New Daily Case Record

The government has studied various options for mitigating COVID-19. It has concluded that the implementation of micro-scale community activity restrictions are still the most effective means of managing the virus.

KOMPAS/MACHRADIN WAHYUDI RITONGA

Hundreds of residents wait in front of the Sudirman Grand Ball Room gate in Bandung City, West Java, Thursday (10/6/2021). They received information regarding the implementation of the Covid-19 vaccination in the building.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — COVID-19 cases continued their climb on Thursday with 20,574 new cases reported in one day. This is the highest number of daily cases since the country first reported COVID-19 infections in early March 2020.

The COVID-19 mitigation task force reported on Thursday that an addition of 335 deaths had been recorded. The number of active cases increased by 11,018 to make for a total of 171,542 patients in treatment.

According to the coordinator of the expert team who is also the spokesperson for the COVID-19 task force, Wiku Adisasmito, the government has studied various options for mitigating COVID-19. It has concluded that the implementation of micro-scale community activity restrictions (PPKM Mikro) are still the most effective means of managing the virus.

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> Health Services Enhanced

> Regional COVID-19 Budget Spending Minimal

PPKM Mikro can be carried out on the smallest level and run without suspending the economy. He added that the coordination and division of roles in the implementation of PPKM Mikro needed to be carried out correctly and effectively. Village heads, as the controllers of the COVID-19 mitigation posts, must coordinate with the community unit (RW) heads to record cases at the neighborhood unit (RT) level. The monitoring of health protocol compliance is to be strengthened through the use of village supervisory noncommissioned officers (babinsa) and village-level security and public order officers (bhabinkamtibmas).

In an interview with Kompas, Vice President Ma\'ruf Amin said a tightened PPKM Mikro policy was the best step. According to the Vice President, the last spike occurred as a result of the Idul Fitri holiday. Now the tightening of mobility is unavoidable. "This experience [ of an increase in cases] can also be [overcome]. Of course now it is possible, but there needs to be community discipline," he said.

A member of the expert council of the Indonesian Association of Public Health Experts (Iakmi), Hermawan Saputra, when contacted in Jakarta on Thursday, said that if the government did not issue strict policies such as quarantine, the health care system would collapse. Quarantine would be required for at least three weeks.

The economic loss could be even greater, he added, if there was no strict regional quarantine, especially on the island of Java. "The condition could be even more severe because soon there will be Idul Adha [Day of Sacrifice]," he said.

Kompas/Bahana Patria Gupta

Hundreds of residents queue to be vaccinated in the middle of heavy rain during the Vaccination Raid activity at Prapat Kurung Perak Field, Surabaya City, East Java, Thursday (24/6/2021).

Special hospitals

The surge of COVID-19 cases has made the bed occupancy rate at hospitals increase, especially in Jakarta and its surroundings. The Health Ministry has appointed three hospitals in Jakarta as special COVID-19 referral centers.

The three hospitals are the Prof. Dr. Sulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital, the Persahabatan General Hospital and the Fatmawati General Hospital. The three hospitals will start treating COVID-19 patients at the end of June.

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> Restrictions on Public Activities Tightened

> Fully Occupied Hospitals are Real

The director of prevention and control of directly infectious diseases at the Health Ministry, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said in Jakarta on Thursday that the national COVID-19 bed occupancy rate was 68 percent. However, the bed occupancy rate in a number of areas is already more than 80 percent, including in Yogyakarta (85 percent), Central Java (85 percent), Banten (87 percent), West Java (88 percent) and Jakarta (90 percent).

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said the Health Ministry had prepared 4,000 additional beds for isolation services at Wisma Nagrag, Jakarta. Indonesian Military (TNI) health workers have begun to help there. Some 10,000 pieces of protective health gear have been delivered and stored.

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

Funeral for Covid-19 bodies at Rorotan TPU, North Jakarta, Wednesday (23/6/2021). The spread of Covid-19 in a number of regions in Indonesia has experienced an increase in cases.

Official travel prohibited

The spread of COVID-19 in Central Java has infected a number of provincial government officials. Therefore, Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo forbade official travel and in-person meetings for regionial governmental organizations under the provincial government.

In East Java, the head of the Sidoarjo Health Office, Syaf Satriawarman, said the occupancy rate at COVID-19 referral hospitals was back to 93 percent. A day earlier, eight COVID-19 referral hospitals were added, bringing the total to 19 hospitals.

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> Contagion Worsens, Strengthen Health Services

> Hospitals Overwhelmed, Deaths Rise

Hong Kong, starting on Friday, has banned flights arriving from Indonesia. Passengers who have transited in Indonesia for more than two hours are also prohibited from entering Hong Kong territory. The ban has also been imposed on citizens and flights from India, Nepal, Pakistan and the Philippines, considering the increases in cases in these countries.

According to Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah, Indonesia has ensured that migrant workers get the government\'s attention amid the closing of the arrival gates for flights from Indonesia to Hong Kong. (DIT/BRO/ETA/NIK/AIK/TAN/ INA/ WKM/ CAS/ HAR/ BEN)

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.