Nearly 300 suspected and confirmed COVID-19 victims have been buried in Jakarta since the beginning of March, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said on Monday.
In a press conference at City Hall, Anies said that between March 6 and March 29, 283 people in Jakarta had been buried following COVID-19 protocols, with their bodies wrapped in plastic, put inside coffins and interred in less than four hours after they died.
“Maybe some of them have not been tested, so it cannot be said that they were [COVID-19] positive. Or maybe some had been tested but the results have not come back,” he said. “This shows that the situation in Jakarta is very concerning. That is why I am asking the public to see the numbers not as only as statistics. They were our fellow residents and were healthy just a month ago.”
Jakarta COVID-19 Task Force head Catur Laswanto said that according to official records, there had been 720 confirmed cases in the capital with 76 deaths, as of Monday.
Anies urged the public show more discipline in following physical distancing measures to help prevent further deaths.
“Stay at home, be disciplined about maintaining your distance, Protect yourself, protect your family, protect your neighbors, protect everyone,” he said. “Don’t force the Parks and Cemeteries Agency to record even more deaths. Let’s all be responsible.”
Anies has also written a letter to the central government, proposing a city-wide quarantine in line with the 2018 Health Quarantine Law.
The government has yet to announce a quarantine to support regional administrations’ handling of the outbreak. Instead, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said after a meeting on Monday that the government would pursue a policy of “large-scale social restrictions” and stricter physical distancing measures.
As of Monday, Indonesia had recorded 1,414 confirmed cases and 122 deaths. (dfr)
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Penulis/Editor : The Jakarta Post
Foto Cover : Medical workers inspect equipment in the emergency room of a temporary COVID-19 hospital at Wisma Atlet Kemayoran in Central Jakarta on March 23. (Antara/Pool/Hafidz Mubarak A)
