Surabaya urged to restore restrictions

tHe number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Surabaya, east Java, has continued to spike after large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) were lifted, leading to many recommending that a partial lockdown be reimposed.

the second largest city in Indonesia accounts for half of the total cases in east Java, the province that has replaced Jakarta as the country’s new Covid-19 epicentre since May 21.

However, Greater Surabaya, which consists of Surabaya and its satellite cities Sidoarjo and Gresik, decided to end its PSBB measures on June 8.

the east Java Covid-19 task force reported that post-PSBB, the Covid19 attack and transmission rates in Surabaya have soared.

the attack rate is defined by the percentage of the population that contracts the disease during a specified time interval, while the transmission rate represents the average number of people who are infected by an infectious person.

In Surabaya, the attack rate of Covid-19 has reached 139.7, meaning 140 in every 100,000 people is Covid-19 positive. this is the highest rate in the country.

the task force also reported that community compliance with health protocols had declined, with the poorest compliance occurring in outdoor exercise spaces, followed by offices and factories, places of worship and traditional markets.

“this is disappointing. theoretically, under these conditions, we should revive the lockdown,” the task force’s curative management head Joni Wahyuhadi said.