Like a broken record, the Jakarta Provincial Government is urging people to stay at home amid a devastating surge in COVID-19 cases, which saw the capital exceed 100,000 active cases as of yesterday.
On July 7, Jakarta added 5,478 active cases to its tally, taking the number to 100,062 and reaching six digits for the first time since the pandemic began. Cumulatively, Jakarta has recorded 610,303 cases, which illustrates the gravity of the ongoing outbreak the capital is experiencing.
Despite having been regularly told to limit going outside throughout the pandemic, Jakarta Vice Governor Ahmad Riza “Ariza” Patria once again urged Jakartans to stay at home as much as possible while the government scrambles to handle the overwhelming stress on the city’s healthcare system.
“We are constantly trying to increase the number of hospitals, beds, ICUs, health workers, oxygen, ambulances, coffins, burials — all of it. We’ll do it as best as possible, as fast as possible, as much as possible,” Ariza said.
Previously, the Jakarta Provincial Government drafted plans for an official response should the city’s active cases count exceed 100,000. These include all of the points Ariza mentioned, though the administration has yet to provide exact numbers that outline the extent to which they plan to increase treatment capacity in the capital.
On July 6, a day before Jakarta’s active cases topped 100,000, the Health Agency reported that 94 percent of ICU units in Jakarta were occupied while 93 percent of isolation units had been filled. The agency says it has approached several major venues, including JIExpo in Kemayoran, which should be able to house 20,000 patients, to become makeshift isolation venues.
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