The cumulative number of coronavirus deaths in Indonesia rose to 170 on Thursday, surpassing South Korea as the Asian country with the highest number of deaths after China.
Indonesia on Thursday had 13 new deaths cases and 113 confirmed cases, with a total of 1,790 confirmed cases. According to the latest data released by South Korea, a total of 169 deaths and a total of 9,976 cases have been diagnosed in South Korea.
At the same time, some medical experts and officials have expressed concerns that Indonesia government has been slow to implement similar measures to curb Covid-19 as other countries.
Fearing that during the annual Muslim fasting month, a large number of people traveling will accelerate the outbreak of the domestic epidemic, Indonesia announced on Thursday that it will distribute cash to poor families and encourage them not to leave the capital Jakarta.
The Indonesian government is reluctant to implement such Movement Control Order or partially lockdown as neighbouring countries such as the Philippines or Malaysia, but later on, governments will decide whether to implement restrictions locally, such as closing schools and banning religious activities.
Authorities said on Thursday that Indonesia had released 18,000 prisoners to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in its overcrowded prison.