Indonesia president calls for restrictions to contain COVID-19

JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Monday called for stricter rules to prevent the spread of COVID-19 across the country after receiving reports of workers starting the migration for Idul Fitri celebration early.

“For the safety of all, I ask for stricter steps to prevent the movement of people to regions,” he said at the opening of a cabinet meeting on Monday.Families residing in Jakarta started to pack their bags and return to their home towns amid the mass exodus.

The president said many informal workers in Jakarta, which has most number of the COVID-19 cases, have traveled to the provinces of West Java, Central Java, East Java and Yogyakarta after the capital city announced its emergency status on March 20.Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous nation, with Jakarta as its capital city suffering the most number of deaths in the country totalling 74, followed by 20 of West Java.

Widodo called on local administrations to apply health protocols to ensure that people who have travelled to their hometowns are in good health conditions.

The government is drafting a regulation to stipulate the procedures for imposing regional quarantines as confirmed cases of the COVID-19 continue to surge in the country.As of Monday, the government’s spokesman for all coronavirus-related matters Achmad Yurianto said Indonesia has recorded 1,414 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 122 deaths.