Jokowi Requests Filling COVID-19 Beds Must Be Under 50 Percent

President Jokowi in a virtual briefing of regional heads throughout Indonesia (Youtube Secretariat of the President)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo asked all local governments to keep the isolation beds and the ICU for COVID-19 patients under 50 percent of capacity.

"The bed occupation ratio or the ratio of hospital beds, our target now must be below 50 percent," said Jokowi while briefing regional heads throughout Indonesia, broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat Youtube, Tuesday, May 18.

Jokowi said that the national bed occupation ratio (BOR) was in good condition, at 29 percent at this time. This figure is down from 80 percent from a few months ago.

However, Jokowi admitted that there are still a number of provinces whose BOR is above 50 percent. Jokowi warned this province not to experience increased use of COVID-19 bedding.

"Please all governors, regents, mayors to know these figures. Three provinces be careful. North Sumatra has a BOR of 56 percent, Riau Islands has a BOR of 53 percent, Riau has 52 percent. means that you have to be careful. Super careful, "he said.

Jokowi said that currently the occupancy of the isolation bed at the Kemayoran Athlete's Wisma Emergency Hospital is lower, which is only 15.5 percent.

"Once in September 2020 it was above 90 percent, I remember very well and I am really afraid. Already above 90 percent means that in the next 2 weeks you cannot fully decline, and you can collapse the hospital if it is above that number," he said.

Jokowi also touched on the increase in COVID-19 cases in 15 provinces. The 15 provinces are Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Riau, Jambi, Bangka Belitung, DKI Jakarta.

Then Maluku, Banten, NTB, North Maluku, Central Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi, South Sulawesi and Gorontalo. Here Jokowi mentioned the provinces one by one by adding the word “caution”.

"This is the development of weekly cases on the island of Sumatra, be careful, you can see, it is down but still in a high position. North Sumatra is the same, has not gone up yet, West Sumatra is also high but there has been a decline. But still everyone has to be careful, which has dropped drastically in Bengkulu, "said Jokowi.

"Be careful," said Jokowi emphasizing his message to regional heads to anticipate a spike in COVID-19.