Indonesia Taskforce Sees May-June Covid-19 Peak of 95,000 Cases

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17 April 2020 12:07 WIB

A healthcare worker wearing protective gear gets ready to test for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outside a stadium in Bogor, West Java province. Indonesia expects the number of coronavirus cases to peak between May and June with around 95,000 infections, a government adviser said on Thursday, April 16, 2020, marking an official admission of the growing scale of the outbreak in the Southeast Asian country. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan

17 April 2020 00:00 WIB

People wearing face masks are seen along rail tracks enjoying sunshine as they believe it improves their immunity, during the imposition of large-scale social restrictions by the government to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Jakarta, Indonesia. Health experts had been warning that Indonesia faces a sharp rise in cases after a slow government response masked the scale of infections in a country that has recorded 5,516 cases and 496 deaths, the highest death toll in East Asia after China. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan

17 April 2020 00:00 WIB

A passenger wearing a protective mask sits in the waiting room of Pulo Gebang bus station, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, Jakarta, Indonesia. "We believe the peak of the pandemic in Indonesia will start at the beginning of May and will last until the beginning of June," said Wiku Adisasmito, a public health expert and an adviser to Indonesia's COVID-19 taskforce, adding the number of cases during the peak could hit 95,000. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan

17 April 2020 00:00 WIB

Officers stop a car for checking during large-scale social restrictions to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Depok, on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia April 15, 2020. Based on epidemiological modelling from various institutions, including Harvard University, Adisasimto said cases may ultimately reach 106,000 by July. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana

17 April 2020 00:00 WIB

Municipality worker sprays disinfectant on a relative of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) victim during a funeral in Jakarta, Indonesia. Another model by University of Indonesia's public health faculty has warned that there could be more than 140,000 deaths and 1.5 million cases across Indonesia by May unless the government takes tougher action. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan

17 April 2020 00:00 WIB

Municipality workers wearing protective gear bury a victim of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a cemetery area provided by the government in Jakarta, Indonesia. Indonesia has performed almost 40,000 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus. Doni Monardo, head of the COVID-19 taskforce, told a joint briefing the government was looking to do at least 10,000 tests a day. Indonesia has faced criticism over its low testing rates and has been scrambling to procure the reagents needed for the testing kits amid a surge in global demand. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan

17 April 2020 00:00 WIB