Only 17 of the 34 provinces reported (their monitoring results) in the past week -- between July 25–31, 2022.Jakarta (ANTARA) - The COVID-19 Handling Task Force has urged the governments of five provinces that have recorded the most additional COVID-19 cases to bolster the implementation of the health protocols.
"According to a field survey, people's compliance with (the health protocol on wearing) masks tends to be lower than (for) social distancing," the task force’s spokesperson, Wiku Adisasmito, noted at a virtual press conference on the development of COVID-19 handling, which was accessed from here on Thursday.
In addition, the regional governments’ performance in monitoring and reporting the community’s compliance with the health protocols has also decreased.
"Only 17 of the 34 provinces reported (their monitoring results) in the past week -- between July 25–31, 2022," the spokesperson noted.
He informed said that according to the latest reports from the 17 provinces, more than 40 percent of sub-districts/villages have failed to comply with the protocol on wearing masks, while more than 20 percent have failed to obey the social distancing regulation.
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The five provinces that have contributed the most additional cases this week have comprised Jakarta (19 thousand cases), West Java (7 thousand), Banten (4 thousand), East Java (2 thousand), and South Kalimantan (610).
Hence, the level of health protocol compliance in the five provinces must be re-evaluated, Adisasmito said.
For instance, the compliance rate for the protocols on wearing masks and maintaining physical distancing in West Java province is below 20 percent, he noted.
"I hope that the community and local officials who are supervising the (implementation of the) health protocols will rebuild and maintain the compliance and obedience (toward the protocols) together, as well as not underestimate the (impact of the) pandemic," he remarked.
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The spokesperson also pointed out that several studies have reported that if COVID-19 cases are not constantly suppressed, the public health burden would become heavier in the future.
The studies have pointed to the increasing need for further medical treatment of patients due to health problems experienced after recovering from COVID-19, he informed.
“The potential (of having the additional health problems) will be greater if the patient has experienced mental disorders prior," he added.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Uyu Liman
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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