Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Cairman of Commission IX of the House of Representatives (DPR) Charles Honoris has asked the Jakarta government to increase the number of isolation centers in West Jakarta, North Jakarta, and the Seribu Islands.

According to Honoris, the bed occupancy rate in Jakarta is expected to continue to increase given the recent development in COVID-19 cases.

"Therefore, the government must prepare centralized isolation places so that the community will not have to go to hospitals if they are confirmed positive for COVID-19, and the BOR in hospitals will not be as high as now," he explained while reviewing booster vaccinations at Penjaringan Evangelical Church, here on Saturday.

Self-isolation at home is still not feasible in some areas in Jakarta, especially considering the demographic conditions of West Jakarta and North Jakarta, which have high population density levels, he said.

There are still many homes in West Jakarta and North Jakarta that do not meet the criteria to be used for self-isolation, Honoris added.

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He listed several alternative sites that the government could transform into centralized isolation facilities, such as sports centers, hotels, or places owned by the private sector.

Honoris further said that he is worried the BOR in Jakarta would reach 70 or 80 percent if the government does not add more isolation centers.

He informed that he had asked Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin to cooperate with the private sector for increasing the number of isolation centers.

Earlier, Deputy Governor of Jakarta, Ahmad Riza Patria had revealed that the bed occupancy rate (BOR) across COVID-19 referral hospitals in Jakarta had reached 45 percent as of Friday (January 28, 2022).

"Currently, BOR has increased to 45 percent. However, it should be underlined that this is different from the previous months or years. This BOR is dominated by asymptomatic (patients)," he said here on Friday.

He further explained that of the total 3,922 beds, 45 percent were occupied, while in ICUs, out of 611 beds, 14 percent were occupied.

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Translator: Abdu Faisal, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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