"This is important to avoid self-isolation at home that can transmit the disease to other family members," Pandjaitan noted while chairing a virtual coordination meeting on Wednesday (Sept 16).
Pandjaitan, in his capacity as deputy chair of the Committee on Policy for COVID-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery, chaired the meeting in which the participants comprised the governors of South Sulawesi, South Kalimantan, Bali, and North Sumatra, as well as the four provinces' police and military chiefs.
The minister laid emphasis on the importance of provincial authorities staying firm in applying health protocols to reduce the numbers of cases and death toll.
Pandjaitan also urged the provincial police and military chiefs to deploy their members to help enforce health protocols in public areas.
On Monday (Sept 14), President Joko Widodo had instructed Pandjaitan to closely monitor the handling of COVID-19 in Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, East Java, South Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, Bali, North Sumatra, and Papua.
Some 75 percent of the total cases, or 68 percent of the total active cases in Indonesia were reported from these provinces.
Based on data available on Jakarta's COVID-19 website (corona.jakarta.go.id), the number of confirmed cases in Jakarta as of Wednesday (Sept 16) totaled 56,953, while the nationwide tally reached 225,030 cases.
Some 77 percent of the hospitals' inpatient and ICU rooms were occupied by COVID-19 patients. The largest COVID-19 cluster in the capital city is the family cluster.
Translator: Ade Irma J, Fardah
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
