Jakarta to come back to large-scale social restrictions as COVID-19 cases continue to rise: City governor
10 September, 2020
Jakarta’s Governor Anies Baswedan said on Wednesday (Sep 9) that the location will go back to large-scale social restrictions, amid a continuing increase in the number of daily infections.
Within an address, Mr Baswedan said he decided to pull the "emergency brake" as Jakarta continued to grapple with a growing COVID-19 fatality rate, and also limited isolation wards and intensive care unit (ICU) rooms for coronavirus patients.
The COVID-19-linked mortality rate in Jakarta has increased since mid-August, the governor revealed.
Jakarta currently has 4,053 isolation beds, 77 % which are occupied. If the emergency brake is not pulled, the rest of the beds could possibly be fully occupied by Sep 17, said Mr Baswedan.
Similarly, the governor said he fears that the 528 ICU beds will all be utilized up by Sep 15 if measures aren't taken.
“Predicated on the three data, the mortality rate, the application of isolation beds and the use of the special COVID-19 ICU (beds) it demonstrates the outbreak situation in Jakarta is in an emergency situation. The President two days ago explained firmly to all of us not to restart the economy before health situation is under control.
“He clearly puts health as the top priority. So looking as of this emergency, there aren't many choices for Jakarta apart from to pull the emergency brake immediately," Mr Baswedan said in the streamed address.
Jakarta will return to a partial lockdown, said Mr Baswedan, which requires that residents work, study and conduct activities of worship from your home.
Non-essential businesses will have to operate from your home starting Monday (Sep 14). Only selected essential services may continue to operate on-site. More details will be revealed soon, said Mr Baswedan.
Entertainment venues and parks may also be closed but restaurants and cafes can continue steadily to operate provided they only serve takeaways.
"Nevertheless, I urge (everyone) to conduct from home," the governor stated.
“It is now a crisis, more urgent than at the first stages of the pandemic."
He reiterated that Jakartans should not leave the capital if it's not necessary.
Jakarta announced its first COVID-19 cases in early March and started out implementing a partial lockdown on Apr 10. In June, metropolis entered a phase observing large-scale social restrictions and only reopened businesses slowly after COVID-19 cases started to drop.
But in the last few days, the Indonesian capital has observed more than 1,000 new infections daily and as of Wednesday has recorded a complete of 49,397 COVID-19 cases, rendering it the epicentre of the pandemic in the archipelago.
Indonesia currently has a total of 203,342 COVID-19 cases and 8,336 related deaths.
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