JAKARTA, April 7 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian capital of Jakarta, hit the hardest by COVID-19 in the country, will start imposing a large-scale social restriction on Friday, Governor Anies Baswedan said on Tuesday evening.
"Jakarta will implement a large-scale social restriction as highlighted by the Health Ministry, to be effective as of Friday," he told a press conference at the city hall.
Jakarta is the first city in Indonesia to implement the policy after the Health Ministry approved the provincial administration's proposal on the matter on Tuesday.
The policy requires authorities to limit the number of people using private cars and public transportation modes.
As of Tuesday, the death toll of the COVID-19 in the country has climbed to 221, the highest in Southeast Asia, and the number of confirmed cases jumped to 2,738.
Jakarta, home to some 10 million people, suffers the highest number of deaths totaling 106, followed by West Java 29.
The capital's satellite cities, such as Depok and Tangerang, reportedly plan to obtain a permit from the Health Ministry prior to imposing the policy.
