Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Covid-19 Hits Eight Cities, Cases Surge to 96 with Five Deaths

The Jakarta Globe
March 14, 2020 | 10:15 pm
SHARE
Two nurses clean up their medical equipment after examining a Covid-19 patient at Dumai Hospital in Riau on Friday. The patient has recovered after being treated for three days. (Antara Photo / Aswaddy Hamid)
Two nurses clean up their medical equipment after examining a Covid-19 patient at Dumai Hospital in Riau on Friday. The patient has recovered after being treated for three days. (Antara Photo / Aswaddy Hamid)

Jakarta. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Indonesia surged to 96 from 69 a day earlier with five fatalities, the government announced on Saturday.

“The number of cases increased by 27 after we intensified contact tracing,” Achmad Yurianto, a spokesman for the government’s handling of coronavirus outbreak, told a press conference in Jakarta.

Among the fatalities is a female medical staff who has treated a Covid-19 patient, Achmad said, but he declined to elaborate.

The recovery rate remains below 10 percent, with eight patients being discharged from hospitals.

Advertisement

"They said they no longer had the illness and two more tests showed they were free from the virus," he said.

Achmad said Covid-19, the official name of the disease, has spread to eight cities including Jakarta, Bandung in West Java, Tangerang in Banten, Solo in Central Java, Bali, Manado in North Sulawesi, Yogyakarta and Pontianak in West Kalimantan.

He said the government has intensified measures to identify and trace infected persons and other people who have contacts with them to follow a directive from the World Health Organization.

"We are intensifying contact tracing because this is a crucial factor that changes our approach after the WHO declared Covid-19 as a pandemic," he said.

He said efforts to identify and trace contacts depend largely on information from the community.

WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has sent a letter to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to recommend that the Indonesian government scales up emergency response mechanisms by declaring a "national emergency".

The WHO also asked the government to provide "detailed information about the approach surveillance and testing, contact identification and contact testing for Covid-19".  

No Lockdown

The president said on Friday he has yet to consider putting affected cities in lockdown, as the government is preparing a large facility to handle Covid-19 patients on Galang Island near Batam, Riau Islands province.

"The large-scale observation facility will be completed next week. I will inspect myself," Jokowi said.

Indonesia also designated Natuna Island on the northern maritime border and Sebaru Island near Jakarta as observation and quarantine facilities for Covid-19 patients.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan announced on Saturday all schools in the capital city are put in a two-week vacation starting on Monday to contain the spread of coronavirus.

"The national exam that begins on Monday is delayed until further notice," Anies said. The decision affects around 124,000 high school students in Jakarta who are slated to take the exam.

Tags: Keywords:
SHARE

POPULAR READS


News 6 hours ago

Prabowo in 'Final Phase' of Selecting Running Mate

Among the three possible candidates for the presidential race, Anies Baswedan was the first to unveil his running mate.
Lifestyle 6 hours ago

Female Officers Prohibited from Dyeing Hair Under New Police Directive

The directive also specifies that female officers are not allowed to adopt a crew-cut hairstyle like their male counterparts.
Business 8 hours ago

Agung Podomoro Sells Neo Soho Mall for Rp 1.4 Trillion

Agung Podomoro claimed the transaction would have no impact on the company's operations and business continuity.
Business 9 hours ago

CPO Producers Indonesia and Malaysia in Talks with India Amid EU Market Restrictions

Indonesia and Malaysia aimed to convey the message that they have long adhered to global standards for sustainable palm oil.
News 10 hours ago

Co-Defendant in Major Graft Trial Implicates Sports Minister Dito

The defendant, businessman Irwan Hermawan, informed the court that he had transferred Rp 27 billion to Dito through a messenger.
COPYRIGHT © 2023 JAKARTA GLOBE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED