"In the last week, daily cases have seen decline, even though it is still two or three times above the average cases in June (2021)," Yogyakarta COVID-19 Task Force Head Heroe Poerwadi said in Yogyakarta on Tuesday.
He informed that in the last week, the average daily COVID-19 cases reached 50 to 70 cases. The average stood at 20 to 25 daily cases in June this year, he added.
He said he expected the decline to continue so that COVID-19 spread in Yogyakarta could be controlled.
The community activity restrictions policy, which was implemented since July 3, 2021, was one of contributing factors for the decline in average daily cases, he added.
"Hopefully, various restriction policies are followed by the public, apart from optimization of vaccination acceleration among them," he said.
Efforts to stem the virus' spread will also be undertaken at the smallest level, like the rukun tangga (RT), he added.
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"If a positive case emerges in an RT, limitations or blockades would be enforced immediately in that area, so that the cases do not spread," Poerwadi informed.
The bed occupancy rate in both ICU and isolation chambers of referral hospitals has also decreased in direct proportion to the decline in positive cases, he observed.
"The bed occupancy rate of ICUs has gone down to about 70 percent, while (bed occupancy rate) in isolation chambers has declined to 40 percent," he said.
The occupancy rate at a number of shelters in Yogyakarta has also declined, he informed. There are 31 shelters in Yogyakarta, and currently only about 10 percent of them are filled, he said.
"The total capacity of the regional shelter is 235 beds and is currently occupied by 15 to 19 people," he added.
Meanwhile, the Tegalrejo Shelter is about 40 percent full, he said. The Gemawang Shelter has only one to two people, with no occupants in the last few days, he added.
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Translator: Eka Arifa R, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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