VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

It is business as usual at the Poncol market in Jakarta in spite of large-scale social restrictions. (ANTARA/Livia Kristianti)

 The Jakarta provincial government is set to extend large-scale social restrictions (PSBB), which have been implemented in the city since April 10 to curb coronavirus transmissions.

"The number of coronavirus cases has continued to increase and (so) the Jakarta administration will extend large-scale social restrictions," the second chairman of the Jakarta COVID-19 Task Force, Catur Laswanto, said in Jakarta on Wednesday.

According to the COVID-19 official website, Jakarta had recorded 1,719 confirmed coronavirus cases on April 10, the first day of the implementation of large-scale social restrictions. The number has more than doubled to 3,399 as of Wednesday (April 22).

Deputy Chairman of the Jakarta Legislative Assembly (DPRD), Mohammad Taufik, has urged Governor Anies Baswedan to propose the extension of large-scale social restrictions to the Health Ministry amid fears the transmission of coronavirus in the capital will get worse unless the PSBB is extended.

"It (PSBB) must be extended. The number of people exposed to the virus has continued to increase although the recovery rate has also risen. Mr. Anies should propose the extension to the Health Ministry soon," Taufik said.

Large-scale social restrictions should be extended indefinitely or until the number of coronavirus cases declines, he added.

"Assistance should be distributed (while the large-scale social restrictions are in place). I think the Jakarta administration should be prepared for the long haul," he continued.

"The shorter the implementation (of the extended large-scale social restrictions), the better it will be. (Companies that are still operating) must be dealt with to ensure that the number of COVID-19 cases is curbed," he noted.

The Indonesian Government’s spokesperson for National COVID-19 Response, Achmad Yurianto, stated that as of Tuesday (April 21), 95 additional patients have recovered from COVID-19 in the country. The number of new cases stands at 375, while the death toll has reached 25.

“The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has reached 7,135, with 616 people dead, 186,330 people under monitoring (ODP), and 16,763 patients under surveillance (PDP)," Yurianto noted.

The Indonesian Government has declared the COVID-19 outbreak a national emergency and imposed large-scale social distancing measures, especially in Jakarta, which has reported the highest number of cases, West Java, Central Java, and Riau Province. (ANTARA)