COVID-19 Rises in Indonesia with G20 Summit Only Days Away

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - The Implementation of Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM) throughout Indonesia is still on level 1 amid the increase of COVID-19 cases in the range of 3,000 - 6,000 per day. Moreover, there are concerns about the spread of the Omicron sub-variants namely XBB, BA.2.75, and BQ.1.

COVID-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update Edition 117 shows that Indonesia has the biggest share of cases in Southeast Asia on October 31 - November 6 with the total of 30,670 new cases.

The cases are rising with G20 Summit in Bali only a few days away. However, the government keeps the PPKM on its lowest level.

Head of the Emergency Health Support of the COVID-19 Task Force Alexander K. Ginting highlighted the low vaccination rate for the third dose of COVID-19 vaccination (booster) as well as the decreasing compliance toward the "3M" health protocols of wearing masks, washing hands, and maintaining distance.

The PPKM is extended from November 8 to November 21, 2022. Meanwhile, PPKM outside Java and Bali will be set from November 8 to December 5, 2022.

Prior to the extension of the PPKM, the development of the public's booster vaccination rate is still slow at 27.93 percent, according to COVID-19 vaccination data from the Ministry of Health as of November 9, 2022, at 11.40 WIB. The coverage of the vaccination is also uneven among regions.

"What is certain is that we are still at level 1 on PPKM Java-Bali. Meanwhile outside Java-Bali there is a slow third vaccination rate, which is 27 percent, that is not evenly distributed in all provinces," Alex said when was contacted by Liputan6.com through the message on Wednesday (9/11/2022).

The level 1 community activity restriction, which is still considered a controlled situation, is not accompanied by public compliance toward the 3M health protocol. People already feel safe which caused health protocols to be no longer optimally implemented.

"Similarly, the 3M health protocol is no longer optimal because people feel safer. In fact, there is a new (Corona) variant that is more contagious," Alex explained.

Alexander K. Ginting previously emphasized that Indonesia was still in the status of a COVID-19 pandemic which means the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 continues to occur.

"What is certain is that in Indonesia the situation is still a pandemic, even though people are tired of the (Corona) virus, the fact the transmission still continues, transmission is still happening, so the pandemic status is also still being applied," he said during a talk show on Thursday (8/9/2022).

The World Health Organization (WHO) also has not lifted the pandemi csituation, while in various countries there are still case transmissions as well, he said.

Health protocols are still relevant to current conditions and must still be carried out because the transmissions still occur.

"So what the Government conveys to the public now is that we still have to be vigilant, we must not ignore (the danger), and health protocols must still be implemented, considering that the fluctuations are still up and down," continued Alex.

The COVID-19 vaccination must be intensified so that people's immunity could be stronger. However, currently, the number of third doses of vaccination or booster vaccines were still far from the target.

In the past week, the public are increasingly seen not wearing masks in various places, in some of the categories, there were less than 60% who wore masks, including tourist area (37.7%), neighborhood (30.5%), and public sports area (22.6%).

Alexander K. Ginting also reaffirmed that the increase in COVID-19 cases is triggered by changes in the SARS-CoV-2 virus variant that causes COVID-19. It was also accompanied by easing obedience of the public toward health protocols.

Moreover, the main cause of the increase in COVID-19 cases was the emergence of new variants of COVID-19.

The affirmation above also answered the viral news related to the increase in COVID-19 cases among people who have been vaccinated. In September 2022, the information was spread on Twitter about the increasing number of COVID-19 cases spread by people who were already vaccinated.

Writer: Adelina Wahyu Martanti

Fitri Haryanti Harsono contributed to this report