Indonesian capital to enter two-week 'state of emergency' amid coronavirus scare

As the deadly coronavirus outbreak continues to tighten its grip around the world, the governor of Jakarta, Anies Baswedan has reportedly declared a two-week state of emergency in the Indonesian capital on March 20. While the country has reported 25 deaths and more than 300 confirmed cases, Baswedan reportedly said that the government’s “response capability has a limit” because the number of hospitals and the medical staff is not in line with the drastic growth of cases of COVID-19. 

The Jakarta governor has also said that the public entertainment places such as bars, spas, and cinemas would remain closed from March 23 and the public transportation will also be limited. He reportedly further urged the companies to let the staff work from home. According to him, the Indonesian medical teams across the capital are currently dealing with a great number of people in the face of the pandemic. 

The unprecedented outbreak which originated in China in December 2019 has now claimed over 10,000 lives worldwide. According to the tally by international news agency, the pandemic has now spread to 180 countries and has infected at least 245,749 people. Out of the total infections, 88,441 have been recovered but the easily spread virus is continuing to disrupt many lives. Major cities have been put under lockdown in almost all countries, and the economy is struggling. 

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‘Test, test, test’

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that the best way to combat the unprecedented outbreak of deadly coronavirus for all countries is to ramp up their testing programs. The WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a conference in Geneva that the “simple message” he has for all countries is “test, test, test”. He further added that the countries will remain unsuccessful to tackle the pandemic if they fail to test all suspected cases and remain “blindfolded”. 

WHO chief said, “But the most effective way to prevent infections and save lives is breaking the chains of transmission. And to do that, you must test and isolate. You cannot fight a fire blindfolded.

He added, "And we cannot stop this pandemic if we don’t know who is infected. We have a simple message for all countries: test, test, test. Test every suspected case.”

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(With agency inputs)