Indonesia is finding your way through spike in COVID-19 cases after Idul Fitri: Health minister
18 May, 2021
The Indonesian government is finding your way through a spike in COVID-19 cases after an gross annual exodus of thousands of people with their hometowns for Idul Fitri and tourists sites staying packed with visitors in the last couple of days, said Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin on Monday (May 17).
Speaking by a joint press conference with the coordinating minister pertaining to economic affairs and the head of the disaster agency, Mr Sadikin noted that there is a rise in COVID-19 cases following the previous holidays.
The upsurge in cases following public holidays was between 30 % to 90 %. Thus, the government has prepared extra beds for COVID-19 patients this time around, said medical minister.
“We've anticipated it. Nationwide, there are 70,000 isolation beds available for COVID-19 patients. The full total number which includes been occupied is 20,000. So there continues to be a backup of 50,000 beds.
“The same pertains to ICU beds. Indonesia features 7,500 ICU beds for COVID-19 patients. And by yesterday, 2,500 have been filled. So we nonetheless have an extra capacity of 200 per cent,” said the health minister.
Mr Sadikin said they have also ensured that there are enough stocks of medicines together with health workers.
Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartanto said even though the situation is considered in order, 15 provinces have observed an increase found in active cases such as found in North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Riau. The same applies for Jakarta.
“A number of things we also monitor. During the holidays, we noticed large mobility, especially in agglomeration regions," he said.
“There has been a rise in (people to) tourism destinations …. A week before the holidays and through the four-day holidays, there's been a rise of 38 per cent to 100 per cent, especially in Jakarta, Subang and Pangandaran.”
Mr Hartanto, who is also the head of the COVID-19 mitigation and national economical recovery committee, said that a random test will be imposed on travellers from regions found in Java who wish to enter Jakarta.
Travellers from Sumatra would also have to undergo a mandatory check when crossing to Java, he added.
He said that 1.5 million persons left the capital for the Idul Fitri holiday seasons. Also, a total of 440,000 persons visited Sumatra and 1.2 million travellers visited Java.
“This is what we are going to monitor, hopefully, there won’t be a rise in cases,” said the coordinating minister.
Indonesia's COVID-19 cases peaked in February. Since then, there's been a decline in the amount of new daily cases.
The top of the disaster agency Lieutenant General Doni Monardo said that Jakarta’s COVID-19 makeshift hospital, the 2018 Asian Games Athlete’s Village, happens to be at 16.22 % occupancy, the lowest because it began operations this past year.
That is in stark contrast to some months ago when its bed occupancy rate (BOR) was about 90 %, he said.
Even so, he stressed that persons shouldn't be complacent.
“We will be in a position to feel safe if in mid-June the condition of COVID-19 in Indonesia continues to be in order,” he explained while adding that one of the indicators will be the BOR of the Athlete’s Village.
On Monday, Indonesia recorded 4,295 new COVID-19 cases and 212 deaths. Nowadays there are a lot more than 1.7 million COVID-19 cases and about 48,000 deaths nationwide.
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