Stays Vigilant Despite Declining COVID-19 Cases. Minister Says

A press conference after a meeting on Activity Restrictions (PPKM) evaluation, Monday (09/27). Source: YouTube Channel of Presidential Secretariat.

The Government has announced it will stay vigilant and will not relax measures to control COVID-19 pandemic despite several improvements in the pandemic indicators.

“The indicators should give us no room for complacency. In fact, we must be more careful,” Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said, Monday (09/27).

According to Luhut, the number of confirmed cases at the national level dropped 96.9 percent compared to that of July 15.

The total national active cases, he added, also continued to decline.

The national active cases on September 26 were 42,769, lower than 43,059 cases on September 2, 2020. The number of the national active cases also dropped 92.6 percent from that of July 24.

Luhut went on to say that the effective reproduction rate (Rt) also continues to decline. In some areas, it is already below one (<1), meaning that the rate of transmission of COVID-19 has been under control.

“[The effective reproduction rate] is 0.95 in Java, 0.98 in Sumatra, 1.01 in Bali, 1.02 in Papua and Maluku, 1.01 in Nusa Tenggara, 1 in Sulawesi and 0.98 in Kalimantan,” Luhut said, adding that there has been an increase in people mobility, especially in the islands of Java and Bali.

The increased people mobility, according to Luhut, occurred in retail and tourism business as well as at workplaces.

Luhut further said that the increased mobility must be addressed properly to prevent COVID-19 transmission.  (TGH/UN) (RI/EP)