Indonesia defends its virus response as Asia cases rise
Widodo refutes criticism that he is puting the economy over public health as cases top 300,000; S. Korea worries about holiday; Malaysia reports 293 new infections; Myanmar toll rises
Indonesian President Joko Widodo defended his record of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, asking for no “polemics” or “commotion” amid criticism that he is puting the economy over public health.
Indonesia on Sunday reported 3,992 new coronavirus cases, the lowest daily increase in six days, taking its total number of infections to 303,498, health ministry data showed.
The coronavirus-related death toll rose by 96 to 11,151.
The government’s handling of the pandemic since March has drawn criticism from some public health experts for prioritising economic over public health concerns.
The health ministry has recently come under heavy criticism from volunteer groups and more generally on social media for what they say is insufficient spending on the pandemic, insufficient protection for health workers and high prices for private coronavirus tests.
“I can say that the COVID handling in Indonesia has not been bad, indeed it has been quite good,” the president said in the statement on his official Youtube account, arguing the country’s total cases and death toll are lower than countries with comparably large populations.
The president, known by his popular name Jokowi, defended his decision not to impose province- or city-wide lockdowns in places where cases continue to surge because he said that would have hurt people’s livelihood.
“Prioritising health maters does not mean we are sacrificing the economy, because sacrificing the economy is equal to sacrificing the lives of tens of millions of people,” Jokowi said.
“Overcoming the pandemic is difficult, it requires hard work together, but I’m sure we can do it,” he said. “The most important thing in this situation is we should not make polemics and there should be no commotion.”
Southeast Asia’s biggest economy is set to enter its first recession since the 1998 Asian financial crisis this year due to the pandemic. But the government’s worst-case forecast of a 1.7% contraction in 2020 is beter than many economies, officials say.
The president also pledged to order his ministers to improve their response to the crisis and urged people to complain or provide suggestions to the government. (Reporting by Maikel Jefriando; Writing by Gayatri Suroyo; Editing by William Mallard)
South Korea has reported 64 new cases of the coronavirus, the fourth straight day its increase came below 100, possibly reflecting the fewer number of tests conducted during one of the biggest holidays of the year.
Thefiguresreleasedbythekoreadiseasecontrol and Prevention Agency on Sunday brought the national caseload to 24,091, including 421 deaths.
Thirty-eight of the new cases were reported from the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, which has been at the center of a viral resurgence since August. Health workers have struggled to track transmissions tied to churches, hospitals, schools and offices.
Seventeen of the new cases were linked to international arrivals, mostly from other Asian countries such as the Philippines, India, and Bangladesh.
There are concerns that infections could rise in coming weeks because of increased travel during the five-day Chuseok harvest holiday that continues through Sunday.
Malaysia reported 293 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, taking its total number of infections to 12,381. Fatalities remained at 137, with no new deaths recorded.
Malaysia has seen record daily increases in virus cases this week, partly because of clusters linked to an election in its second-largest state of Sabah. (Reporting by Rozanna Latiff Editing by Robert Birsel)
As Myanmar’s coronavirus infections soar, the work never seems to stop for volunteers who have stepped in to help carry those suspected of symptoms to quarantine centres or hospitals.
Fatalities hit a new record for one day on Sunday with 41 deaths, bringing the total to 412 from only seven a month ago.
The toll is now the third highest in Southeast Asia, ater Indonesia and the Philippines, and both deaths and case numbers are doubling faster than anywhere in the world according to Reuters figures.