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Post-Idul Fitri COVID-19 surge imminent with daily case rise, new clusters
Indonesian health authorities find that most daily case rises and new emerging infection clusters are linked to mudik (exodus) travel or Idul Fitri gatherings.
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A health worker in Cipayung, East Jakarta writes down names of people that are going to be taken to the COVID-19 emergency hospital at Wisma Atlet in Central Jakarta on May 21, 2021. Health authorities recorded a rise in daily new cases and new clusters after the Idul Fitri holiday on May 13. (Antara/Asprilla Dwi Adha)
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ndonesian health authorities have recorded a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases as well as emerging new infection clusters across the country linked to the Idul Fitri holiday, roughly a week after the holiday season.
The surge was first announced by national COVID-19 task force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito, who said the average number of confirmed cases between May 17 and 23 had increased 36.1 percent compared to the previous week. The COVID-19 death rate also rose 13.8 percent in the same period.
According to the official data, the government reported around 3,723 daily new cases on May 16 on a rolling seven-day average. On May 23, the figure rose to 5,067.
“Usually, the number of cases increases two or three weeks after a long holiday season. However, a significant surge occurred only a week after the Idul Fitri holiday [on May 13]. This should be a warning for us,” Wiku said on Tuesday.
Most of the new cases were discovered in provinces most visited by travelers during the Idul Fitri mudik (exodus) season, such as West Java, Central Java and West Sumatra. Jakarta, the origin city of most travelers, also recorded a spike in new cases.
At least 1.5 million people traveled to their hometowns over the Idul Fitri holidays, despite the government ban and the increased security measures in the regions’ borders. Authorities recorded they set up around 381 checkpoints across the three most populous islands of Sumatra, Java and Bali.
