Jakarta, Indonesia’s COVID-19 hotbed, has seen a steady decrease in the number of daily cases and deaths in the past nine weeks, the longest decline since the pandemic hit the capital in March last year.

Despite the good news, authorities and experts have warned the public to remain vigilant and disciplined in implementing health protocols, especially ahead of Idul Fitri holiday season in May when Jakarta expects to see increased mobility of people in and out the city.

Ronald Bessie, coordinator of volunteers for crowdsourced database KawalCOVID-19, said the number of fatalities among COVID-19 patients in Jakarta had dropped around 60 percent since early February.

On Feb. 1, Jakarta recorded 70 deaths, its highest daily rate yet. But the average number of daily deaths in the past week has decreased to around 11. Last Tuesday, Jakarta reported three ...