Jakarta (ANTARA) - The provincial government of Jakarta has expressed its readiness to evaluate the implementation of face-to-face learning amid a significant increase in cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

"We will study it together and monitor the spike in COVID-19 cases. After the study, we will present the results," Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said here on Tuesday.

Earlier, President Joko Widodo had instructed that the implementation of face-to-face learning be evaluated in the three provinces that have contributed the most active cases of COVID-19—Jakarta, West Java, and Banten.

Baswedan appealed to the community to keep complying with the health protocols to prevent COVID-19 cases from surging, as witnessed in July 2021.

"With the spike in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant, let's comply with the health protocols. We have seen it in other cities in the world; the spike can happen very quickly," he cautioned.

The governor also asked residents not to panic about the Omicron spike, saying that the symptoms experienced by Omicron patients have mostly been mild to moderate.

"If there are residents who have symptoms, they should immediately visit a health facility. If the result (of the COVID-19 testing) is positive, immediately isolate," he stressed.

The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Indonesia in March 2020. According to data provided by the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of February 1, 2022, at least 4,369,391 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the country, while 4,143,694 people have recovered and 144,348 people have succumbed to the virus.

The Ministry of Health detected the first case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Indonesia on December 15, 2021.

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Translator: Sihol Mulatua, Raka Adji
Editor: Sri Haryati
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