VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

India's prime minister has asked for his country's forgiveness after imposing a sweeping lockdown that he said had hurt millions of poor people.

Criticism has mounted over the lack of planning ahead of the coronavirus shutdown, which was introduced with less than four hours' notice.

Many of India's 1.3 billion citizens have been left jobless and hungry.

Tens of thousands of migrant labourers have been forced to walk hundreds of kilometres to their native villages.

In his weekly radio address PM Narendra Modi apologised for the impact of the strict stay-at-home measures.

But he said there was "no other way" to stop the rapid spread of the virus.

"Especially when I look at my poor brothers and sisters, I definitely feel that they must be thinking, what kind of prime minister is this who has placed us in this difficulty?

People are banned from leaving their homes for three weeks under the "total lockdown" measures announced on Tuesday. All non-essential businesses have been closed and almost all public gatherings are banned.

It has sparked an exodus from major cities such as Delhi, where thousands of migrant workers are setting out on long journeys back to their home villages after transport was stopped.

One worker died on Saturday after he attempted to walk a 168 mile (270km) journey back home, a police officials told Reuters news agency. (BBC)

Volunteers of the Sukabumi Red Cross (PMI) for COVID-19 Response. (ANTARA)

As many as 5,816 people have registered themselves as COVID-19 volunteers since the online registration was opened on Wednesday (3/25)

The 5,816 people comprised 4,008 non-medical volunteers and 1,808 medical ones, Chairman of the Indonesian Disaster Mitigation Society (MPBI) Dandi Prasetia said during a press conference at the Office of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) in Jakarta, on Sunday.

The volunteers came from various Indonesian regions such as West Java Province with the largest number of volunteers, namely 1,445, followed by Jakarta with 1,384 volunteers.

Others came from East Java (559 volunteers), Banten (402), and Central Java (348), Dandi Prasetia noted.

They comprised 2,364 men and 1,856 women aged between 19 and 30 years old, he added.

The second largest age group is between 31 and 40 years old, totalling 636 men and 225 women.

Furthermore, the age group of between 41 and 50 years old comprised 275 men and 68 women. The 51-60 years age group consisted of 75 men and 25 women.

"There are also five men aged over 60 years old," he said.

Previously, BNPB Chairman concurrently the Head of the Task Force for the Acceleration of COVID-19 Response Lt. Gen. Doni Monardo said volunteers had a crucial role in dealing with the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

"The team of volunteers is important for us today because the COVID-19 outbreak cannot be tackled by the government alone," he remarked.

As of Saturday (28/3), Jakarta had the highest number of COVID-19 sufferers reaching 603 patients, of which 42 were declared cured and 62 died.(ANTArA)

In Indonesia, the total number of COVID-19 positive patients reached 1,285 people. Of the number, 64 people were cured and 114 dead.(ANTARA)

President Donald Trump has said coronavirus restrictions such as social distancing will be extended across the US until at least 30 April.

"The highest point of the death rate is likely to hit in two weeks," Mr Trump said on Sunday, adding: "Therefore we will be extending our guidelines."

Dr Anthony Fauci, the face of the Trump administration's coronavirus task force, earlier warned that the virus could kill up to 200,000 Americans.

The US has 139,675 confirmed cases.

As of Sunday evening, 2,436 deaths had been recorded in the country in relation to Covid-19, according to figures collated by Johns Hopkins University.

The United States overtook both China and Italy last week for the number of reported cases.

Dr Fauci said that it was "entirely conceivable" that millions of Americans could eventually be infected and that between 100,000 and 200,000 could die.(BBC)

The number of COVID-19 positive cases in Indonesia has continued to increase and reached 1,285 as of Sunday, with 64 patients recovered and 114 died of the disease, the government spokesman for COVID019 handling Achmad Yurianto said.

"There are 130 new cases, bringing the total case count to 1,285. The increased number of confirmed cases illustrates transmission has continued among the public," Yurianto said in Jakarta on Sunday.

The Task Force for Acceleration of COVID-19 Handling recorded five cases in Aceh, 10 cases in Bali, Banten 106, Yogyakarta 22, Jakarta 675, West Java 149, Central Java 63, East Java 90, West Kalimantan 8, East Kalimantan 17, Central Kalimantan 7, North Kalimantan 2, South Kalimantan and Jambi one case respectively.

Other cases recorded in Riau Islands (5), West Nusa Tenggara (2), South Sumatera (2), West Sumatera (5), North Sulawesi (2), North Sumatera (8), Southeast Sulawesi (3), South Sulawesi (47), Central Sulawesi (2), Lampung (4), Riau (2), North Maluku and Maluku one case respectively, West Papua (2) and Papua (9). (ANTARA)