Jakarta. Indonesian Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has been allowed to go home after spending weeks at the Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital in Jakarta being treated for Covid-19, his spokesperson said on Wednesday. 

Doctors have advised the minister to self-isolate at home for a fortnight before returning to public duties, Adita Irawati said.

"The minister is healthy but he will spend 14 days in self-imposed isolation following his doctor's instructions," she said.

Budi, 63, tested positive for Covid-19 on March 14 and has since been treated at the hospital. His conditions were quite serious that doctors put him on a ventilator.

Before he was diagnosed, Budi was seen at a West Java airport welcoming Indonesian crew members of the coronavirus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship that was stranded in Japan.

During Budi's stay in hospital, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan had doubled as Transportation Minister.

Budi is the highest-ranking state official to have contracted the coronavirus.

Three regional leaders have tested positive for coronavirus recently in West Java, the second most-affected province after Jakarta. They are Bogor Mayor Bima Arya, Karawang District Head Cellica Nurrachadiana and Bandung Deputy Mayor Yana Mulyana.