Calls mount in Indonesia for school closures as Omicron cases rise

A worker sprays disinfectant inside a classroom at a closed high school building in Jakarta on Jan 28, 2022. - AP

JAKARTA (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): Indonesia's government is under mounting pressure to close schools temporarily as the number of Covid-19 infections rises significantly in the country, driven primarily by the highly transmissible but less severe Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Daily new cases rose from 2,927 on Jan 24 to 17,895 on Wednesday (Feb 2), the highest tally in more than five months.