
Huge crowds ignored social distancing by packing close together to attend Friday prayers in Indonesia, as the country surpassed the Philippines for the most coronavirus infections in South-East Asia.

The worshippers were pictured at the Islamic Center mosque in Lhokseumawe, Aceh province, the northernmost part of the island of Sumatra.

The Acehnese Muslims - who are native to Aceh- were seen close together as they stood alongside each other before kneeling down to pray. Very few were wearing masks, despite the infection fears.

On Friday, officials in the country reported 407 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number to 5,923. A total of 420 people have died in the country, with the country's health ministry saying 42,000 people have been tested.

Hundreds of Muslims ignored social distancing by packing close together to attend Friday prayers in Indonesia, as the country surpassed the Philippines for the most coronavirus infections in South-East Asia

The worshippers were pictured at the Islamic Center mosque in Lhokseumawe, Aceh province, the northernmost part of the island of Sumatra

The Acehnese Muslims - who are native to Aceh- were seen close together as they prayed on their knees side by side. Very few were wearing masks, despite the infection fears

The infection rate in Indonesia has now surpassed that of the Philippines, which has seen 5,878 confirmed cases and 387 deaths.

The country's Government announced on Friday plans to expand tax incentives to manufacturing industries to prevent 'massive bankruptcy' due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said Indonesia's economy faces a 'huge shock' due to an expected global recession, in addition to the hit it will take from the restrictions on people's mobility that will hurt domestic demand for products, services and fuels.

On Friday, officials in the country reported 407 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number to 5,923. A total of 420 people have died in the country, with the country's health ministry saying 42,000 people have been tested

The infection rate in Indonesia has now surpassed that of the Philippines, which has seen 5,878 confirmed cases and 387 deaths

Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti tells worshippers to stay home for Ramadan prayers Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al al-Sheikh, the highest religious authority in the country, said that Muslim prayers during Ramadan and for the subsequent Eid al-Fitr feast should be performed at home if the coronavirus outbreak continues, Saudi's Okaz newspaper reported on Friday. 'Ramadan's Taraweeh (evening) prayer can be performed at home if it cannot be performed at mosques due to the preventive measures taken to fight the spread of coronavirus,' he said in response to a question, adding that the same applies for Eid prayers, according to the paper. The holy fasting month of Ramadan begins next week. Saudi Arabia in mid-March stopped people performing their five daily prayers and the weekly Friday prayer inside mosques as part of efforts to limit the spread of the coronavirus. On Thursday, the Prophet's Mosque in the holy city of Medina said it was banning events which dispense evening meals in the mosque to those in need during Ramadan to break their daily fast. The kingdom has reported 6,380 cases of COVID-19, the highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, and 83 deaths so far. Advertisement

'The state budget will try to provide support so that the shock does not disrupt or does not cause massive bankruptcy,' Indrawati told an online news conference.

Indonesia, the largest economy in South-East Asia, may face a recession due to the virus outbreak, but the government is still assuming 2020 GDP growth of 2.3 per cent as its baseline scenario, Indrawati said.

The tax incentives Indonesia currently gives to some manufacturing industries will be extended to sectors such as food, trade, telecommunication, forestry, logistics, construction, tourism, transportation and renewable energy, the finance ministry's tax chief, Suryo Utomo, said.

Sectors that are affected by depressed global prices such as plantations, mineral and coal mining, and oil and gas will also be included, Utomo said.

Earlier this month, panic-stricken passengers on a ferry preparing to dock in the city of Maumere, were seen diving overboard after word got out that coronavirus carriers were on the ship.

Footage showed passengers taking the extreme action of hurling themselves overboard as people were preparing to disembark the vessel.

Passengers swam ashore after authorities sought to block the vessel docking due to fears of suspected coronavirus cases.

Crowds had gathered on the deck of the ship and passengers began to film as individuals clambered for orange life jackets and flung themselves into the sea below, before swimming ashore.

Authorities then debated whether the ship, the Lambelu, would be permitted to dock, an official said.

'We ask for the passengers to cooperate with health protocols before disembarking from the ship and refrain from any actions that could be harmful,' Wisnu Handoko, an official at the transport ministry, said in a statement.

Other videos later shared on social media showed medical workers in protective gear carrying out tests on board the Lambelu after it was allowed to dock, before passengers were moved into quarantine on land.

The ferry was carrying 255 passengers, mostly migrant workers returning home from Malaysia, after the neighbouring country imposed a coronavirus lockdown.

The country's Government announced on Friday plans to expand tax incentives to manufacturing industries to prevent 'massive bankruptcy' due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Pictured: Worshippers in Aceh sit on their knees as they pray on Friday

The worshippers had gathered despite fears about the spread of coronavirus, which has claimed 387 lives so far

Indonesia has been hit hard by coronavirus and has the most cases in South-East Asia

In Karachi, Pakistan, worshippers were seen keeping more of a distance from each other as they prayed