The highest increase of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia is recorded today. (Image via Tirto.ID)

Achmad Yurianto: 693 infections, the highest daily rate since March

On Wednesday, the Indonesian government tabulated a surge in the daily new infection rates of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country at 693 new cases. The number became the highest surge since the first case on 2 March.

Speaking at Graha BNPB, the Government’s spokesperson for COVID-19, Achmad Yurianto, stated that the total rose to 19,189 cases. Achmad then recounted that last Wednesday’s rate was also 600+, 689 precisely. The curve once went down but then it went up again by today. The margin remained stagnant at 486 at least.

The result was taken after the laboratories throughout Indonesia tested 211,883 specimens using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The surge mostly happened in West Java at 176 cases, East Java at 118 cases, and Jakarta at 81 cases.

Surprisingly, zero new case was found in Aceh, Bengkulu, West Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, Riau Islands, Southeast Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, and Gorontalo.

Reportedly, the Indonesian government is compiling “new normal” regulations amid the COVID-19 outbreak in the land. The President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo (Jokowi), is preparing scenarios to loosen the large-scale social distancing (PSBB) in suppressing the number of COVID-19 cases. It will be decided once sufficient data and facts had been gathered.

However, there is no decision to loosen the PSBB for now.

Source: https://bit.ly/2ZjtCi2