Coordination with the president was deemed necessary as a follow-up to Governor Kamil's coordination meeting on Tuesday evening with five heads of regional governments whose areas are on Jakarta's outskirts, Rachim told journalists here, Wednesday.
The imposition of the central government's large-scale social restrictions and distancing measures aims to break the chain of COVID-19 transmission in the Indonesian capital city that has recorded at least 144 deaths.
Rachim affirmed that the coordination meeting held through videoconferencing resulted in a common consensus reached on seriously handling the COVID-19 crisis and that Governor Ridwan Kamil will coordinate with President Jokowi over a proposed imposition.
The health minister declared the large-scale social restriction status in Jakarta on Tuesday, though it will be officially imposed in the capital city since Friday.
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan had proposed large-scale social distancing to the health minister in a letter, dated April 1, 2020.
A similar suggestion for large-scale social distancing in the capital was also submitted by the executive chief of the COVID-19 Response Task Force in a letter, dated April 5, 2020.
The coronavirus disease initially struck the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019. Since then, it has spread to at least 202 countries and territories, including Indonesia, with a huge surge in death toll.
This condition prompted the World Health Organization to declare it a global pandemic.
Jakarta is the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in Indonesia. According to the website corona jakarta.go.id, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the capital have risen to 1,552 as of 8 a.m. local time on Wednesday, with 144 patients succumbing to the disease and 75 patients making a full recovery.
Related news: Legislator urges government to fund evacuation of stranded Indonesians
Related news: Greater Jakarta's middle-, lower-class segments to receive food aid
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Riza H, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
