A nun has become the first member of a Catholic religious order to die from Covid-19 in Indonesia, which now has the highest death rate caused by the coronavirus in Southeast Asia.

Sister Maria Roseline, 69, of the Daughters of the Reinha Rosary died in a Catholic hospital in Samarinda, East Kalimantan province, on April 5.

Sister Maria Ivon, from the same order, told UCA News that the nun was buried almost immediately by the hospital according to Covid-19 protocols.

"Our sisters could only participate in her funeral via video link because we were not allowed to go to the hospital," she said.
The nun was thought to have contracted the virus on March 20 when she attended a provincial chapter assembly in Jakarta with 33 other nuns from Java, Sumatra and Kalimantan.