Indonesia extends Covid restrictions in some areas, announces plans to ease measures where cases falling

Indonesia's government has said it will extend its Covid 'level 4' mobility restrictions in some parts of the country including areas of Java and Bali until August 16, but will reduce measures where infection rates are declining.

On Monday, senior Cabinet minister Luhut Pandjaitan urged his fellow Indonesians to continue their efforts to prevent the spread of Covid-19, as infection rates appeared to show further signs of slowing, saying: "Don't let the improvement that we've achieved laboriously go to waste."

Pandjaitan, whose remit as Covid-coordinator extends to the islands of Java and neighboring Bali, said the situation there was worse than in other parts of the country.

He stated that "level 4" mobility restrictions will be extended for a further week in several areas of Java and Bali. He added that there were plans to ease restrictions where Covid cases are dropping, including the reopening of malls, with capacity limited to just 25% and for those who have been vaccinated.

Meanwhile, Economy Minister Airlangga Hartarto noted that there had been an increase in Covid-19 cases outside Java-Bali, though infections from the two islands still amounted to 53% of the nation's total caseload. 

With Covid-19 infections increasing elsewhere in the country, Hartarto said that the government's 'level 4' mobility restrictions would be extended until August 23 in those other areas.

Indonesia's Covid case numbers peaked in July, largely driven by soaring infection rates in the capital, Jakarta. The city recorded 14,619 infections on July 12, but by August 5 the daily number of recorded cases fell to 2,311.

The surge in infections saw the city's healthcare pushed to the limit of its capacity, with some people being treated in car parks and a scramble for oxygen supplies. Hospital bed occupancy has since fallen from 90% to 39%.

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