TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Covid-19 Handling Task Force said Indonesia has entered the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. The task force spokesman Wiku Adisasmito said the first peak occurred in January 2021 with 89,902 positive cases in a week. This week, the weekly trend was much higher at 125,396 cases.

Last week, Indonesia recorded the highest single-day rise in cases during the pandemic with 21,345 new infections. “This indicates the second wave of Covid-19 surge in Indonesia,” said Wiku in a written statement on Wednesday, June 30.

The task force noted that the first wave peaked in 13 weeks with a 283-percent hike in positive cases from the lowest trend. Meanwhile, at this second peak, the surge from the lowest trend hit 381 percent or almost five times, and that reached within six weeks.

In fact, Wiku added, Indonesia experienced a significant decline in cases since the first peak for 15 weeks up to 244 percent.

“The surge in cases started to occur one week after the Eid holiday. In the beginning, the increase is considered normal and not too significant, but entering the fourth week after the holiday, the hike sharply skyrocketed and lasted for three weeks until it reached the second peak last week,” Wiku explained.

The current dramatic surge was also attributable to the emergence of new variants in the archipelago and was worsened by high public mobility. “These conditions cause the impact of the holiday to last until the sixth week and it will likely remain until the eighth week,” he opined.

The Covid-19 Task Force reported that three provinces, namely Jakarta, West Java, and Central Java, followed by East Java, greatly contributed to the surge in cases in both the first and second peaks.

Wiku further asserted that any efforts carried out by the government to contain the Covid-19 pandemic will not be effective if people are negligent and careless in protecting themselves from the potential for contracting and infecting others with the coronavirus.

Read Also: Prambanan Temple Closed Again as Klaten, Sleman Declared as Covid-19 Red Zone

DEWI NURITA