Robertus Wardi, Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Indonesia reported the second highest daily rise or coronavirus cases on Friday, with Jakarta hitting its new high since the outbreak to surpass East Java as the province with the most cases.
New confirmed cases of the virus rose by 2,473, taking the country's total to 121,226. The highest rise in a day was 2,667 cases on July 9.
It was only for the fourth time that daily cases have exceeded the 2,000 mark.
More than 1,900 Covid-19 patients have been cured or discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries to 77,557.
The death toll in the outbreak increased by 72 to 5,593, extending a run of daily deaths below three digits since July 23.
President Joko Widodo has ordered all local governments to mandate the use of face mask and impose punitive measures when necessary to curb the spread of coronavirus.
"The executive order by the president aims to get people more disciplined in observing the health protocols," chief security minister Mahfud M.D. said on Friday.
He said he was tasked with coordinating security officials from the National Police and the Indonesian Military in enforcing the regulations across the country.
The fight against the outbreak was a humanitarian mission that allows the military to get involved, he added.
"The Covid-19 handling is concerted efforts that don't separate civilian and military roles," Mahfud said in a virtual press conference.
He said criminal charge will be used as a last resort when people refuse to obey the health protocols to an extent that can be considered as resisting officer.
Jakarta returns as epicenter
Jakarta saw a new high with 665 cases, bringing its total count to 24,601, more than any other provinces.
The capital city has delayed full reopening of businesses and schools and declared the so-called transition period, in which all offices should limit attendance to 50 percent while distance learning policy remains in place.
East Java, which overtook Jakarta on June 26, returned to the second place after adding 378 new cases for a total of 24,493, including 1,834 deaths.
While reporting more than double the number of Covid-19 deaths in Jakarta, East Java also has higher number of recovered patients, 17,221 compared to 15, 201.
Jakarta has seen resurgence in cases since mid-June and started to narrow the gap from East Java last month. The capital city has been averaging 457 cases per day since the start of the month, in comparison to East Java's 343 cases.
Central Java returned to the top three of provinces with the highest number of cases by adding 232 new cases, its highest daily total in a week, for a total of 10,383.
It surpassed South Sulawesi, which reported a total of 10,257 cases, 88 more from yesterday.
Daily cases in new hotspot North Sumatra reached a new high, with 216 cases to take its total to 4,693.
Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesia-coronavirus-cases-jump-by-2473-jakarta-leads-national-count