Indonesia Hits 1 Million COVID-19 Cases, Higher Than The Rest of Southeast Asia Combined

1 million COVID-19 cases recorded in Indonesia

---

Indonesia has officially recorded over 1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, with the figure standing at 1,012,350 at the time of writing.

The figure is higher than the number of cases recorded in other Southeast Asian countries combined.

Read more!

In response, the government has announced that restrictions on the movement of people or pemberlakuan pembatasan kegiatan masyarakat (PPKM) will be extended for another two weeks until 8th February 2021 in seven provinces.

The seven provinces are Banten, Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, and Bali.

---

A worrying trend

---

Image credit: COVID-19 Task Force

On 26th January 2021 alone, 13,094 new cases were announced, with Jakarta recording 25.2% of the total number of COVID-19 cases.

Indonesia currently has 163,526 active cases, which make up 16.2% of the total number of confirmed cases. However, 10,868 recovered COVID-19 cases were also reported yesterday, putting our recovery rate at 81%.

The country’s daily number of new COVID-19 cases has not dropped below the five-digit mark since 8th January 2021, when 10,617 new cases were recorded.

---

Restrictions in seven provinces extended until 8th February

---

In response to the rising number of cases, Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian announced that restrictions on the movement of people in Java and Bali would be extended for another two weeks until 8th February.

Per the restrictions, workplaces must have at least 75% of their employees working from home while restaurants can only operate at 25% of their total seating capacity, and places of worship can only accommodate worshippers up to 50% of their total capacity.

In addition, a number of provinces and cities have issued regulations requiring people entering the regions to present a negative COVID-19 test result on arrival.

Read more about our writer’s experience travelling to Bali for work with mandatory COVID-19 testing here.

---

Netizens react to the surge in cases

---

Naturally, Indonesian netizens have taken to social media to share what they have to say about the matter.

Image credit: @nuicemedia

Popular local news account @nuicemedia tweeted an image of a YouTube gold play button, which is usually awarded to YouTubers who have topped 1 million subscribers.

Image credit: @nabilaahnn

A Twitter user shared her observation of her friends who regularly post Instagram stories, only to disappear for a while after testing positive for the virus.

Image credit: @Fernandaltfm

Another netizen pointed out despite the staggering number of cases, there are still people going out and about without wearing masks, while he regularly does to the point of his ears getting blisters.

---

We need to do our bit to combat the pandemic

---

It’s no secret that the government is facing a huge challenge tackling the pandemic, but we need to remember that we also need to do our bit to curb the spread of the virus.

While we wait for better days to surface, our only option is to stay at home as much as we can and observe good personal hygiene by washing and sanitizing our hands regularly. When you absolutely need to go out and about, keep in mind the importance of adhering to health protocols, including maintaining adequate physical distancing and wearing masks correctly.

Remember that we need to do our part not only for ourselves, but especially for those who are vulnerable such as elderly people and those with existing illnesses.

Also check out:

• How Bali has changed during the pandemic
• TikTokers in East Java interrogated by police after hosting gathering and breaching COVID-19 restrictions
• US influencer Kristen Gray deported from Bali

---

Cover image adapted from Joko Widodo and @dkijakarta

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, and Twitter for more stories from Indonesia. If you have a story to share, email us at pressid@thesmartlocal.com.