarta – The government is still preparing a regulation on the annual Idul Fitri exodus, or mudik, during the Covid-19 outbreak, the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, said.

"We're going to have one last meeting before reporting the result to President Joko Widodo," Luhut said on Tuesday.

Ghina Ghaliya, Jakarta – The government, the House of Representatives and the General Elections Commission (KPU) have agreed to delay the 2020 regional election amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adrian Wail Akhlas, Jakarta – The World Bank has called on the government to prioritize financial incentives for households and businesses to soften their economic pain as COVID-19 requires drastic action that includes strict physical distancing and travel restrictions.

Tsarina Maharani, Jakarta – A number of civil society organisations are urging the House of Representatives (DPR) and the government to cancel deliberations on the Draft Omnibus Law on Job Creation, bearing in mind that in the midst of the corona virus epidemic it would not be able to effectively deliberate the legislation.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Mining companies in Indonesia are among those being hit by weakened demand as the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the global economy. But the environmental reprieve as a result of the halt in activity may soon be shattered by an even more voracious demand for coal and other minerals once the worst of the outbreak is over, activists say.

Nedi Putra AW, Malang – Academics and volunteers at the Muhammadiyah University of Malang (UMM) in East Java have developed a safety chamber to allow medical workers to examine patients while minimizing their potential exposure to COVID-19.

Made Anthony Iswara, Jakarta – Indonesia's palm oil exports to China have plummeted by half in volume amid global uncertainties, an industry source has said.

Budi Sutrisno, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has called for stricter rules to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as the government mulls over a local quarantine policy that would allow local administrations to ban people from traveling to and from their respective areas.

Budi Sutrisno, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has ordered his Cabinet to impose stricter rules on physical distancing coupled with "civil emergency policies" in an effort to contain the worsening COVID-19 outbreak.

Elias Nanau in Vanimo (Pacific Media Watch) – Indonesia has issued a stern warning over illegal border crossers from Papua New Guinea.

This follows Indonesia stepping up its security measures at the border in response to the global Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

A couple of videos showing people donning hazmat suits at a supermarket in Jakarta has gone viral over the weekend, sparking anger from netizens and at least one government official amid a crucial shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients across Indonesia.

Tara Marchelin, Jakarta – An expert team from the government's Covid-19 Task Force, headed by Professor Wiku Adisasmito, said on Monday that disinfectant – which Indonesians have been spraying everywhere to sterilize sites and people from coronavirus – can't effectively protect humans from the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Leave it to traditional Indonesian ghosts to guard your neighborhood during a self-imposed isolation amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Sausan Atika, Jakarta – Home to more than 10 million people, Indonesia's capital is already the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, but it may have to deal with a six-fold increase in infections that experts say the city administration would not be ready to handle.

Ivany Atina Arbi, Jakarta – Civil society groups have urged the House of Representatives to halt the deliberation of a controversial omnibus bill and focus on the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country during its current sitting session, which was opened on Monday.

Jakarta – Indonesian textile factories are making changes to their production line by producing protective gear for medical personnel and a local start-up is producing test kits to support the nation's battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. However, producing medical-grade supplies comes with major challenges.

Riska Rahman, Jakarta – Indonesian stocks hit another circuit breaker on Monday morning, the sixth time this month, as the main gauge, the Jakarta Composite Index (JCI), plunged by 5 percent after last week's rally.

Rizki Fachriansyah, Jakarta – The rapid spread of COVID-19 has impacted as many as 30 provinces, with capital Jakarta identified as the outbreak's epicenter. Calls for the immediate implementation of stringent emergency protocols, such as regional quarantines, have mounted as the public health emergency continues unabated with over 1,200 cases and counting.

The chairman of the Batam chapter of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI), Muhammad Mansur, said the closure was temporary for some of the hotels, while

Jakarta – Indonesia may soon quarantine almost 30 million people in its capital and surrounding areas to curb the spread of the coronavirus that's killed more than 100 people in the world's fourth-most populous nation.

Police and transport officials conducted drills on limiting the movement of people from the Greater Jakarta area at the weekend, the Jakarta Post reported.

Tsarina Maharani, Jakarta – The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) has conveyed six demands to the House of Representatives (DPR) which will open its legislative sitting session today. One of the demands is asking the DPR to cancel the deliberations on the Draft Omnibus Law on Job Creation.

Jakarta – A coalition of legal watchdogs has urged law enforcement to temporarily refrain from putting more people in penitentiaries to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

Law enforcement could instead use a bail system for light offenses and criminal acts without victims or violence, according to the Justice Monitoring Coalition, which comprises 16 legal advocacy groups.

Yogi Eka Sahputra, Riau – Thousands of Indonesian migrant workers from Malaysia landed in Riau Islands after Malaysia was put on lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic.

Rizal Harahap, Pekanbaru – The Riau Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA Riau) rescued a female Sumatran tiger that had been severely wounded by a poacher's snare at a pulp plantation in Pelalawan regency, Riau on Sunday.

Nina A. Loasana, Jakarta – As members of the public come up with new models of disinfection chambers to aid in the fight against the aggressive spread of COVID-19, an expert has cautioned against the use of such chambers, claiming they can cause irritation.

Rizki Fachriansyah and Ardila Syakriah, Jakarta – The Communications and Information Ministry, in collaboration with the State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Ministry, has developed a mobile app that enables users to compile data related to the spread of COVID-19 in their communities and help bolster the government's efforts to trace and track confirmed cases, as well as suspected patien