COVID-19: Death toll in Indonesia reaches 170

JAKARTA, Indonesia

The death toll from the coronavirus in Indonesia has reached 170, as 13 more people died of the virus in the past 24 hours, an official said on Thursday.

Achmad Yurianto, a government spokesman, said the total number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus climbed to 1,790.

“Nine more patients have recovered, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 112, while 1,508 are still under treatment,” Yurianto said at a news conference in the capital Jakarta.

Yuri said that 349,000 personal protective equipment (PPE) have been distributed across the country.

On Tuesday, President Joko Widodo had announced imposing large-scale social restrictions to stem the spread of deadly COVID-19.

Meanwhile, people residing in Indonesia's capital of Jakarta have started to return to their home towns, as the government has not explicitly restricted the inter-regional mobility.

The president had also announced a package of 405.1 trillion rupiahs ($24.7 billion) to minimize the impact of the virus on the economy.

The virus has spread to at least 180 countries and regions. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a pandemic.

The global death toll from the virus has hit over 49,200, with almost 963,000 confirmed cases, and nearly 203,000 recoveries, according to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

* Erric Permana contributed to this story.