TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Jakarta Health Agency chairperson, Widyastuti, on Monday said the climbing infection rate of positive COVID-19 cases in the capital was the main reason why the PSBB social restriction had been extended to February 8.

January 11, 2021, recorded 17,946 active cases in the capital with a total accumulation of confirmed cases up to 208,584. Thirteen days later, the active cases rocketed to 24,224 cases—the highest number of active cases Jakarta has ever recorded—pushing the total tally to 249,815.

“Let this be a reminder for us all that the pandemic has not ended,” Widyastuti wrote in a written statement on January 25.

She also revealed that only 14 percent of isolation beds across Jakarta hospitals were available, which means that out of 8,055 available, 6,954 are already occupied. This has motivated city health officials to increase the number of isolation beds by 1,941.

The same critical situation is evident in ICU rooms at hospitals treating COVID-19 patients. A total of 921 beds out of 1,097 are already occupied according to the latest statistics.

“We will also increase the ICU capacity to 1,362 beds,” she said.

The latest social restriction is stipulated in the Governor’s Regulation, which extends the restriction from January 26 to February 8.

Read: Two Weeks of PSBB, COVID-19 Cases in Jakarta Rise by 34%

ADAM PRIREZA