Indonesia extended its COVID-19 restrictions by a week to Aug. 2 on Sunday to try to curb infections, after the government said it would add more intensive care units amid a rise in deaths.
Indonesia has become Asia's COVID-19 epicentre with hospitals deluged, particularly on the densely populated island of Java and on Bali, where oxygen supplies are running thin.
Senior minister Luhut Pandjaitan, who oversees the COVID response on Java and Bali, said the curbs would apply in 140 regions across Indonesia, including the capital Jakarta. Faisal Rachman, an economist with Bank Mandiri, said the extension had been expected. Should the restrictions remain throughout August, annual economic growth could be seen at 3.69%, slightly below the government's forecast of 3.7%-4.5%
"On principle, it's a good intention from the government to prolong the restrictions. But the same good intention could be applied to counting the real number of infections," Tri Yunis Miko Wahyono, a University of Indonesia epidemiologist, said.
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