Indonesia extends COVID-19 restrictions for outside Java–local media

People exercise at a bridge area as the government eases emergency restrictions amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Surabaya, East Java Province, Indonesia. REUTERS 

JAKARTA — Indonesia extended restrictions outside Java island by another week in efforts to control the spread of the coronavirus, local media reported on Sunday citing an interior ministry senior official.

The highest level of restrictions was extended until Aug. 9 for regions outside Java categorized as “Level 4” areas, or areas that have a high level of infections and hospital’s bed occupancy rate, Safrizal Z.A., a senior official at the Home Affairs Ministry, told local media.

Workers employed by non-essential businesses will continue to work from home and shopping malls will remain closed.

A decision on whether the restrictions for Indonesia’s most populated island will be extended is set to be announced on Monday, Safrizal was quoted as saying.

Southeast Asia’s biggest economy suffered one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in Asia, with the total number of infections reaching 3.44 million by Sunday and more than 95,000 deaths.

The government imposed the country’s mobility control early in July as the number of cases surged due to the spread of the Delta variant.