The trend of COVID-19 cases increasing in Jakarta is starting to pass its peak, with the end of the third wave in sight, according to the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.
However, said Pandjaitan, additional cases were still occurring in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, East Java, and West Java. Meanwhile, in the near future, provinces such as Banten will also follow the capital city to reach the peak of cases.
“Positive news, the trend of cases in Jakarta shows that data is starting to pass its peak. Daily cases, active cases, and hospitalisations are starting to fall,”
said Pandjaitan at a press conference regarding the results of the PPKM Limited Meeting on Monday 14th February.
Seeing the trend of positive cases of COVID-19, Pandjaitan then gave the green light for a number of community groups, or “special” residents, to continue activities in public facilities for some groups, without worries in the midst of the pandemic.
He then stated that the “special” requirement for residents to carry out activities in public places was for those who do not have a history of comorbidities and have already received additional protection (booster) through the COVID-19 vaccination.
The coordinator for the implementation of PPKM in Java and Bali also warned the public to maintain the 5M health protocol, including wearing masks, washing hands, maintaining distance, avoiding crowds, and limiting mobility.
He also said that the government would not withdraw the emergency brake to deal with this spike in Omicron cases. Although Omicron cases have a higher potential than Delta, the characteristics of Omicron do not cause troubling symptoms usually, so it is hoped that there will not be many deaths.
“So we haven’t seen any further restrictions, instead we are loosening but with strict monitoring,” Pandjaitan concluded.