The task force’s spokesperson, Wiku Adisasmito, noted that a number of countries were currently experiencing a second wave of COVID-19 and that some of them had reimposed lockdowns.

Wiku said he hoped such a situation would not occur in Indonesia and asked the public to be vigilant.

"Several countries in Europe, such as France, Germany, Belgium and Greece, are experiencing a second wave of COVID-19," Wiku said on Thursday as quoted by kompas.com. 

"Don't let this happen to us in Indonesia. We ask the public to be disciplined in complying with the 3M health protocol and avoid crowds," said Wiku.

He was referring to mencuci tangan (washing hands regularly), memakai masker (wearing masks) and menjaga jarak (distancing).

He said the constant increase in COVID-19 cases in a number of countries in Europe illustrated the risk of transmission that was not well controlled. This is due to the fact that many people take the health protocols lightly.

President Joko Widodo had conveyed a similar warning earlier.

"Be careful, because in Europe there has been a second wave, where [COVID-19] cases have increased drastically. So, don't be careless, don't let down your guard, so that this incident [second wave] will not occur in our country," Jokowi said during a Cabinet session at the Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta on Monday. 

In some aspects, Indonesia shows improvements, including in the percentage of active cases and in the recovery rate.

"We have 13.78 percent active cases, the world’s average is 25.22 percent of active cases. This must be suppressed, so that we can keep cutting the 13.78 percent figure," Jokowi said as quoted by tribunnews.com. 

"We are now at 82.84 percent, the world average is at 72 percent, so our recovery rate is also better. This must be improved," Jokowi said. 

However, he noted that Indonesia’s death rate was above the world average. "We are still at 3.38 percent, the world average is 2.5 percent. This deserves our attention," said Jokowi. 

"We must remain focused on managing [COVID-19] and maintaining a balance between handling public health and the economic recovery. I think I have conveyed this dozens of times, but I need to emphasize this once again," said Jokowi. 

Indonesia’s daily new COVID-19 positive cases returned to the 4,000 mark on Thursday after previously decreasing to 2,000.

Based on government data from Thursday midday, there were an additional 4,065 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, bringing the tally to 425,796 infections. In addition, there were an additional 3,860 COVID-19 patients who have recovered, taking the total to 357,142 recoveries. Meanwhile, there were additional 89 deaths, taking the death toll to 14,348 people. (iwa)

Editor’s note: This article is part of a public campaign by the COVID-19 task force to raise people’s awareness about the pandemic. 

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