TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated that there is no significant increase in COVID-19 cases after the Eid al-Fitr holiday. But referring to last year's experience, Budi said signs of a surge in cases usually emerge 27 to 34 days after the long holiday.

“Eid was on May 2, so we will see [the signs] at the end of this month. Inshallah, there will be no significant increase, but we will wait and see,” said Budi at a press conference on Tuesday, May 17, 2022.

Based on the COVID-19 Task Force data, 168 new cases were recorded on May 2. There were also 371 patients recovered and 14 patients died. The number of active cases amounted to 7,257.

Meanwhile, on May 17, the task force reported 247 new cases, 1,029 recoveries, and 17 deaths. The number of active cases reached 3,898.

Budi predicted that there will be an increase in new cases after Eid given high public mobility. However, the virus positivity rate remained at 5 percent and the reproduction number was still below 1 percent. “This should be under control,” he added.

Although indications of the COVID-19 case surge are still being awaited, the government decided to relax the health protocols. President Joko "Jokowi "Widodo announced Tuesday that people are allowed to take off face masks in open places that are not crowded.

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