Indonesia hits half million coronavirus cases as hospitals are strained

Women wearing protective masks walking as a drinks vendor sits waiting for the customers at Tanah Abang textile market in Jakarta on Monday (Nov 23, 2020). - Reuters

JAKARTA, Nov 23 (Reuters): Indonesia hit a grim milestone on Monday in surpassing more than half a million cases of the coronavirus, as hospitals across the country's most populated province edged closer towards capacity.

Indonesia now has 502,110 infections and 16,002 deaths from Covid-19, the highest numbers in South-East Asia, having struggled to contain the spread since its first case in March.