The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Surabaya, East Java, has continued to spike after large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) were lifted, leading to calls for the partial lockdown to be reimposed.

Home to some 2.8 million people, the second-largest city in Indonesia accounts for half of the total cases in East Java, the province that has replaced Jakarta as the country’s new COVID-19 epicenter since May 21.

However, Greater Surabaya, which consists of Surabaya and its satellites cities Sidoarjo and Gresik, decided to end its PSBB measures on June 8.

The East Java COVID-19 task force reported that post-PSBB, the COVID-19 attack and transmission rates in Surabaya have soared, in line with a lack of awareness among Surabaya residents of the importance of complying with health protocols.

The attack rate is defined by the percentage of the population that contracts the disease during a specified time interval, while the transmission rate (RT) represents the average number of people who are infected by an infectious person.

In Surabaya, the attack rate of COVID-19 has reached 139.7, meaning 140 in every 100,000 people is COVID-19 positive. This is the highest rate in the country. Meanwhile, the overall attack rate in East Java is 19.7.

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