Indonesia orders citizens to wear masks as infections rise

Medical officers rest during a rapid test amid the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia on April 4, 2020 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. (REUTERS Photo)

JAKARTA, April 5 (Reuters): Indonesia has ordered its citizens to wear cloth face masks when going outside as the numbers of coronavirus infections rise to 2,273 on Sunday, Health Ministry official Achmad Yurianto said.

"Everybody must wear face masks. Surgical masks and N95 masks are only for medical workers, but wear cloth masks because many asymptomatic cases were found out there," Yurianto said told a news briefing.

The Southeast Asian country reported 181 new cases on Sunday, while the death toll rose by 7 to 198.