From May 31 to June 6 alone, there are 195 recoveries
Surabaya, E Java (ANTARA) - Vacant beds at referral hospitals around Surabaya City are currently within easier reach for its residents diagnosed with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and in need of hospitalization, a local government official stated.

At least 92 vacant beds at 20 referral hospitals in Surabaya are available for COVID-19 inpatients, Coordinator of the Prevention Unit at the Surabaya City Government's COVID-19 Task Force Febria Rachmanita informed journalists here on Tuesday.

Both adults and children can use the vacant hospital beds. "Hence, no difficulties will be encountered if the city residents diagnosed with COVID-19 symptoms seek hospitalization," she remarked.

Rachmanita noted that 20 COVID-19 referral hospitals in the city had some 755 beds in total, adding that 867 COVID-19 patients in Surabaya had made a complete recovery, while 644 others were still under hospitalization as of Tuesday.

Some 15 of those fully recovering from the coronavirus disease were children, according to Rachmanita.

In the midst of the ongoing endeavors to flatten the COVID-19 curve, the East Java provincial government approved the proposed termination of the enforcement of large-scale social restrictions in Surabaya City and the districts of Sidoarjo and Gresik.

Consequently, a transitional period would be put in place for a two-week period before introducing a new normal situation, according to local media reports.

The administrators of Surabaya, Sidoarjo, and Gresik on Monday urged to put an end to the enforcement of large-scale social restrictions despite the ongoing threat of COVID-19 in East Java Province.

To this end, at a meeting, held here from Sunday evening to early Monday to evaluate the handling of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the administrators came up with a common proposal to end the enforcement of large-scale social restrictions in their respective areas.

At the meeting, Head of the Surabaya Disaster Mitigation and People's Protection Agency Irvan Widyanto highlighted Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini's suggestion to put an end to the imposition of large-scale social restrictions in Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city.

"We ensure that healthcare protocols for containing the spread of COVID-19 will remain in place, and checkpoints will also remain operational in areas of the city bordering with its neighboring districts," he noted.

Large-scale social restrictions were imposed in Surabaya's greater areas from April 28 to May 11 and thereafter extended twice until June 8.

Coronavirus infections initially surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019.

Since then, COVID-19 has spread to over 215 countries and territories, including 34 provinces of Indonesia, with a massive spurt in death toll.

The Indonesian government officially confirmed the country's first cases on March 2 this year.

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Translator: Abdul H, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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