Indonesia sees risks to growth on virus curbs, Covid-19 total now almost 990,000

An employee wearing a protective mask cleans an outdoor seating area of a restaurant in Kedonganan, Bali, Indonesia, on Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. Movement restrictions in Bali were extended by two weeks to Feb 8 as the government sought to curb the spread of coronavirus infections. - Bloomberg

JAKARTA, Jan 24 (Bloomberg): Indonesia sees downside risks for economic growth in the first quarter as the government imposed more restrictions to curb a worsening coronavirus outbreak, said the finance minister.

The first quarter is "very tough,” Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said in an interview with Bloomberg Television’s Haslinda Amin on Saturday. "We hope in February and March we can still catch up despite the January which is going to be very tough because of Covid and natural disasters.”