The city logged 1,579 new cases on Saturday, bringing the total tally to 125,822. It was the highest single-day jump since the capital reported its first confirmed cases in March.

Of the new cases, 1,198 were the result of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests conducted on Saturday.

As of Friday, the capital has also recorded 114,770 recoveries and 2,509 deaths linked to the coronavirus disease.

The previous major spike in Jakarta was recorded on Sept. 16 with 1,505 new confirmed COVID-19 cases amid the enforcement of PSBB measures.

Earlier this month, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan extended the latest transitional phase of the PSBB policy, which kicked off on Oct. 12 and ended on Sunday.

The capital recorded an average of 1,061 new cases per day throughout the current transitional period.

Concerns were previously raised over a decline in the COVID-19 testing rate, which currently stands at below 10,000 people per day, despite the mounting number of confirmed cases.

At the time of writing, it remains unclear whether the Jakarta administration would continue easing health restrictions or reinstate the full PSBB policy in response to the recent surge in cases.

The latest surge came on the heels of public furor over a series of mass gatherings centered around the return of Islam Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab in and near Jakarta between Nov. 10 and 14, as well as the administration’s supposedly lackluster handling of the events amid heightened concerns over COVID-19 transmission.

Anies was criticized for visiting the firebrand cleric at the latter’s residence – which also serves as FPI’s headquarters – in Petamburan, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, upon his arrival in the country, purportedly only to “catch up” with each other.

The governor was also slammed for having allegedly overlooked large-scale violations of prevailing physical distancing protocols among thousands of people attending the public wedding of Rizieq’s daughter in Petamburan. Anies was later summoned by the Jakarta Police for questioning regarding his administration’s alleged leniency toward Rizieq’s crowded events.

In his defense, Anies claimed his administration through the Central Jakarta Mayor’s Office had already reminded event organizers to apply health protocols ahead of the wedding.

“Once we received word of the event, we proactively reminded [the event organizers] of the existing rules,” Anies said, claiming that his office would take immediate action against those found to have violated health protocols.

For his part, Rizieq was ordered to pay a fine of Rp 50 million (US$3,536) by the Jakarta Public Order Agency as his daughter’s wedding and the resulting crowd were considered to be in violation of the city’s quarantine regulations.

Reflecting on what she considers to be a marginal impact of the PSBB on public behavior in Jakarta, Masdalina Pane of the Indonesian Epidemiologists Association (PAEI) told The Jakarta Post that it was crucial that the administration eschewed any further “lip service” and focused instead on enforcing the law against violators of health protocols.

 “The PSBB policy was never effective in curbing the spread of COVID-19 in the capital as people still acted as though they were living in precoronavirus days,” she argued, citing as examples the series of mass gatherings in Jakarta in recent weeks.

“What’s most important at this stage is direct enforcement of the law as it will send a stronger message.”

She urged the central government to set a good example to the public nationwide by postponing or calling off events considered to be detrimental to public health and safety, such as political campaigning ahead of December’s simultaneous regional elections in 270 regions outside Jakarta.

The appearance of legal fairness is crucial to ensure public compliance with prevailing health protocols, according to Masdalina.

The police, meanwhile, have also asserted that they would not allow the 212 Alumni Brotherhood – a hardline Islamic group closely associated with the FPI – to stage its annual reunion rally at the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta next month, saying that authorities would disperse the event if it went ahead to ensure the enforcement of COVID-19 protocols in the capital.

Jakarta Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria claimed his office had yet to receive any event proposals from the group while also noting that Monas would remain closed for the remainder of the current transitional period of large-scale social restrictions.

Despite renewed anxieties over COVID-19 transmission among the public, the Visit Wonderful Indonesia (VIWI) board — an umbrella organization for 18 tourism associations — asked Anies not to extend public restrictions aimed at further flattening the curve of coronavirus infection.

Board chairman Hariyadi B Sukamdani earlier said that given numerous public breaches of existing health protocols, the Jakarta administration might as well revoke COVID-19 restrictions so as to grant tourism businesses greater freedom to recoup their losses amid the current economic downturn.

University of Indonesia epidemiologist Pandu Riono, who also advises the Jakarta administration on COVID-19 mitigation, said his team was currently analyzing the latest data to determine whether another transitional PSBB period was required.