Mutual Discipline to Prevent Worst-Case Scenario

The government is anticipating a daily surge in Covid-19 cases by increasing health services capacity and securing oxygen and drug supplies. The surge must be curbed together.

BIRO PERS SEKRETARIAT PRESIDEN

President Joko Widodo together with Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin (left) and Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimuljono visited Pondok Gede Hajj Dormitory, East Jakarta, Monday (5/7/2021) night.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The central government and regional administrations are readying a variety of steps to anticipate the worst-case scenario of over 40,000 new cases per day. Preventing this worst-case scenario requires mutual awareness in limiting community mobility and following the health protocols in a disciplined, collecitve manner.

Amidst the imposition of the emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM Darurat) in Java and Bali on Tuesday (6/7/2021), 31,189 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed. The previous day’s figure recorded 27,949 new cases. The daily tally of new cases numbered below 10,000 from mid-February to mid-June 2021.

According to data from the Covid-19 task force, 20 provinces are seeing a bed occupancy rate of above 50 percent for isolation rooms. The six provinces with the highest bed occupancy rate of above 80 percent are located on Java or Bali. The remaining 14 provinces with bed occupancy rates of between 50 and 80 percent are located outside these two islands.

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Responding to the surge in cases in Jakarta and surrounding areas, the government has prepared the Pondok Gede Haj dormitory in East Jakarta, which can accommodate 900 beds, 50 intensive care units and 40 high care units. This new facility is set to open on Thursday.

The government has also readied 2,273 beds at a new isolation facility, namely the low-cost Nagrak apartment in Cilincing, North Jakarta. In addition, it has readied 3,986 beds at the low-cost Pasar Rumput apartment in South Jakarta.

"We are also adding another 1,200 beds at Wisma Atlet [emergency hospital]," President Joko Widodo said in a press statement on Tuesday.

A number of regional administrations are attempting to increase the capacity of their local health services. The Yogyakarta provincial administration has readied 59 isolation shelters for Covid-19 patients without symptoms or with only mild symptoms. Each shelter has a capacity of 2-72 people.

We are also adding another 1,200 beds at Wisma Atlet.

The Jakarta provincial administration is also trying to increase bed capacity by means such as designating 140 general hospitals as Covid-19 referral hospitals. On his visit to the Kompas Gramedia Covid-19 vaccination center in the capital city, however, Jakarta Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria said the city’s health services also needed additional human resources. He appealed to people with any expertise or education in health to join the efforts to handle the Covid-19 pandemic.

KOMPAS/FRANSISKUS WISNU WARDHANA DANY

Deputy General Leader of Kompas Budiman Tanuredjo with DKI Jakarta Governor Ahmad Riza Patria when reviewing the Kompas Gramedia Covid-19 vaccination center at Bentara Budaya Jakarta, Tuesday (6/7/2021).

Worst-case scenario

Nationally, the government is developing a worst-case scenario to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. "If it [daily caseload] is more than 40,000, 50,000 cases, we will apply this scenario: whoever asks for help, we will come to them," Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan told a virtual press conference.

Comprehensive communication and other measures to seek assistance from abroad had been established with several countries, such as Singapore and China. “If [the daily caseload] is above 40,000, what about the oxygen supply, the drug supply and hospital availability?” he said.

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Regarding oxygen supplies, for example, Luhut said the government was preparing a scenario in the event that the daily caseload reached 60,000-70,000 cases per day. Supplies of oxygen had been mobilized from various sources. Fifty ISO tanks of oxygen had been brought in from Morowali, Central Sulawesi, and distributed in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta. Oxygen was also being transported from Cilegon, Banten and Batam, while industrial oxygen was being converted into medical oxygen.

For those in self-isolation, the government is collaborating with 11 telemedicine companies to provide free consultations and medicine delivery services to patients in Jakarta who test positive for Covid-19.

Covid-19 task force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito said the government assured there would be sufficient supply of medicines for hospitalized and self-isolating patients. People need not worry.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Guarding Indonesian Army soldiers in the implementation of restrictions on community activities or emergency PPKM in the Lampiri area, Bekasi and Jakarta border on Jalan Raya Kalimalang, East Jakarta, Tuesday (6/7/2021).

He pointed out, however, that five provinces seeing the highest increase in cases had not imposed the PPKM Darurat, namely East Kalimantan, East Nusa Tenggara, West Sumatra, Riau and South Sulawesi. "The regional administrations, especially in those provinces, even though they have not implemented the PPKM Darurat, are obliged to improve their Covid-19 handling," he said.

Mutual discipline

The Home Ministry said that, based on a preliminary evaluation, the PPKM Darurat was running smoothly. But the ministry’s regional administration director general, Safrizal, said that what needed improving at the present time was public compliance.

Haryanto, the regent of Pati ub Central Java, said that public order officers at times involved in conflicts with those people who continued to conduct public activities. In addition, there were still food stalls that were providing dine-in services to customers.

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West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil also acknowledged that he was dissatisfied with the continuing movement among the public. “The target of reduced community mobility in West Java is 30 percent. Currently, it is still 17 percent," he said.

Ridwan acknowledged that confusion existed among the public regarding the categories of critical, essential and nonessential sectors under the PPKM Darurat policy. As a result, some employees were still working at the office even though they should be working from home. He

promised to take action against recalcitrant companies. (INA/NIA/PDS/COK/HRS/DAN/ ETA/NIK/RAM/TAM/GIO/TAN)

This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswoko.