Some of you may be wondering, why has the Covid-19 pandemic in Jakarta not ended yet? Although admittedly that we still have to harbor the dream of gathering without fear a little longer, we should never give up hope. Because what you also need to know, the Government of Jakarta continues to refine its steps in handling the corona outbreaks.
The government has also prioritized the transparency of data on the transmission of Covid-19 in Jakarta. So, if lately, you see an increase in the graph of the number of cases, it would be used as an accurate reference for the provincial government to determine policies that are more effective in reducing the actual number of spreads.
[How Jakarta Conduct Mass Testing in Curbing Covid-19]
As stated by Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, the increasing number of corona patients in Jakarta is also a real effect of the increased testing capacity in Jakarta. Not only that, but the method used for massive-scale testing is also done through active case finding. This means that the government does not remain static and waiting for patients to come, but instead takes the initiative to be more aggressive in finding citizens who are asymptomatic to protect the wider community.
"We will not cover up the number of cases and we will not reduce the number of tests. [We will not] reduce the number of tests to only give the impression the number is down. We are improving our testing, reaching out to the community because we want to find those who are doing activities outside, even though they are already carriers," he said.
Governor Anies Baswedan also decided to extend the PSBB transition for 14 days. To make mitigation steps remain manageable amid increasing community activity, the government has set out a strategy in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic through three main phases: testing, tracing, and fencing.
Testing
In dealing with the spread of a pandemic, testing is a step that most of the time sits in the upstream. From an analytical point of view, this effort also becomes important in understanding the actual conditions of transmission of outbreaks around the community in more detail and systematically.
The testing efforts currently underway in Jakarta have been carried out evenly from the level of the Jakarta Health Office to Puskesmas (Community Health Center). As mentioned, the government is intensifying massive testing through the active case finding method. So the location or target of the testing process is not done randomly, but selectively in public places with high vulnerability, such as markets, places of worship, and offices.
To support these efforts, creative innovations that utilize information technology have also been successfully realized by the government in collaboration with collaborators. One of them is the Corona Likelihood Metric (CLM), a self-risk test application developed jointly with the Harvard CLM Team and Klakklik.ID.
By using CLM, people can monitor health conditions and calculate the risk of Covid-19 infection. CLM users will also get a recommendation, whether they need a PCR test or not. Therefore, CLM examination results also help the government in utilizing health facilities efficiently and effectively.
Tracing
Given the incubation period of the virus that causes Covid-19 ranges from 1-14 days, there is a possibility that an infected patient may still have time to travel, without realizing he is infectious to others. This is the reason why contact tracing is an important effort in the next phase.
Through tracing efforts that have been carried out by the Jakarta Health Office, the government was able to identify several major clusters scattered in Jakarta, such as the Bethel Seminary, Kramat Jati Central Market, Petojo HKBP Church, and Jamii Sunter Mosque.
By utilizing information obtained from tracing efforts, the government can also find out vulnerable locations or areas that require further attention. For example, by relying on the tracing data, the government could identify several vulnerable villages (RW) that were determined through these following steps:
Determining sub-districts with the highest Incident Rate (IR) in the last two weeks.
Vulnerable RWs are taken from a sub-district with the highest IR based on the recommendation of Sudinkes (local branch of Jakarta Health Office) and Puskesmas.
The criteria for vulnerable RWs are measured based on the number of active cases (hospital treatment or isolation at home), the number of cumulative cases in an RW, newly active clusters, small-scale local transmission (eg family), and community with uncooperative behavior.
Fencing
The final phase in handling coronavirus outbreaks is fencing or movement restrictions. Isolating patients who have confirmed infected with Covid-19 needs to be done to minimize the possibility of virus transmission through physical contact. In collaboration with the Jakarta Regional Research Council (DRD) and several collaborators, the provincial government has provided isolation booths to support the fencing efforts, one of which is at Pademangan Sports Hall, North Jakarta.
To ensure safety and hygiene, the Government of Jakarta has also provided separate toilet facilities for patients and medical workers, as well as numerous sink or washing areas. Pademangan Sports Hall is also equipped with Anti-Covid-19 Air Purification Machine Nano Technology which was created in collaboration with PT Nanobubble Karya Indonesia, to filter and distribute clean air in the isolation area.
In addition to the Pademangan Sports Hall, the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government is also preparing other sports halls throughout the Jakarta area to function as a quarantine place. For a complete list, see the Sports Sector section on the FAQ page of the corona.jakarta.go.id website.
The simple instruction of self-isolate at home for 14 days can also be interpreted as the preventive form of fencing effort. This recommendation is especially given to people with high-risk categories based on the result of their CLM test.
In combating epidemic viruses such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the government also needs cooperation with its citizens. If you are determined to take part in curbing the spread of the pandemic in Jakarta, you can do so by always adhering to health protocols and routinely practicing the tree preventive measures: wear a mask, wash hands, and maintain distance. Together, let's build a healthy, safe, and productive society!
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