KONTAN.CO.ID - MANILA. The Philippines on Tuesday reported 2,987 new coronavirus infections, taking its tally of confirmed cases to 139,538, the highest in Southeast Asia.

A health ministry bulletin also reported 19 more fatalities, bringing the country's death toll to 2,312.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said an intensified contact tracing to isolate positive cases was necessary to slow community transmission, as he dismissed the possibility of extending a two-week strict lockdown due to end on Aug. 18 in and around the capital Manila.

Indonesia reported 1,693 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, bringing the country's total tally of infections to 128,776, data from the country's health ministry website showed.

The data also showed an additional 59 deaths, taking the total number of fatalities to 5,824, the highest COVID-19 death toll in Southeast Asia. 

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Other Southeast Asia country, Singapore on Tuesday reported 61 new COVID-19 cases, its lowest daily count in more than four months.

The city-state went into a lockdown in mid-April after mass outbreaks in cramped migrant worker dormitories pushed its caseload to one of the highest in Asia.

Last week, it said it had cleared infections from all of the dormitories - housing around 300,000 workers - barring some blocks which continue to serve as isolation zones.

Of Tuesday's cases - its lowest tally since April 2 - the majority were among those remaining workers serving quarantine.

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Editor: Wahyu T.Rahmawati