Luhut Prepares Scenarios To Anticipate Spike In COVID-19 Cases Reaching 40 Thousand Cases Per Day

Illustration (Pixabay)

JAKARTA - The Coordinator for the Implementation of Emergency Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM) Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said he had prepared a scenario to deal with the surge in COVID-19 cases. He predicts positive cases will continue to increase in the next few days.

This prediction arose because he saw the addition of COVID-19 cases as of June 5, 2021, again breaking a record of 29,745 cases. So, it is not impossible that the addition of new cases could reach 40 thousand.

"This number will continue to rise like yesterday's 29 thousand. We may reach 40 thousand (COVID-19 cases per day, ed) or more. Therefore, we have carried out scenarios to deal with that," said Luhut in an online press conference broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube, Tuesday, July 6.

To facilitate health services, Luhut said, the government had prepared Pondok Gede Hajj Dormitory, Jakarta to accommodate COVID-19 patients. The plan is that this dormitory will operate on Thursday, July 8 and can accommodate 800 patients.

"The Minister of Health has prepared, for example, the Hajj Dormitory in Pondok Gede, yesterday the President also reviewed it, in the next two days on Thursday. It can accommodate more than 800 patients," he said.

Meanwhile, for medical oxygen supplies, the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment has made a plan if the daily increase in COVID-19 cases reaches 50 thousand or even 70 thousand cases.

"Our oxygen calculation for the team's scenario is up to 50 thousand, the worst is 60-70 thousand cases. But we don't expect that to happen," he said.

Furthermore, Luhut has also ordered the TNI and Polri to tighten the insulation on a number of roads. This aims to reduce the number of community mobility during the Emergency PPKM which will last until 20 July.

In fact, this mobility monitoring will be assisted by NASA night light monitoring and Google Maps. "That way we will see whether the Emergency PPKM is carried out properly or not," he said.

Later, the Indonesian government will also contact friendly countries such as China and Singapore to anticipate an increase in COVID-19 cases of up to 40 thousand per day.

"If someone said that they needed outside help, we have also communicated with Singapore, China and communicated with other sources. So actually we have done it comprehensively," he concluded.