Jakarta’s Wisma Atlet makeshift COVID-19 quarantine facility is struggling to admit an ever-increasing number of patients, its spokesman confirmed, as the capital’s caseload continues to rise.
A video reposted by musician/cosmetic surgeon Tompi this morning showed patients sitting on the floor as they wait for available beds at Wisma Atlet, which previously housed athletes for the 2018 Asian Games.
Mendapt sebaran video IGD wisma atlit semalam… sangat mengkhawatirkan. Stay safe semua. PROKES PERKETAT!
Video ini sy gak tau siapa yg rekam, tp semoga bs menjadi pengingat kita semua ya. Bukan untuk menakut2i tp TOLONG PAKE MASKER krn kl ampe sakit dapat ruangannya susah pic.twitter.com/9WWsvT7f0x
— dr tompi spBP (@dr_tompi) June 14, 2021
“Hopefully this will serve as a reminder to us all. This is not for scaremongering but PLEASE WEAR YOUR MASKS because if you get ill it’s hard to get a [hospital bed],” Tompi wrote in the tweet.
Wisma Atlet spokesman M. Arifin confirmed the authenticity of the video.
“Yes, there was such a queue last night, as shown in that video that has gone viral on social media. That’s how things are at the moment,” Arifin said.
According to Arifin, Wisma Atlet’s occupancy rate hovered at around 1,000 between March and May — a period of gradual decline in the city’s COVID-19 caseload. In the three to four weeks since the Eid holiday in mid-May, the number of check-ins have gradually picked up to the point that Wisma Atlet is housing 5,453 patients as of this morning.
“We have increased the number of rooms. Right now Wisma Atlet is approaching a yellow light that will soon turn red, so we have to be prepared,” Arifin said.
Wisma Atlet — often used as a gauge to measure how medical facilities in Jakarta are faring during the pandemic — recently added 2,000 beds, bringing the capacity up to nearly 8,000.
Governor Anies Baswedan said tight restrictions on public activities could soon be reimposed as the capital recorded a 50 percent increase in active cases over the past week, from 11,500 to 17,400.
