Jakarta. Indonesia reported 153 new positive Covid-19 cases on Friday in the biggest single-day rise since the first case was detected in late February, bringing the country's total to 1,046.

Nine more people died from the virus bringing the total death toll to 87, while 11 patients were declared to have fully recovered on the same day.

This is the first time recoveries outnumbered the number of deaths in a day.

However, only 46 patients have recovered so far, according to Achmad Yurianto, a spokesman for the government's Covid-19 Task Force.

"The significant increase in new cases only proves that transmissions are still happening, the source of the disease remains here and some people continue to have contacts with others," Achmad said in a daily video conference in Jakarta.

He reiterated the calls for citizens to stay at home, refrain from non-essential travels and strictly observe physical distancing with other people.

"Those measures are the only way to break the cycle of the virus," he said.