Indonesia extends restrictions on minor community activities; Covid-19 total now 1,271,353 as death toll hits 34,316

A man carrying his goods walks through the water in an area affected by floods, following heavy rains in Jakarta, Indonesia, February 20, 2021. - Reuters

JAKARTA, Feb. 20 (Xinhua): Indonesia has extended the implementation of restrictions on minor community activities in Java and Bali until March 8, an official said on Saturday.

"These restrictions have succeeded in reducing the rate of transmission of cases significantly," according to the Chairman of the Committee for Handling Covid-19 and National Economic Recovery, Airlangga Hartarto.

The trend of active cases in five provinces, namely Jakarta, Banten, West Java, Yogyakarta, and East Java, declined, according to official figures.

As of Saturday evening, Indonesia's Covid-19 total stood at 1,271,353 as the death toll hit 34,316.

According to the Health Ministry, the coronavirus pandemic has spread to all the country's 34 provinces in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, the capital Jakarta had to undergo more issues on Saturday morning.

Floods inundated several areas in Jakarta on Saturday, forcing thousands to leave their homes following heavy rains in the capital city in the past few days.

No casualties were reported, the Jakarta disaster mitigation agency's acting head Sabdo Kurnianto said in a statement.

According to him, more than 1,300 people have to leave their homes as the depth of floodwaters reached between 0.4 metres and 1.8 metres, mostly in the southern and eastern parts of the city.

Weather data from the country's meteorology agency showed moderate to heavy rains fell across the capital city early Saturday.

The agency has warned the conditions would still occur in Jakarta, which is home to some 10 million people, and its satellite cities until next week. - Xinhua