Indonesia confirms 17 new cases of coronavirus

By Nicky Aulia Widadio

JAKARTA (AA) - Indonesia on Monday confirmed 17 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 134.

“As many as 14 cases had been identified in Jakarta, while West Java, Banten and Central Java reported one case each,” Achmad Yurianto, the government spokesman for the coronavirus related matters, said at a news conference in the capital Jakarta.

However, he did not provide further details about the patients.

Previously, Indonesian authorities announced that eight patients recovered, while five people died of the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19.

Health staff will conduct contact tracing of the infected patients.

“By conducting massive tracing, we will find out more cases,” Yurianto added.

He explained that patients, who do not experience coronavirus symptoms, will be told to self-quarantine at their homes.

The coronavirus emerged in Wuhan, China last December, and has spread to at least 146 countries and territories.

The death toll worldwide is now over 6,400, with more than 164,000 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization, which has declared the outbreak a “global pandemic.”

*Writing by Maria Elisa Hospita from Anadolu Agency's Indonesian language service in Jakarta.