Delta Variant Fear Spreads... Indonesia Reports "Over 40,000 Daily Cases" · Germany "Continues Prevention Measures"

In Surabaya, the capital of East Java Province, Indonesia, medical staff are measuring the blood pressure of a student who came to receive a vaccine on the 11th (local time). Indonesia is conducting a large-scale vaccination campaign targeting students aged 12 to 18 in response to the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Due to the spread of the India-origin Delta variant virus, confirmed cases are rising again in many countries around the world, and quarantine measures are being strengthened.

Indonesia reported over 40,000 confirmed cases in a single day on the 12th. The Indonesian Ministry of Health announced that 40,427 new cases were added that day, bringing the cumulative total to approximately 2.567 million.

In Indonesia, infections are rapidly increasing due to the spread of the India-origin Delta variant. The number of deaths among those self-isolating due to a shortage of hospital beds is also continuing to rise.

The Bali local government, under emergency measures, raised the fine for foreigners not properly wearing masks to 1 million rupiah (about 80,000 won), and significantly strengthened regulations to deport foreigners who do not wear masks. Indonesia has banned the entry of foreign tourists and others since April last year, but those holding long- and short-term stay visas or business visas are allowed to enter.

In Germany, voices are growing that mask-wearing and social distancing should continue to be observed rather than easing quarantine measures.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany's equivalent of a disease control agency, 324 new COVID-19 cases were recorded the previous day.

The number of new cases per 100,000 people over the past seven days is 6.4. This indicator, which had been declining for the past two and a half months, has been rising for six consecutive days. As of the end of June, the proportion of Delta variant infections among new cases in Germany reached 59%.

Although the indicator remains at a low level, local German media pointed out that the situation can change rapidly, as seen in cases in the UK and the Netherlands within the same European continent.

In the Netherlands, the number of new confirmed cases surged tenfold in just one week. The situation became so serious that the Dutch parliament suspended summer vacations.