TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo or Jokowi briefed the Riau Province Regional Leadership Communication Forum (Forkopimda), during his visit on Wednesday, May 19. Jokowi gave special attention to the increasing cases of Covid-19 in the province.

In February, Riau's active cases were lower compared to 2020. However, the figure has jumped since last March.

"Surely there has been carelessness. Cases rose to 1,302 in March and surged to 4,865 in April. Although it has started to decline slightly, the numbers are still quite high. Please be careful," Jokowi said in a video uploaded to the Presidential Secretariat YouTube channel on Thursday, May 20.

Jokowi said that the death toll in Riau was also above the national death rate of 2.7 such as in Indragiri Hilir (5.23) and Rokan Hulu (4.5).

"Please check properly whether this is caused by delays in medication, lack of ventilators, or others," he said.

The president also asked authorities to have full knowledge on field data, and asked neighborhoods to isolate the area if there is even a single positive case.

"And remember to stay alert even after cases are down. Don’t let down your guard and don’t wait for chaos before taking action because by then it would be too late," Jokowi said.

Read: Jokowi Monitors Toll Project, Covid-19 Vaccination in Riau Today

Egi Adyatama