<p>An Indonesian minister is under fire after he compared coronavirus to rebellious wives, in remarks aimed at soothing public fears about easing COVID-19 restrictions across the Southeast Asian archipelago.</p>.<p>Women's groups and social media users slammed the apparent joke by security minister Mohammad Mahfud MD, who made the comments during an online address to a local university earlier this week.</p>.<p>"Are we going to be holed up forever? We can adjust to the situation while still paying attention to our health," the minister said on Tuesday.</p>.<p>"The other day I got a meme from my colleague... that says: Corona is like your wife. Initially you tried to control it, then you realise that you can't. Then you learn to live with it."</p>.<p>Critics panned the remarks as sexist and said it underscored Jakarta's weak response to the virus outbreak.</p>.<p>"This statement not only reflects the superficial power of the government to solve the Covid-19 pandemic problem, but also shows the sexist and misogynistic mindset of public officials," Women's Solidarity group chief executive Dinda Nisa Yura said in a statement.</p>.<p>Mahfud's office did not respond to a request for comment Friday.</p>.<p>Indonesia is deploying some 340,000 troops to clamp down on rampant social distancing violations as coronavirus infections surge in the world's fourth-most populous country.</p>.<p>The move comes as the government eyes a reopening of shuttered businesses next week, fearing a collapse in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.</p>.<p>Indonesia has confirmed around 24,000 cases of COVID-19 and 1,496 deaths, but the country of more than 260 million has some of the lowest testing rates in the world.</p>.<p>Researchers estimate the true number of virus fatalities is several times the official toll.</p>
<p>An Indonesian minister is under fire after he compared coronavirus to rebellious wives, in remarks aimed at soothing public fears about easing COVID-19 restrictions across the Southeast Asian archipelago.</p>.<p>Women's groups and social media users slammed the apparent joke by security minister Mohammad Mahfud MD, who made the comments during an online address to a local university earlier this week.</p>.<p>"Are we going to be holed up forever? We can adjust to the situation while still paying attention to our health," the minister said on Tuesday.</p>.<p>"The other day I got a meme from my colleague... that says: Corona is like your wife. Initially you tried to control it, then you realise that you can't. Then you learn to live with it."</p>.<p>Critics panned the remarks as sexist and said it underscored Jakarta's weak response to the virus outbreak.</p>.<p>"This statement not only reflects the superficial power of the government to solve the Covid-19 pandemic problem, but also shows the sexist and misogynistic mindset of public officials," Women's Solidarity group chief executive Dinda Nisa Yura said in a statement.</p>.<p>Mahfud's office did not respond to a request for comment Friday.</p>.<p>Indonesia is deploying some 340,000 troops to clamp down on rampant social distancing violations as coronavirus infections surge in the world's fourth-most populous country.</p>.<p>The move comes as the government eyes a reopening of shuttered businesses next week, fearing a collapse in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.</p>.<p>Indonesia has confirmed around 24,000 cases of COVID-19 and 1,496 deaths, but the country of more than 260 million has some of the lowest testing rates in the world.</p>.<p>Researchers estimate the true number of virus fatalities is several times the official toll.</p>