Jakarta Warns Residents to Wear Mask On During Year-End Holidays Amid COVID-19 Spike

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Health Office warned its residents to wear masks and wash hands, especially for vulnerable groups during the Christmas and New Year holidays. 

"Residents who seek to travel, especially for vulnerable groups, must wear a mask and prepare hand sanitizers to prevent respiratory and digestive infections as well as air pollution," said Ngabila Salama, the Head of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Immunization on Monday, December 18, 2023, in Jakarta.

The vulnerable groups include the elderly, people aged 50 years or above, people who have not completed their COVID-19 vaccination, and people who have comorbid hypertension, diabetes, stroke, heart disease, kidney failure, chronic pains, cancer, TB, or HIV.

Additionally, Ngabila mentioned that the holiday would be much safer if people completed their vaccine doses and conducted independent early detection of COVID-19. 

Especially, she went on, as COVID-19 has entered the endemic phase in Indonesia, meaning it has become personal responsibility. 

To prevent the spread of the virus, she mentioned tightening health protocols such as wearing masks in public, washing hands, avoiding smoking, and maintaining adequate ventilation indoors.

The Jakarta Health Service recorded 200 positive cases per day of COVID-19 in the capital city this week.

"Almost 90 percent of positive COVID-19 cases in Jakarta are dominated by patients without symptoms and mild symptoms, you would recover during three to five days of self-isolation at home," Ngabila explained. 

However, she went on, COVID-19 cases in Jakarta are still manageable if seen from the percentage of hospital occupancy rate. As of December 13, 2023, COVID-19-positive cases in Jakarta amounted to 365 cases.

ANTARA

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