The Jakarta administration has enlisted the help of local authorities as part of wider efforts to curb the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the capital, which is the national epicenter of the epidemic that has infected more than 1600 people nationwide and killed 157.

The 282 people are to undergo further screening by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests using swabs to confirm the initial results.

A 51-year-old male pedestrian was killed when he was hit by a car in the Lippo Karawaci housing complex in Tangerang, Banten.

Acting transportation minister Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, who is the Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister, sought to have an assessment on the economic impact of such a policy, which might prevent Jakarta residents from going to their hometowns for mudik (exodus), according to the Transportation Ministry’s spokeswoman Ardita Irawati.

“This shows that the situation in Jakarta is very concerning. That is why I am asking the public to see the numbers not as only as statistics. They were our fellow residents and were healthy just a month ago," Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said his administration had sent a letter to the government proposing a quarantine in line with the 2018 Health Quarantine Law. 

Bus routes connecting Jakarta and other cities and provinces will remain open following the cancellation of a plan to temporarily suspend operations of Greater Jakarta-based intercity and interprovincial (AKAP) buses.

All toll roads in the city will continue to operate normally, Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Yusri Yunus has said.

Home to more than 10 million people, Indonesia’s capital is already the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, but it may have to deal with a sixfold increase in infections that experts say the city administration would not be ready to handle.

The Jakarta Transportation Agency plans to temporarily suspend the operation of Greater Jakarta-based intercity and interprovincial (AKAP) buses starting at 6 p.m. on Monday.

Seventeen trains from Gambir Station, nine trains from Pasar Senen Station and two trains from Jakarta Kota Station will not be operating from April 1 to May 1.

Transportation Ministry land transportation director general Budi Setyadi said that the ministry, in coordination with the National Police's traffic corps, had developed a plan including so-called "stopping posts" at toll gates and along other roads to and from Greater Jakarta. 

With millions of Jakartans urged to stay at home to slow the spread of COVID-19, city-owned market operator Pasar Jaya has provided a home shopping service involving sellers in more than 20 markets.

The state of emergency, stay-at-home instruction and closure of schools and tourist destinations has been extended to April 19.

The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) has donated thousands of items to help meet the basic needs of medical workers standing on the front line in the battle against COVID-19.

Customers using the postpaid electricity service are required to send their ID number and a picture of their electricity meter showing usage in kilowatt-hour (kWh). Such information should be sent via email or WhatsApp chat to a PLN office in their respective region, which will be used by the company to calculate electricity bills for April.

The city's market operator has announced the temporary closure of Southeast Asia’s largest textile market until April 5. Jakarta has not yet imposed a suspension of trade on the hundreds of markets in the capital, the epicenter of the outbreak in Indonesia.

The Jakarta administration has provided special accommodation for doctors and nurses in the capital to support those on the front line in the fight against COVID-19.

The decline in PM2.5 is in line with the trend of people working from home after the Jakarta administration declared last week an emergency situation, prompting some companies to implement a social distancing measure to prevent COVID-19 from spreading further.

The Jakarta Council has agreed to defer the search for Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan’s deputy governor until April 6, the day after the city’s COVID-19 state of emergency is set to end.

The facility also prioritizes COVID-19 patients, elderly suspects and suspects with mild to moderate breathing problems, says Jakarta Military commander and hospital head Maj. Gen. Eko Margiyono. However, he says patients with severe and worsening symptoms would be referred to another hospital.

MRT Jakarta is increasing headway time to 10 minutes starting on Thursday because of a staggering decrease in commuter numbers caused by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

The closures came amid a rising number of people infected by the novel coronavirus in Jakarta, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. 

While many Jakartans are staying in their houses and working remotely to curb the novel coronavirus outbreak, home office is not even an option for many other workers in the capital and its satellite cities.

Photos on social media showed packed train cars on Monday morning, despite Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan's plea for corporations to close down their offices for the next 14 days in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

"This equipment is very helpful for our health workers on the front lines because one of the challenges is to make sure they are not exposed [to the virus] and this equipment is very important," Anies told reporters at a daily press briefing at City Hall on Monday.

For the next two weeks starting Monday, KCI will reduce its services, operating from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

An ear, nose and throat specialist from Bekasi, West Java, died on Saturday at Persahabatan Hospital in East Jakarta. Another doctor, a 34-year-old neurologist, died at the same hospital in the early hours of Sunday. A 70-year-old surgeon from Bogor, West Java, died at Gatot Subroto Army Hospital in Central Jakarta on Saturday.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan is calling on all citizens to assist medical personnel in preventing COVID-19 from spreading by staying at home.

Despite declaring an emergency status over the COVID-19 pandemic, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan needs to step up his game to seriously contain the spread of the disease over concerns that the public may not follow the instructions issued by his office, experts are saying.