Time and time again we’ve been reminded not to take the COVID-19 pandemic lightly (remember this?), yet the Indonesian government seems to be optimistic that the worst shall soon pass in the country’s worst affected province.
Speaking to the press following a meeting with President Joko Widodo today, the government’s COVID-19 task force chief Doni Monardo said that the COVID-19 case growth in Jakarta may have passed its peak.
“In Jakarta, the latest development is that the number of [new] positive cases is slowing down significantly,” Doni said, as quoted by Kompas, adding that the case growth in the capital may soon flatten.
As of April 26, the COVID-19 caseload in the capital stands at 3,832, which accounts for almost half of the 8,882 confirmed cases nationwide. The number of daily new cases in Jakarta peaked on April 16 with 223, while the number of new cases in the following days are indeed showing a downward trend.
Doni added that tests are going to be carried out on a massive scale across Indonesia starting this month and strict isolation protocols will be enforced so we can all return to our normal lives sooner than many of us dare to hope.
“The president asked that we all work even harder and that the public are more compliant and disciplined so that we can decrease the COVID-19 caseload in Indonesia by June. By July, it is hoped that we can resume our normal lives,” he said, as quoted by Detik.
Well, we hope the government’s optimism is warranted lest we get a waves of new outbreaks if we relax too soon.
Reader Interactions