Warning! The Ministry Of Health Revealed 10 Provinces Experienced Trend Of Increase In COVID-19 Cases

JAKARTA - Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Vaccination of the Indonesian Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said that there were 10 provinces that saw an increasing trend of positive confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Indonesia.

"We have listed several provinces with signs of an increase in cases and we hope that this will all be handled well, especially towards the end of Christmas and New Year's," said Nadia in a written statement quoted by Antara, Friday, December 24.

Based on the data it has as of December 23, 2021, the 10 provinces that have seen an increasing trend of cases are West Java, Central Java, East Java, DKI Jakarta, Riau Islands, East Nusa Tenggara, Jambi, North Kalimantan, Banten, and South Sulawesi.

Nadia explained that the increase in cases in a number of provinces was caused by increased community mobility due to backflow at the end of the year in Java and Bali or becoming a transit point and tourist destination.

Furthermore, the mobility of the population in Maluku, Nusa Tenggara, and Papua, is also seen to increase beyond the pre-COVID-19 conditions. Likewise with the mobility of the population in Java and Bali. Although still under pre-pandemic conditions, it has seen an increase since early December until now.

"We urge everyone to continue to pay attention to health protocols. High population mobility is a risk factor for an increase in COVID-19 transmission," she said.

Seeing positive cases and high mobility again, Nadia said the government would take a policy in the form of restrictions related to people traveling.

The restrictions are implemented by ensuring that people who travel are those who have received vaccinations for the period from December 24, 2021, to January 2, 2022, as a form of anticipation in the event of a third wave.

Nadia also asked the regional government to continue to work together to monitor their area, especially if there are clusters of COVID-19, reinfection, or cases with a history of vaccination and discipline to apply health protocols.

She also asked the local government to ensure that all people, especially vulnerable groups such as the elderly population (elderly), pregnant women, people with comorbidities, and children get vaccinated to avoid COVID-19.

"Investigations, studies, and case tracking will immediately be carried out to be able to assess whether there is a connection with the new variant or not," she said.