COVID-19 Case Record Reaches 54.517 Due To Delta Variant, Luhut: All Relatively Rise, But Still Under Control

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan. (Photo: Doc. Kemenko Marves)

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment (Menko Marves) Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan has raised his voice over the addition of daily COVID-19 cases in Indonesia, which recorded a record 54.517 cases on Wednesday, July 14. Luhut admitted, there was an increase in COVID-19 cases during the Implementation of Emergency Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM).

"There has been an increase during PPKM by 44.51 percent. So yesterday's 54 thousand I think this is the highest number", he said in a virtual press conference, Thursday, July 15.

Furthermore, Luhut said the increase in cases did not only occur in restrictions on activities through Emergency PPKM but also during Large-scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) volumes I and II, district/city PPKM, and Micro PPKM.

"Everything is relatively up, but still under control", he said.

The coordinator of the Java-Bali Emergency PPKM said the spike in COVID-19 cases in the country was due to the delta variant. As is known, this variant spreads faster than the alpha variant.

"This increase in COVID-19 cases is dominated by the delta variant. So almost everything in Java, if I may not say, yes, everything is controlled by the delta variant. According to what I read, this delta variant is more or almost 6 times faster than the alpha variant, or the PSBB I and II", he explained.

"So we face different enemies. So of course we face it with the available resources, even though it's not easy", he continued.

Furthermore, Luhut said the increase in COVID-19 cases due to the delta variant was not only experienced by Indonesia. However, said Luhut, several other countries have experienced the same thing, such as Britain.

"Don't just look at Indonesia, it's the UK, the Netherlands, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands (Mark Rutte) yesterday apologized because he agreed to take off the mask a while ago. Malaysia is still there and all of them are deltas. Thailand and so on. America itself is now also experiencing a tremendous increase", he said.