"Unfortunately, the number of people undergoing COVID-19 testing continues to decline," he said at a press conference on COVID-19 handling in Indonesia, which was accessed online here on Tuesday.
The number of people undergoing testing for COVID-19 has continued to decline after March 2022, he noted. Earlier in mid-March, the number of people tested had reached 1 million per week. However, last week, only around 300 thousand people got tested against the virus.
In fact, according to data from Google Mobility, as of May 6, 2022, the trend of mobility among the community has increased evenly in 33 out of the 34 provinces in Indonesia.
The data showed that, in general, an increase in mobility occurred in retail outlets, recreational and grocery stores, parks, and public transportation centers, he said. Meanwhile, overall, people's mobility in the workplace and offices declined.
"For that reason, we need to improve this (testing) because the more people are tested, the more we will see an accurate view of COVID-19 transmission in the community," he said.
Earlier, government spokesperson for COVID-19 handling, Reisa Broto Asmoro, had invited the community to support testing, tracing, and treatment (3T) to prevent a spike in COVID-19 cases after the Eid exodus period.
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"We can prevent this spike in COVID-19 cases with strict health protocols and vaccinations, both booster and complete doses," Asmoro said.
The spokesperson urged people to get tested if they experience COVID-19 symptoms after taking part in the exodus.
The first case of COVID-19 in Indonesia was confirmed in March 2020. According to data from the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of May 10, the nation has recorded a total of 6,049,141 coronavirus cases, 5,886,870 recoveries, and 156,416 deaths.
Related news: People should support COVID-19 tracing to prevent case spike: Asmoro
Translator: Hreeloita Dharma, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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