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Jakarta sees surge in workplace clusters as people lower their guard after vaccination
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Commuters wait to board a train at Tanah Abang Station in Jakarta after work hours on Jan. 28, 2021. (TJP/Ardila Syakriah)
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akarta has seen a sharp increase in COVID-19 infection clusters emerging from office spaces in recent weeks, with hundreds of cases traced to workers who have received a vaccine.
Authorities and experts believe the phenomenon can partly be attributed to a false sense of security following the vaccine rollout that has led many office workers to lower their compliance with health rules.
The Jakarta Health Agency found at least 157 confirmed COVID-19 cases in 78 office spaces across Indonesia's capital from April 5 to 11. The figure almost tripled the following week, with the agency reporting 425 new cases from 177 workplace-related clusters.
Last week, infections among office workers dropped to 68 cases, but agency head Widyastuti warned the public that without full compliance with health protocols the number might rise again.
At least 324 office workers that contracted COVID-19 last month have been vaccinated, according to the agency's data cited by Pandu Riono, an epidemiologist from the University of Indonesia who works closely with the Jakarta COVID-19 task force.
The Jakarta administration started the vaccination drive for essential workers on Feb. 17, aiming to inoculate 1.97 million workers in the city by the end of this month. By Monday, around 1.23 million workers had received their first jab, with only about 676,000 of them having received their second dose.
Read also: Jakarta aims for 75.2% coverage in 'massive' COVID-19 vaccination drive amid 2-week spike
