Pantura Declared Covid-19 High-Risk Area

Covid-19 is continuing to spread in the northern coastal (Pantura) area of Java, due to the high volume of people moving from one region to another.

KOMPAS/ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI

A boy is allowed through a Covid-19 checkpoint at the entrance to the RW 08 Simaja Selatan community unit on Wednesday (24/6/2020) in Drajat village, Kesambi district, Cirebon, West Java. The checkpoint was set up to encourage local residents to wear masks and to keep track of all visitors to prevent Covid-19 transmission from outside the coastal city of Cirebon.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The northern coast (Pantura) of Java has been declared high risk for Covid-19 transmission due to its strategic function as a major transportation corridor on the island.

The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases found in areas along the northern cost of Java, especially along the transportation corridor from Surabaya in East Java to Semarang in Central Java, is among the highest in Java.

The Covid-19 task force reported an additional 1,268 new cases as of Tuesday afternoon, which has brought the cumulative nationwide total of confirmed cases to 66,226 cases. Of this total, 3,309 people have died and 30,785 people have recovered. The provinces with the highest number of cases are East Java, Jakarta, Central Java and West Java.

The situation is different in West Java.

Epidemiologist Iqbal Elyazar of Laporcovid19.org said in Jakarta on Tuesday that without strict controls on people’s movements, transportation corridors would become hot spots of Covid-19 transmission. “The Pantura area in Java is the most vulnerable, especially along the transportation corridor from Surabaya to Semarang,” he said.

The high risk of Covid-19 transmission in Pantura is reflected in the high number of confirmed cases and deaths reported in the area. For example, 15 regencies/municipalities located along the Pantura areas contributed 77 percent of the confirmed Covid-19 cases in Central Java. The death toll in the 15 regencies/municipalities in the area accounts for 75 percent of all deaths in the province.

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In East Java, six regencies/municipalities in Pantura have contributed all 70 confirmed cases recorded in the province and 52 percent of all deaths linked to the disease.

"The situation is different in West Java. A relatively small number of confirmed cases and deaths have been found in districts/cities along the province’s Pantura [corridor]. It is relatively small, because a toll road extends after Semarang that reduces the movement of people from one region to another in the Pantura cities of West Java," said Iqbal.

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KOMPAS/KRISTI DWI UTAMI

Checkpoint officers stop motorists briefly on Saturday (4/7/2020) to check their body temperature at the entrance to the Guci Hot Springs in Tegal regency, Central Java. Visitors who record a body temperature of above 38 degrees Celsius are prohibited from entering the tourist site.

‘Vigilance index’

The vulnerability of the Pantura transportation corridor that facilitates the chain of transmission between Surabaya and Semarang is illustrated in the “vigilance index” developed by Kawalcovid19.id.

The index is based on the total numbers of confirmed cases, patients under surveillance (PDP), asymptomatic cases (OTG) and persons under monitoring (ODP), the fatality rate among confirmed cases and PDPs, testing capacity and population density.

"The spread of Covid-19 along the Pantura highway connecting Surabaya and Semarang is continuing to increase, but along Pantura highway connecting Semarang and Jakarta, the infection rate has not shown an increase, even though they are located on the same corridor. The vigilance index indicates that areas along the Semarang-Jakarta Pantura highway have better tracing-to-isolation rates and testing rates than cities on the Surabaya-Semarang highway,” said data coordinator Ronald Bessie of Kawalcovid19.id.

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According to the vigilance index, the three cities of Sidoarjo, Gresik, and Surabaya in East Java have the highest scores. Sidoarjo has a score of 16.07 and means is most susceptible to Covid-19 transmission, followed by Gresik with 15.83 and Surabaya with 14.55. Among the cities in Central Java, Demak has a score of 9.42, followed by Semarang with 8.8 and Jepara with 8.43. Along the Surabaya-Semarang section of the Pantura highway, only Pati has scored low with just 0.4.

Given the current upward trend in new cases and deaths in the region, Iqbal said that Central Java could emerge as another high-risk area. In addition to being situated along the Pantura transportation corridor, Central Java had a relatively low testing capacity.

The July 2 report of the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that the testing average in Java was below the minimum standard of one test per 1,000 population per week. Only Jakarta has managed to meet the WHO’s minimum testing standard.

According to the Health Ministry’s Health Research and Development Agency, the local testing capacity as of 6 July 2020 in performing rapid diagnostic tests that use the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method are: 26,527 tests per million population in Jakarta, 2,320 tests per million population in Banten, 1,777 tests per million population in Central Java, 1,736 tests per million population in West Java, 1,877 tests per million population in East Java, and 5,119 tests per million population in Yogyakarta.

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KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

A trader in a mask and a face shield gives a thumbs-up to wearing protective equipment while interacting with customers on Tuesday (30/6/2020) at Pedurungan Market in Semarang, Central Java. The market has a high volume of physical interaction and is one of the hot spots of Covid-19 transmission in the city.

Higher movement volume

Epidemiologist Bayu Satria of the Medicine, Public Health and Nursing Department at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) also expressed concern about the high Covid-19 infection rate along the Surabaya-Semarang Pantura highway. "Transit areas such eateries along the intercity highway will becomes a hotbed of transmission if the health protocols are not implemented," he said.

Central Java Health Office head Yulianto Prabowo said that a larger volume of movement was recorded in the eastern part of Java. "It is necessary to limit the movement of people more strictly from the RT/RW (neighborhood/community unit) level," he said. Travelers must also be quarantined in keeping with the Covid-19 health protocols. This would be more effective with higher awareness among local residents.

It is necessary to limit the movement of people more strictly from the RT/RW level.

Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo said that the map of the chain of Covid-19 transmission showed a correlation between regions in Central Java and East Java. The data could be used as a basis for analyzing the effectiveness of the Covid-19 mitigation measures in Central Java.

According to Ganjar, the local administration had formed six regional coordinating units in six residential areas to accelerate Covid-19 data collection and management. The province had also prioritized PCR testing for ODPs, PDPs and direct contacts of Covid-19 patients, due to limited resources.

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

A trader closes his stall early on Tuesday (7/7/2020) following information that several traders had tested positive for Covid-19 at Jatingaleh Market in Semarang, Central Java. The city has seen an upward trend in new daily cases of Covid-19 in recent weeks.

West Java Pantura

The high volume of people moving across Cirebon and Indramayu along the Pantura highway in West Java had also triggered a spike in new cases. Moreover, the border checkpoints had been closed. Almost all new cases and transmission clusters in the area originated from cases imported by travelers from Covid-19 “red zones” like Jakarta and Surabaya. "The easing of [physical restrictions] has made it difficult for us to control Covid-19," said Cirebon Mayor Nashrudin Azis.

Covid-19 government spokesperson Achmad Yurianto said that the national task force was conducting routine evaluations on the transmission map of new cases for each region in the country. Regional heads were responsible for mitigating the spread of the disease in their areas, he said.

According to UGM’s Bayu Satria, municipal/regency administrations needed to enforce strict health protocols at local points of entry as well as at rest areas, gas stations, restaurants, bus terminals, and train stations.

The health protocols included providing tables or facilities for out-of-town visitors to separate them from local residents. In addition, it was necessary to gather the personal data of inbound travelers to an area, including transiting travelers. If necessary, alternative routes must be closed to ensure more effective monitoring.

"Collecting travelers’ [personal] data is the most important aspect of managing Covid-19 at final destinations and transit points," said Bayu. Using this data would make it easier for local administrations to trace the contacts of any cases that are suspected of originating from travelers. (DID/IKI/MEL/AIK/TAN).