Jakarta. Jakarta Provincial Government has now allowed foreign nationals older than 18 to be vaccinated against Covid-19 in the city's free immunization program in a race to protect Indonesia's capital from the pandemic. 

Starting on June 9, some foreigners are the fourth priority among groups to receive the vaccines, the province said in its official Twitter account on Saturday. 

The foreigners eligible for the vaccine has to hold a residence certificate (SKTT) or a foreigner ID card and meet one of the following criteria:

1. A teacher or lecturer,

2. an educational or supporting staff who work in schools and universities, 

3. aged 60 years or older,

4. or living in a vulnerable area, including urban hamlets with a high potential of coronavirus mutation's spread or neighborhood units (RTs) in orange and red zones.

Jakarta updated its orange and red zones weekly here.  

The province also advised foreigners meeting the criteria but has yet to hold a residence certificate to apply for one. The requirements for the certificate and ID card are listed here.

Jakarta has been the epicenter for Covid-19 spread in Indonesia for most of the pandemic. About four in 100 people in the capital infected by the virus or six times the national average. 

Vaccination progress has been encouraging. More than 2.88 million health workers, service workers, and the elderly have received at least one dose of vaccine in Jakarta by June 7. 

Still, the number of new cases has spiked again in Jakarta, with many hospitals reported spikes in Covid-19 patients in the past week. The capital reported 2.445 new cases on Saturday, the highest daily figure since Feb 22. 

Jakarta's data also showed that only 26 percent of Covid-19 beds were still available as of Sunday, a drastic drop from the 52 percent vacancy rate just a week ago.