Spraying disinfection at a station in Jakarta, Indonesia (Source: AFP/VNA)Hanoi (VNA) –Indonesia and Malaysia are doubling efforts to contain the spread of the novelcoronavirus SARS-CoV-2 as the numbers of infections and deaths have beenincreasing in recent days.
Indonesia’s Ministry of State-owned Enterprises (BUMN) is planning to convertcurrent public works into hospitals to treat people contracting the acuterespiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).
A BUMN official said theconvertion of an athlete village in Jakarta into an emergency hospital will beexpanded in other localities nationwide, including Bandung in West Java,Semarang in Central Java, and Surabaya in East Java.
Earlier on March 23, BUMNcoordinated with the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing to completethe convertion of four out of the 10 towers of the Wisma Atay Kemayoran athletevillage in downtown Jakarta – which was used in the 2018 Asian Games – into ahospital to meet the surging treatment demand of coronavirus patients in thecoming days.
The number of COVID-19cases in Indonesia has trippled in the past week, from 172 on March 17 to 686on March 24, including 55 deaths. The pandemic has spread to at least 22 out ofthe 34 cities and provinces in the country.
Meanwhile, Malaysia onMarch 24 asked the Chinese government to send medical experts here to help thecountry’s fight against COVID-19.
Malaysian Foreign MinisterHishammuddin Tun Hussein said the ministry is seeking assistance from foreigngovernments to combat the outbreak, based on the good relations betweenMalaysia and these countries.
He said health experts in 26 major hospitalsin Malaysia will hold a video conference with their counterparts in China onMarch 26 to share best practices and strategies in the anti-coronavirus drive.
As of March 24, Malaysiarecorded 1,624 COVID-19 cases, including 15 deaths and 183 recoveries./.
VNA
