West Java Extends Social Restrictions in Cities near Jakarta
Jakarta. The West Java provincial government decided on Saturday to extend the large-scale social restrictions, or PSBB, in five districts and municipalities that share borders with Jakarta until August 16.
It follows earlier decision by the capital city -- where coronavirus is still raging on -- to extend its so-called transition period into reopening to August 13.
The West Java Covid-19 Task Force said the extension was partly due to continued growth of new cases in the five districts and cities.
Bekasi City was the hardest hit area in West Java with 560 active cases, followed by Depok City (449), Bogor District (291), Bekasi District (121) and Bogor City (60).
The five are located on the eastern and southern borders of Jakarta and home to millions of workers commuting to the capital every weekday.
Another reason is that Jakarta is still regarded as a high-risk zone that travels to and from the capital should be restricted.
Epidemiologists have suggested that Jakarta is still the epicenter of the Indonesian outbreak that residents in neighboring areas should remain vigilant, West Java Covid-19 Task Force Secretary Daud Achmad was quoted by Kompas news website as saying.
Coronavirus cases in Jakarta have been growing at the fastest speed since early July and the capital is now closing in on East Java as the province with the most cases.
Jakarta has been averaging 323 cases per day since July 1.
“All residents must obey all requirements and regulations of the PSBB and implement the health protocols,” Achmad said.
West Java, the country’s most populous province with around 40 million people, has recorded a relatively low number of Covid-19 cases.
It reported a total of 6,584 confirmed cases of the virus on Saturday, 52 more from a day earlier, to rank fifth among provinces with the highest number of cases. Daily cases in the province have rarely hit a three-digit figure.
West Java’s death toll in the outbreak stood at 210.