Indonesia Ramps Up Virus Testing as New Infections Surge
- Government to raise testing capacity by 9,000 samples per day
- Indonesia has one of world’s lowest Covid-19 testing rates
A medical worker and health officials prepare for a recovered coronavirus patient to be sent home via ambulance from the Zainoel Abidin hospital in Banda Aceh on April 13.
Photographer: Chaideer Mahyuddin/AFP via Getty Images
Indonesia’s government is ramping up its coronavirus testing capacity and expanding the partial lockdown to areas outside the capital after facing criticism for having one of the region’s lowest testing rates per capita.
President Joko Widodo said the country will increase its testing capacity by 9,000 samples per day while regulators extended stricter social distancing measures, which includes closing offices, a ban on gatherings of more than five people and limiting transportation services to some satellite cities outside Jakarta to contain the spread of the deadly disease.