Indonesia COVID-19 Cases Reach 2,491... 160,000 Laid Off or Unpaid Leave in Jakarta

Indonesian President Joko Widodo is speaking during a visit to a hospital in Batam treating patients with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the 1st.
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in Indonesia has increased to a total of 2,491.

According to local media and others, on the 6th, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Indonesia was recorded at 2,491, with an additional 218 cases. Since March 24, Indonesia's daily confirmed cases have exceeded 100 for 14 consecutive days, and on this day, the daily cases set a new record high again.

The number of deaths due to COVID-19 increased by 11, reaching 209. The fatality rate, which represents the ratio of cumulative deaths to cumulative confirmed cases, stood at 8.39%.

Ahmad Yurianto, the government spokesperson related to the COVID-19 situation, said in a briefing that day, "the increase in confirmed cases was due to the combined use of rapid diagnostic tests and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests." In the previous day's briefing, spokesperson Ahmad also urged the entire population to wear masks. President Joko Widodo also emphasized during a video cabinet meeting held at the presidential palace that day, "Citizens must wear masks whenever they go outside their homes."

Meanwhile, as more than two weeks have passed since the Jakarta provincial government declared a COVID-19 emergency response period, it has been revealed that over 160,000 workers have been laid off or placed on unpaid leave. The Jakarta provincial government announced, "Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 situation in early March until the 4th, 30,137 workers (from 3,348 companies) have been laid off, and 132,279 workers (from 14,697 companies) are currently on unpaid leave."

The number of irregular workers who lost their jobs, such as restaurant employees, domestic helpers, drivers, and mobile massage therapists, is so large that it is impossible to even tally. Approximately 2 million motorcycle taxi drivers from services like Grab and Gojek have lost so much work that earning even 100,000 rupiah (about 7,520 KRW) per day has become difficult.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.