VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Government spokesperson for COVID-10 handling, Achmad Yurianto, in Jakarta, Tuesday ( (ANTARA)

Jakarta - Indonesia’s central administration has provided 125,000 rapid test kits to 34 provinces for screening those coming in close contact with coronavirus patients and medical workers, said government spokesperson for COVID-19 handling, Achmad Yurianto.

"We have distributed 125,000 rapid test kits to 34 provinces," he said in Jakarta, Tuesday.

The provinces will use the rapid tests for two groups — those who have been in close contact with COVID-19 positive patients, and medical workers involved in coronavirus countermeasures, he said.

More kits will be distributed in the next phase, based on the areas where cases have emerged and areas with potential for infection.

"In the context of rapid tests, we have established a policy where the test will be carried out against those who have had contact with confirmed positive cases being treated in the hospital, or positive cases who are self-isolating at home," he added.

Yurianto further said contact tracing would involve testing family members living in the same house as a patient. If patients have a history of working in a certain place, with possibility of close contact, tests will also be carried out at their workplace, he added.

"Our second priority is medical workers involved in COVID-19 treatment, including hospital front-office workers. They are the group vulnerable to infection," he continued.

Tests will be carried out against the two prioritized groups in the first phase.

He further said that if there are more rapid test kits coming in, there will be region-based inspections, similar to the ones carried out in South Jakarta.

"The execution of the rapid test will be decentralized to health facilities in the region, such as health centers, regional laboratories, as well as government and regional hospitals," he said. (ANTARA)

The number cars passing by main roads of Jakarta has significantly declined over the past days amid ongoing concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic  (ANTARA)

Many Jakartans have begun understanding the importance of staying at home to contain the spread of new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as the police in this Indonesian capital city continue their patrols at night to call on those hanging out to go home.

"The number of people hanging out at night has declined compared to those on previous days. They may have begun understanding the situation they are facing," Jakarta Metropolitan Police Spokesman Sen.Coms.Yusri Yunus told ANTARA on Tuesday.

Over the past few days, the city police intensified joined patrols at certain places frequently used for hangouts, including Bulungan, Melawai, Blok M, Kemang, Pejaten, Mampang Prapatan, and Gajah Mada. The police still found many people hanging out there.

However, on Monday night, they found a different situation because the number of people hanging out there had drastically decreased compared to that on the previous days.

Jakarta is one of the cities in Indonesia which have severely suffered from the COVID-19 outbreak because the death toll from this virus in the city is the highest across Indonesia.

As of Tuesday, there were 686 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Indonesia, and 424 of them were in Jakarta. The death toll from this virus reached 55, and Jakarta contributed 31 to the fatalities.

COVID-19, which initially struck the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of December, 2019, has killed at least 16,591 people and infected no less than 384,432 people in 195 countries and territories worldwide, according to media reports.

Taking into account the rising death toll and the spread of the virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic.

In Kota Metro, Lampung Province, a 2.4-year-old child has been admitted to a public hospital after presenting with flu, shortness of breath, along with a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius.

"The patient is under surveillance and currently being treated at the Jenderal Ahmad Yani Public Hospital's isolation room," head of the Kota Metro Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Task Force, Nasir AT MM, stated.

The toddler developed influenza, fever, and breathing difficulties after being taken to a city in West Java Province for a function, he remarked.

President Donald Trump said on Monday (Mar 23) he is considering how to reopen the US economy when a 15-day shutdown ends next week, even as the highly contagious coronavirus is spreading rapidly and hospitals are bracing for a wave of virus-related deaths. Trump told reporters it was possible to resume economic activity in states with what he said were relatively low rates of infection, citing Nebraska, Idaho and Iowa as examples, while continuing to work on the hot zones in other states like New York.

"At the end of the 15th day in April, we’ll make decision as to which where we want to go, where we want to go to the timing and essentialy we’re referring to the timing of the opening, essentially the opening of our country because we have a pretty well shut down in order to get rid of this invisible enemy,"Trump told a White House news conference.

Trump, who had hoped to build his campaign for the Nov 3 election on a booming US economy, now is looking at hundreds if not thousands of deaths from COVID-19. Many of his Republican allies fear the toll on the economy would make it harder for him to win another four-year term. (CNA)

Japan's prime minister and the head of the International Olympic Committee agreed to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Games by a year.

The extraordinary move, unprecedented in peacetime, was made as the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made the statement Tuesday after holding a teleconference with the Chairman of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, that this delay was needed to focus the world's attention in combating Covid-19.

"First of all, once again I confirmed with IOC's President Bach that there will be no cancellation on the Olympics or Paralympics. Furthermore as the host of Tokyo Olympics taking into consideration on current situation  for the atheltes and the athletes of the world for them to be able to complete in the best environment and also for the games to be one which is safe and worry free with no spectators. I asked if it would be possible in postponing the game for approximately a year. I got an answered from president Bach that he agreed 100 percent. We agreed that we will hold the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic by the Summer 2021. We agreed to stay in close contact so that we would be able to hold the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic in it's complete form so it will be a sign that humanity has overcome the new coronavirus,"said Shinzo Abe.

The IOC has come under increasing pressure in recent days to postpone the Games, scheduled to start on Jul 24, with 1.7 billion people across the planet in lockdown to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. An IOC member, Dick Pound said this step was taken to prevent the spread of the virus to athletes.

"Our responsibility is it to everybody was the weight and make sure that there was no likelihood that the games could proceed in July this year and then take the the decision in operation with the Japanese authorities that okay the public health issues override the even something as important as the Olympic we do it will come back in the Year. Hope that the viruses under better control and we can have the Olympics as an affirmation of the idea that it doesn't matter how many times you get knocked down what's really important thing is how many times you get up and carry on? So that's what we're hoping to do and I think that will be a good message if we can do it," Dick said

Tokyo was spending some US$12.6 billion to host the Games, according to its latest budget, and experts believe a postponement could cost it about US$6 billion in the short-term before recouping it when they eventually go ahead. (CNA)