This archive report was first published on 5 July 2021.
Indonesia is facing an unprecedented wave of COVID-19 infections driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, with the country's oxygen supplies in high demand.
On July 5, 2021, senior minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan called for oxygen producers to allocate their stocks to the medical sector, stating that 'we have enough oxygen supply, but demand is up three-to-four fold so there have been distribution gridlocks.'
As the country's healthcare system teeters on the brink of collapse, authorities have set up emergency refilling stations and deployed rickshaw drivers to deliver oxygen tanks to homes where virus patients are isolating.
With daily cases and deaths hitting new records, the government has ordered fresh virus curbs in the hard-hit capital Jakarta, across Java, and on holiday island Bali, including the closure of mosques, parks, shopping malls, and restaurants in hotspot areas.
Dozens of people in Jakarta were arrested on July 5 for operating cafes and entertainment venues in violation of the new rules, while authorities in Java's Semarang city sprayed water hoses at street-side restaurants still serving customers.
Indonesia's overwhelmed healthcare system has been forced to turn away patients, with desperate families hunting for oxygen tanks to treat the sick and dying at home.
