COVID-19 Report: Indonesian death toll tops Southeast Asia

Military enforcement in locked down Malaysia. Photo: Mindef Malaysia/Twitter
Military enforcement in locked down Malaysia. Photo: Mindef Malaysia/Twitter

Indonesia reported its 49th death today, making it the nation to report the most COVID-19 fatalities in Southeast Asia since the outbreak began.

While the toll mounts in the world’s fourth-most populous nation, Philippines and Malaysia recorded additional deaths as well. Manila recorded eight more fatalities while Malaysia said four more patients had died. Among them was a 70-year-old man who visited Indonesia last month.

Hong Kong today joined Singapore to announce it would ban foreigners from entering the city as imported infections continue to increase. Singapore’s first fatalities – an elderly woman and Indonesian man who’d come for treatment – were announced Saturday.

Economically, most Asian markets closed down today with investor anxiety attributed to the failure of the world’s largest economy, the United States, to secure a massive economic assistance package.

More updates from Coconuts’ newsrooms in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong:

Malaysia

  • Malaysia’s death toll rose to 14 with one of its latest cases involving a 70-year-old mosque staff who was in Indonesia in February. He tested positive March 19 and died Sunday night.
  • At least six of the coronavirus deaths in Malaysia have been linked to a mosque gathering in Kuala Lumpur where hundreds took ill. 
  • Coronavirus cases have risen to 1,518 in Malaysia with Selangor its most infected state. More than 300 people have been infected there.
  • Malaysian soldiers have been deployed across the country to enforce restrictions on movement and assembly, including a ban on mass gatherings and shuttering of non-essential businesses. 
    • A 33-year-old man accused of refusing to produce his ID and pushing a police officer today became the first person to be charged under the order. 

Indonesia

  • Indonesia has the highest COVID-19 death toll in Southeast Asia with 49 deaths. 
    • Among those who died were three doctors in Jakarta and a French national who posthumously tested positive for COVID-19. His body was found on a motorcycle on Bali, The Jakarta Post reported. 
  • Coronavirus cases rose to 579 in the country. 
    • New cases include a Romanian couple who tested positive on Bali. 
  • Authorities said Sunday they had converted a 2018 Asian Games athlete village into an emergency hospital. 

Hong Kong

  • Hong Kong announced today it would ban all foreigners from entering the city starting Wednesday, as well as alcohol sales at more than 8,000 bars and restaurants in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19. 
  • Coronavirus cases rose to 317 in the city.
    • Of 10 potential cases detected, one included an airport doctor. If confirmed, it would raise the city’s total known cases to 327.

Thailand

  • A 66-year-old female Thai chef infected with COVID-19 died Saturday in the U.S. capital, according to the Thai Embassy.
    • The woman held dual citizenship and had been a U.S. resident for some time.
  • Thailand announced an additional 122 COVID-19 cases today but is unclear where the majority came from as the volume of new cases spirals. Total announced cases of infection stand at 721. 

Philippines

  • Three COVID-19 patients in Quezon City were sent home because of a shortage of hospital beds in Metro Manila.
  • President Rodrigo Duterte is seeking sweeping emergency powers to address the health crisis. This would enable him to take over public utilities, hospitals, and even private businesses, among other things.
  • The coronavirus death toll has risen to 33 in the Philippines and total number of infections to 396.

Singapore

  • Singapore is banning entry to all short-term visitors starting at midnight and has stepped up social-distancing measures in public places including hawker centers, food courts, and supermarkets. But similar measures have yet to be seen in public transport, where thousands board to commute across the island. 
  • Singapore reported its first two deaths over the weekend involving a Singaporean woman linked to the Life Church and Missions and an Indonesian man who was hospitalized in Indonesia for pneumonia before seeking treatment here. 
  • Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat is expected to announce on Thursday details of a second stimulus package to support workers, businesses, and households amid the coronavirus outbreak. 

 

Related:

Indonesia’s members of parliament, families to be tested for COVID-19 this week
Bali records 6 COVID-19 cases, 2 foreigner deaths
PH Transport Department lambasted for saying ‘thank you’ to COVID-19
Thai chef in Washington D.C. dies of COVID-19
From food courts to supermarkets, here’s what social distancing looks like in Singapore



Reader Interactions

Leave A Reply


BECOME A COCO+ MEMBER

Support local news and join a community of like-minded
“Coconauts” across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

Join Now
Coconuts TV
Our latest and greatest original videos
Subscribe on